[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 108 (Monday, September 13, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H7014-H7017]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING FORMER PRESIDENT WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON ON THE OCCASION OF 
                           HIS 58TH BIRTHDAY

  Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
agree to

[[Page H7015]]

the resolution (H. Res. 717) honoring former President William 
Jefferson Clinton on the occasion of his 58th birthday.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 717

       Whereas former President William Jefferson Clinton was born 
     in Hope, Arkansas, on August 19, 1946;
       Whereas William Jefferson Clinton attended Georgetown 
     University as an undergraduate and received a Rhodes 
     Scholarship in 1968;
       Whereas William Jefferson Clinton received a law degree 
     from Yale University in 1973;
       Whereas William Jefferson Clinton established a record of 
     public service as Attorney General of Arkansas, Governor of 
     Arkansas, and Chairman of the National Governors Association;
       Whereas William Jefferson Clinton campaigned for and won 
     the Democratic nomination for President in 1992;
       Whereas William Jefferson Clinton was elected the 42d 
     President of the United States in 1992 and was reelected for 
     a second term in 1996;
       Whereas during William Jefferson Clinton's time in office 
     the United States experienced 8 years of economic expansion, 
     job growth and the transformation of a budget deficit into a 
     budget surplus;
       Whereas William Jefferson Clinton rallied the members of 
     the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to put an end to 
     ethnic cleansing in the Balkans and to depose the murderous 
     regime of Slobodan Milosevic, actions which eventually led to 
     the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords;
       Whereas William Jefferson Clinton played a major role in 
     the Good Friday Peace Accords which finally brought peace to 
     war-torn Northern Ireland; and
       Whereas, in the words of President George W. Bush, William 
     Jefferson Clinton ``showed a deep and far-ranging knowledge 
     of public policy, a great compassion for people in need, and 
     the forward-looking spirit the Americans like in a 
     President'': Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives honors former 
     President William Jefferson Clinton on the occasion of his 
     58th birthday on August 19, 2004, and extends best wishes to 
     him and his family.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Turner) and the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Turner).


                             General Leave

  Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Ohio?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the House of Representatives, I gladly wish 
former President Bill Clinton a happy belated birthday. Last month, on 
August 19, President Clinton turned 58, and House Resolution 717 
salutes our Nation's 42nd President on that occasion.
  Mr. Speaker, our well-known honoree today was born in the small town 
of Hope, Arkansas, as William Jefferson Blyth, IV in 1946, 3 months 
after the death of his father. After his mother remarried a few years 
later, the future President took the name of his stepfather, Clinton, 
as a teenager. He came to college here in Washington at Georgetown 
University and later earned a law degree at Yale. He entered politics 
and went on to become Attorney General and then Governor of the State 
of Arkansas.
  Then, Bill Clinton, the little-known chief executive of Arkansas, 
shocked the world when he sought and was elected to the Presidency in 
1992. Four years later, he became the first Democrat since Franklin 
Delano Roosevelt to win a second term. His depth of policy knowledge 
and poignant speaking ability served him very well while he presided 
over the Nation for 8 years.
  A key event of Clinton's Presidency was the brokerage of peace in the 
Balkans. The Dayton Peace Accords, which ended the war in the Balkans, 
were negotiated at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, 
located in my district. Today, the Dayton Peace Accords remains a 
significant foreign policy achievement of the Clinton administration.
  Mr. Speaker, today it is especially gratifying to wish a happy 
birthday to President Clinton because of all that he has gone through 
in recent days. As we all know, the former President underwent a 4-hour 
quadruple coronary artery bypass operation in New York City a week ago 
today.

