[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 48 (Wednesday, April 20, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4009-S4011]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          SENATOR JIM JEFFORDS

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, it is with sadness and appreciation I come 
to the floor today to speak about the announcement my colleague from

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Vermont, Senator Jeffords, just made this afternoon in Burlington. He 
announced he will retire from the Senate at the end of his current 
term.
  Not surprisingly, Senator Jeffords went back to his native State, our 
native State, of Vermont to make the announcement. When I called him 
this morning to talk with him, I said, ``Jim, how are you doing?'' He 
said, ``The air is so clear and so nice here in Vermont.'' He was 
speaking about the fact, of course, that he felt so much at peace. I 
know that is the case because Jim and I have known each other and we 
have worked with each other since the days, long ago, when he was the 
attorney general of Vermont and I was prosecuting criminals as State's 
Attorney of Chittenden County.
  Our wives, Liz Jeffords and Marcelle Leahy, knew each other even 
before that from their high school days in Burlington. When Jim and I 
speak of our wives, we have to admit, we both married way above 
ourselves. We both chose extremely well. Our thoughts and thanks today 
are also with Liz and their children, Leonard and Laura.
  Jim Jeffords is beloved by the people of Vermont, as well as by 
millions of Americans nationwide who have come to know him through the 
courage and independence he showed in making the difficult decision to 
become an Independent. Since then, Jim has had a national following. He 
has never had more public support and popularity in Vermont than he 
does today.
  Though many Americans outside of Vermont only came to know of his 
independence in recent years, the truth is that, throughout his public 
service, Jim Jeffords has shown that same streak of Vermont 
independence. It is deep, it is wide, and it is genuine--from his days 
as a State senator from Rutland County, to being Attorney General, to 
being a Member of the House of Representatives, to being a Senator.
  Jim has ably continued the Vermont legacy of national leadership on 
the environment in the tradition of Senator Bob Stafford of Vermont, 
from Jim's early days in the other body, to his chairmanship and now 
being ranking member in the Environment and Public Works Committee in 
this body.
  Vermonters, no matter what their political affiliation, are good 
stewards of the gorgeous land that surrounds us. With our pristine 
mountains and lush valleys, we have sometimes said we have air so clean 
it has never been breathed. That is the air Jim Jeffords was enjoying 
this morning in Vermont.
  So we consider the pollution that creeps across our borders from 
dirty powerplants upwind of our State to be an offense not only against 
our health but against the natural environment we want to enjoy and 
pass on to our children and grandchildren. Jim Jeffords has been a 
stalwart national leader in that fight.
  Jim Jeffords also feels passionately about improving education in 
America and his imprint can be found on innumerable laws and 
initiatives over the years in pursuit of that goal.
  Children with disabilities, they especially have had a champion in 
Senator Jeffords.
  Senator Jeffords of Vermont and I have also been partners in 
defending the hard-working dairy farmers of our States and--I might 
say--of a lot of other States. Vermonters and I will miss the seniority 
that he has gained in this body, which has been put to so many good 
purposes not only for our States but for our Nation.
  When the time comes for him to carve his initials in his desk and 
retire from the Senate, Jim Jeffords will leave with a legacy of 
principled public service of which he and Vermonters can be proud.
  I know that, for the Senator from Vermont, nothing compares to the 
scarce and precious days he has been able to spend on his farm in 
Shrewsbury. We are both native Vermonters and we feel that tug of the 
land. Our colleagues may remember the time years ago when he broke his 
leg doing farm chores.
  He was doing them instead of hiring somebody else because it felt 
good. He believed it brought him closer to his native State. Down the 
road I am sure that my good friend looks forward to a time when those 
precious days at home will be a little less scarce.
  So with fondness and with appreciation, I will conclude with a phrase 
that was often heard from Vermonters, even seen on bumper stickers 
during his last reelection campaign: Thanks, Jim.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic leader.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, if the distinguished chairman of the 
committee would allow me to say a few words prior to getting back on 
the important legislation before us, Jim Jeffords, above all else, is a 
gentleman. I am so sorry he is not going to be running for reelection. 
The people of Vermont would have elected him again, as they have on so 
many occasions.
  The reason I mentioned what a gentleman he is, as everyone knows, he 
made a very important decision a few years ago that changed the balance 
of power in the Senate. I can remember his telling me of the difficulty 
of the decision he made, not because of what he wanted to do--he knew 
it was the right thing--but how it affected his friends with whom he 
had served for so long. He mentioned specifically Senator Warner.
  I know the decision he has made today was a difficult one for him, as 
it was when he switched the balance of power in the Senate and in the 
country. I am sure he believes, as he indicated to me last night in a 
private meeting I had with him, he is making the right decision, but he 
hates to let down his friends. I want everyone to know within the sound 
of my voice that Jim Jeffords has not let us down. He is going to 
finish this term with dignity.
  Jim Jeffords is an interesting man. I don't know of a recent Senator 
or House Member who could walk into a restaurant in Washington and 
other places in the country and people would stand and clap for him, 
give him a cheer. He is a man who is revered and loved around the 
country.
  He was so kind to me in my last reelection. I asked him if he could 
send a fundraising letter for me. He did. It was the most successful 
fundraising event I did during my whole reelection campaign. He is 
somebody who is so well thought of around the country.

