[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 37 (Wednesday, March 29, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S2526]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO CASPAR WEINBERGER

  Mr. HAGEL. Madam President, yesterday America lost one of the 
preeminent public servants of our time when former Secretary of Defense 
Caspar Weinberger passed away at the age of 88.
  An inventory of Cap Weinberger's service to our country is a tribute 
to his patriotism. He served in the Army in World War II. He oversaw 
the State of California's finances for Governor Ronald Reagan. That was 
during the 1960s. He served under Presidents Nixon and Ford as Chairman 
of the Federal Trade Commission, Director of the Office of Management 
and Budget, and as Secretary of the Department of Health, Education, 
and Welfare. He again served Ronald Reagan as our country's 15th 
Secretary of Defense, from 1981 to 1987.
  Cap Weinberger understood America and he understood the American 
military. As Secretary of Defense during the tipping point of the Cold 
War, he led an unprecedented rebuilding of an American military that 
had been demoralized and devastated by Vietnam.
  His legacy was the most professional and technologically advanced 
military the world has ever known. He knew we needed the world's best 
military not because we wanted war but because we wanted to prevent 
war.
  I was struck by an excerpt from Cap Weinberger's memoir ``In The 
Arena,'' published in the Washington Post this morning. It said this:

       Some thought it was incongruous that I did so much to build 
     up our defenses but was reluctant to commit forces abroad. I 
     did not arm to attack. . . . We armed so that we could 
     negotiate from strength, defend freedom, and make war less 
     likely.

  Cap Weinberger stands out as the model--the model--of what a 
Secretary of Defense should be. When I was president of the World USO 
in the late 1980s, I had the privilege of working very closely with 
Secretary Weinberger. As a Senator, I sought often his wise counsel and 
sound advice. Without fail, he was always candid, thoughtful, and 
generous with his time and, I would say, always correct in his 
analysis.
  All Americans owe this great patriot our gratitude and deepest 
respect. We have much to learn from the lessons of Casper Weinberger's 
service to his country and his exemplary life. Lilibet and I offer our 
thoughts and our prayers to Secretary Weinberger's family, as I know do 
all Americans.
  Madam President, I yield the floor.

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