                              {time}  1545

  Fortunately, we understand President Clinton is doing well and should 
make a full recovery over the next few weeks. Without question, the 
thoughts and the prayers of the House of Representatives are with 
President Clinton.
  Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to wish President Clinton a happy 
birthday at a time when he has been on the minds of so many Americans.
  I thank my colleague in the Committee on Government Reform, the 
gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney), for introducing this House 
resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  On August 19, William Jefferson Clinton, our 42nd President, 
celebrated his 58th birthday. Today, we honor him not just for serving 
as our Nation's 42nd President, but for the legacy that President Bush 
recently described as ``a deep and far-ranging knowledge of public 
policy, a great compassion for people in need, and the forward-looking 
spirit Americans like in a President.''
  We honor President Clinton for presiding over our Nation's longest 
ever economic expansion, largest ever budget surplus, and the growth of 
22 million jobs during his Presidency. We honor President Clinton for 
projecting American power on the world stage, to further the cause of 
international peace and understanding, without antagonizing our 
historic allies, and we honor him for helping to broker the Good Friday 
Accords for Northern Ireland, engaging in Middle East peace talks, and 
bringing an end to ethnic cleansing in the Balkans. We honor President 
Clinton for encouraging Americans to care for their fellow men and 
women, creating AmeriCorps, which engages more than 50,000 Americans 
each year in community service.
  At this moment, President Clinton is recovering from an unexpected 
but perhaps life-saving surgery in New York City. We in Congress are 
thankful for President Clinton's improved health and send forth our 
thoughts and prayers to him and his family, especially Senator Hillary 
Rodham Clinton and his daughter Chelsea. We wish him a complete and 
speedy recovery.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Virginia 
(Chairman Tom Davis) for moving this resolution through his committee 
in a speedy manner and to the House leadership for bringing it to the 
floor for this consideration today.
  Mr. Speaker, from his birth in a town called Hope in the State of 
Arkansas through his education at Georgetown University, Oxford and 
Yale Law School, to his service in Arkansas as Attorney General, 
Governor and Chairman of the National Governors' Association, to his 
two terms as President of the United States, to now as a private 
citizen, still engaged and thoughtful on our Nation's public policy, we 
honor President Clinton. President Clinton, happy birthday, and we hope 
you get well soon.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Illinois (Mr. Davis).
  (Mr. DAVIS of Illinois asked and was given permission to revise and 
extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, as one who grew up, went to 
school, still have strong family ties, social ties in the State of 
Arkansas, on the occasion of President William Jefferson Clinton's 58th 
birthday, it is with great pride that I stand to celebrate and to honor 
the life of the man who epitomizes the American dream and makes the 
Horatio Alger story become real.
  Born in the tiny town of Hope, Arkansas, on August 19, 1946, 
President Clinton demonstrated from an early age the determination and 
vision that would ultimately take him to the White House and lead our 
country to a period of economic prosperity that has been unrivaled by 
any period in American history.
  As a man who always fought for those who could not always fight for 
themselves, Bill Clinton after graduating from Yale Law School spurned

[[Page H7016]]