  He has done a wonderful job as chairman of the Environment and Public 
Works Committee. The record now is pretty clear. This is his love. But 
to show the dignity and class of this man, that wasn't part of the deal 
in making the arrangements to become part of our caucus. That was done 
after he had made the decision.
  He is a fighter. I realized that when, as the chairman of the Energy 
and Water Subcommittee of Appropriations, we didn't put enough money, 
Senator Domenici and I, in that bill for alternative energy. And, 
frankly, I didn't have a lot of seniority at the time, but it was 
enough to be chairman of that subcommittee. But Senator Domenici had a 
lot of seniority. He was a member of Senator Domenici's party, and he 
took us both on and won. He offered an amendment on the floor of the 
Senate and opposed Reid and Domenici and Jeffords won.
  I have great respect and admiration for him as being a person who 
believes a certain way, and he won't let anyone get in the way of his 
beliefs.
  Those people he met with before he decided to make that decision a 
number of years ago, to a man and to a woman because there was at least 
one woman there, would acknowledge that he is their friend.
  I will have more to say about Jim Jeffords at a later time. But I 
want everyone to know within the sound of my voice that America is a 
better place because of Jim Jeffords.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the Senator from Montana is 
recognized.
  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, not too many years ago, Senator Mike 
Mansfield, a great former Senator from Montana, would have breakfast 
every morning with Senator George Aiken of Vermont. That helped develop 
a strong relationship between the two of them. It helped bridge party 
differences. In addition to the goodwill of Senator George Aiken of 
Vermont, those daily breakfasts contributed to the collegiality in the 
Senate.
  I like to think that there is something about Vermont, about the 
people of Vermont, that is basic. They are down to earth. They know 
their roots. Their rudder is well set. They are good people, 
commonsense people. That is why they elected George Aiken to come to 
the Senate.
  It must also be why they elected Jim Jeffords because Jim Jeffords is 
a

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real person. What he says is true. He doesn't speak in long paragraphs 
or long treatises because he doesn't have to. He gets straight to the 
point. He is a man of few words because he doesn't have to equivocate, 
doesn't have to qualify, doesn't have to dissemble. He just gets 
straight to the point.
  I have found that in my relationship with that wonderful man, Jim 
Jeffords. We work together on the Environment and Public Works 
Committee. Time and time again he turns to me, defers to me, and says: 
Max, whatever you want to do, that is fine with me.
  I know that he is also saying: Just keep me informed of what you are 
doing. And I do. It is a wonderful personal relationship. We know each 
other. We trust each other eminently, immediately. We don't have to ask 
questions such as: What do you really mean? We don't question 
assumptions. We just know.
  That is Jim Jeffords.
  It has been said that he believes strongly in a few issues, and he 
does. The environment certainly is one. There are other issues in which 
my friend from Vermont believes. If you will pardon the overworked 
phrase, one might possibly disagree with Jim, but he does so in such an 
agreeable manner that you don't know that there is really a 
disagreement.
  It has been said on the floor of the Senate not too long ago that it 
is hard to name a Senator who could walk into a restaurant and get the 
same applause, stand-up applause, as Jim Jeffords has so many times 
around this country.
  It is true, he does and he did. It is because people recognize his 
intestinal fortitude. It took a lot of courage for him to decide he 
was, after all, an Independent and not a Republican. It was a very 
difficult decision. But he did it. He did it on the basis of principle. 
People know that. They see that. They sense that, and they understand 
that. That is why they stand and applaud Jim Jeffords. It is not just 
the United States, it is in other cities around the world, where people 
would stand up and applaud when the U.S. Senator from Vermont would 
walk into the room. In his usual way, Jim would be very humble about 
it, and it would not go to his head. He would not take it seriously. 
Obviously, it was not something he disagreed with, but it didn't go to 
his head.
  I am hard-pressed to think of any man I know who is as wonderful as 
my good friend and colleague from Vermont. I am sad to see him retire. 
The Senate needs more people like Senator Jeffords. I hope whoever 
replaces him as Senator from Vermont is in the mold of Jim Jeffords.
  I yield the floor.

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