private practice and began a career in public service.
  President Clinton began his political career after being elected 
Attorney General in 1976. He went on to serve as the Governor of 
Arkansas, and by the time Governor Clinton left Arkansas for the White 
House the State of Arkansas had been transformed from a State that 
faced large deficits and polarizing issues into a shining example of 
what government can do for its citizens when those in government put 
aside partisan differences in the best interest of what is right.
  As America's 42nd President, Bill Clinton faced an even more daunting 
task, and in 1992, the American people were fed up with government. The 
economy was in bad shape. Unemployment was at a record high, and it was 
a time when many American parents struggled with basic financial 
decisions such as what holiday presents they could afford to buy their 
children.
  By the time President Clinton left office 8 years later, he had led 
our country out of this darkness and into one of the brightest eras in 
American history, the lowest unemployment rate in modern times, the 
lowest inflation rate in 30 years, the highest home ownership in the 
United States history, and dropping crime rates in many American 
cities. Contrary to the bogus stereotype thrown at Democrats, he 
proposed the first balanced budget in decades, balanced the budget, and 
then went on to produce a surplus.
  Since leaving office, President Clinton has continued his lifelong 
odyssey of working for those in need. Working from his office in 
Harlem, President Clinton has remained engaged on many social issues. 
Just last year, he brokered an historic agreement with four generic 
drug companies to provide low-cost AIDS drugs in developing countries. 
The world is a better place today because of the 58 years President 
Clinton has given us so far, and we look forward to many more.
  We are pleased to hear that President Clinton is expected to make a 
full recovery from his bypass surgery. We certainly wish him and his 
family the best, and take this opportunity to say thank you, Mr. 
President, and happy birthday.
  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I came to Congress with President Clinton in 1992. It was called the 
Year of the Woman, where many people voted for women candidates, not as 
a slogan, but as a force to be reckoned with, and we came to Washington 
and we worked together, not only for women, children and families, but 
during this time we doubled the funding for breast cancer research, 
banned assault weapons, put more police on the streets and more 
teachers in the classroom. We narrowed the gap between those in poverty 
and those that are affluent, which is a good trend for this country, an 
important trend.
  During his 8 years, we had really I could say the best economy in my 
lifetime, the first balanced budget. He came to Washington with a $250 
billion deficit, and when he left, it was a huge, huge surplus.
  I remember very much his hard work on his initiative to reinvent 
government and to make government more accountable to the people that 
we serve.
  Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman 
from Indiana (Ms. Carson).
  Ms. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from New 
York (Mrs. Maloney) for yielding me the time.
  Mr. Speaker, one of my favorite passages is that all good and perfect 
gifts come from on high, and we are here today to renew a celebration 
of a President on the occasion of his 58th birthday, William Jefferson 
Clinton, 42nd President of the United States.
  What I admire most about President Clinton, he was an extraordinary 
individual who related very well to ordinary people, and the ordinary 
people of this world loved Bill Clinton.
  He was born on August 19, 1946, in Hope, Arkansas, and began a record 
of stellar public service to the country and humanity as a very young 
man.
  President Clinton's administration would be noted for the creation of 
22 million jobs, the rallying of international support to stop the 
ethnic cleansing in the Balkans, and reaffirming U.S. recognition of 
Africa as a continent of the birthplace of humanity with many 
countries, cultures and vast potentials.
  I had the privilege of going to Africa with Mr. Clinton and saw his 
concern and compassion for the women and children and men who were 
battling AIDS and saw how he has made the battle against AIDS and HIV a 
focal point of his foundation's activities, which does not surprise me.
  I want to say to the President, in the event that he receives this 
video message of his colleagues in the United States House of 
Representatives, I wish you a rapid recovery. You, unlike me, knew what 
you were going into as an open heart surgery recipient. I did not know 
it and was not fast enough to have it explained to me. I just got it, 
and I want to wish you well. I am so happy it turned out for you as 
well as it did, and God bless.
  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  President Clinton's leadership was instrumental in expanding freedom 
and democracy around the world and really uniting a divided world. He 
was a uniter, and he worked to bring people together, and he was very, 
very loved. People felt very comfortable about Bill Clinton and 
everybody liked him.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. 
Corrine Brown).
  (Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida asked and was given permission to 
revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I, along with my 
constituents and all of the American people, want to extend a happy 
birthday to William Jefferson Clinton. His leadership in so many areas 
is sorely missed, in particular as today on the assault rifles that 
without his leadership we would not have passed. Many Members gave up 
their seats in the House of Representatives because they felt it was 
the right and honorable thing to do to protect the American people from 
these assault rifles.
  We had leadership in President Clinton in so many areas. He had the 
foresight to appoint Jesse Brown as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 
who fought for the veterans. His contributions as far as economic 
development, housing, laying the foundation for a program that is being 
gutted under this last administration, it just goes on and on.
  So I would like to put my comments in the Record and let President 
Clinton know that I dearly love him and the people dearly miss him.
  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I want to express the admiration and support of the New York 
delegation, many of whom are in New York City now at 9/11 events and 
will be joining me in this Congress in tributes in writing later.
  Let me just end by saying that Bill Clinton is loved and admired by 
millions of Americans and by countless others around the world, and we 
want him to know that he, as he is recovering, is in the thoughts and 
prayers of this Congress and the country. We are with him in his 
courageous battle to heal himself so that he can return to his good 
works and helping other people.
  So happy birthday, Mr. President, and get well soon.
  Mr. Speaker, seeing no other speakers, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  It was during the Clinton administration when Congress was controlled 
by Republicans that the Federal deficit started to shrink. It was not 
until the fiscal year 1995 that the Republican budget was in place that 
deficits turned into surpluses.

                              {time}  1600

  Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the adoption of House 
Resolution 717 that honors former President William Jefferson Clinton.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in enthusiastic support of H. 
Res. 717, honoring former President William Jefferson Clinton on the 
occasion of his 58th birthday. I wish him happiness--and health--in his 
58th year.
  The outlines of President Clinton's story have become familiar to us. 
Born in the small town of Hope, Arkansas, the young Bill Clinton began 
cultivating the values--compassion, perseverance and commitment to 
social justice--that would guide him throughout his Presidency.

[[Page H7017]]

  He benefitted from the love and will of his mother--Virginia 
Clinton--a widow and survivor of domestic violence who worked 
tirelessly to support her children. He was a dutiful son, a protective 
brother, and a gifted student. In college, Clinton juggled coursework 
with an internship for Senator Fulbright, relishing his introduction to 
politics. Awarded the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, Clinton went on 
to Oxford University and Yale Law School. There he met his match and 
wife-to-be in the form of a driven Hillary Rodham.
  Mr. Speaker, it was as President that Mr. Clinton captured the 
hearts, the imagination, the hope, of so many Americans. A post-Cold 
War President, Bill Clinton believed we must become a domestic as well 
as a military superpower. He knew our strength came from more than just 
our military might, but from our commitment to the ordinary men and 
women of this country. He nurtured our country's strength through 
economic growth, support for the middle class and a ladder for the 
poor.
  Bill Clinton forged a Third Way, a new path to bipartisanship that 
remains a model for lawmakers and citizens alike. He made our streets 
safer with the Brady bill, he made our working families stronger with 
the Earned Income Tax Credit, and he made our economy soar by balancing 
the budget and erasing the deficit. He protected our environment, he 
created jobs, he strengthened alliances across the world and he labored 
for peace.
  Mr. Speaker, President Clinton continues to be a devoted public 
servant, crusading against the global AIDS pandemic. His foundation has 
succeeded in lowering the cost of HIV/AIDS tests and treatment for 
millions of people in developing countries across the world.
  I am fortunate to call Bill Clinton a friend. I have seen him light 
up a crowded room, and I have seen him connect with struggling 
individuals in a way that only he can. A music-lower and a musician, he 
is a Blues man with soul. He knows the sorrow of life's harsh 
realities, and he knows the joy that comes from striving towards our 
collective potential. Most of all, Bill Clinton is a man of heart. I 
wish him--and his heart--continued health. I thank Congresswoman 
Maloney for sponsoring this resolution and I urge my colleagues to 
support its passage.
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to add to the overwhelming 
support of this House for this resolution honoring former President 
Bill Clinton as he celebrates his 58th birthday.
  President Clinton is a gifted and charismatic leader who has devoted 
his professional life to public service.
  His administration was marked with great economic success, 
transforming quadrupled budget deficits into a budget surplus. He 
achieved the lowest unemployment rate in 28 years, the lowest 
percentage of Americans on welfare 29 years, and the lowest inflation 
rate in 33 years.
  During his presidency, the economy expanded by 50 percent in real 
terms, and when he left office, the U.S. had a gross national product 
of $10 trillion--one-quarter of the entire world economic output.
  During his administration, 15 million jobs were created and average 
wages rose. Home ownership rates were the highest in history. Funding 
public education, saving Social Security, and ensuring health care for 
all Americans were priorities.
  Our economic success was a sign of stability that sparked growth in 
domestic and international markets.
  He was a great supporter of human rights and promoting peace through 
humanitarian relief efforts, refugee assistance, and aiding in peace 
process negotiations.
  I was honored to accompany President Clinton on historic trips to 
Northern Ireland and Africa. We went as ambassadors of peace and 
reconciliation, and it was heartening to see how well received we were 
by our international hosts. The people of this country were welcomed 
and well respected abroad.
  I have great respect and admiration for him personally and for his 
outstanding leadership of our great country, and I believe his legacy 
will long enjoy the approval of a grateful nation.
  I extend to him my best wishes for a happy birthday, and I offer my 
wholehearted support for this resolution.
  Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Petri). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Turner) that the House suspend 
the rules and agree to the resolution, House Resolution 717, as 
amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was 
agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________