[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 184 (Tuesday, December 9, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10827-S10828]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO SENATORS


                              john warner

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, Today is a day I have dreaded. Today I say 
farewell to my good friend and esteemed colleague, Senator John Warner.
  A few years ago, in an article for a Capitol Hill publication, 
Senator Warner called attention to the courage of America's war 
veterans. He explained that the men and women who serve in our military 
are ``heroes [who] share the timeless virtues of patriotism and 
selfless devotion to duty in defending our country.''
  Mr. President, Senator Warner is one of my ``heroes.'' He is a man 
who has always displayed ``the timeless virtues of patriotism and 
selfless devotion to duty in defending our country.''
  Indeed, Senator Warner has spent his life in service to our country. 
He enlisted in the Navy at the tender age of 17 in order to serve in 
World War II. A few years later, he joined the Marines in order to 
serve in the Korean conflict. From 1969 to 1972, he served as the 
Assistant Secretary of the Navy, and from 1972 to 1974, as Secretary of 
the Navy.
  In 1978, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, and is now the second 
longest-serving Senator in the history of his beloved Commonwealth of 
Virginia.
  His entire Senate career has been marked by his dignity, style, 
grace, and integrity. He is one of those men with whom one can disagree 
without rancor. I cannot recall ever hearing anyone speak ill of John 
Warner.
  A few years ago, on another occasion in which I paid tribute to my 
good friend, I referred to him as ``the classiest of class acts''--and 
he is. We

[[Page S10828]]

will miss his comity, his courtesy, and his refreshing bipartisan 
spirit always seeking consensus solutions for the good of the country. 
Whether in committee or on the Senate floor, he never succumbs to the 
bitter, destructive partisanship which has all too often characterized 
this chamber in recent years.
  Senator Warner has spoken out against his own party when he felt that 
the wrong course was being pursued. When the horrors of Abu Ghraib came 
to light, John Warner did not hesitate to help write the legislation to 
restrict the use of torture.
  Senator Warner embodies the guiding principles set down by another of 
our country's brave warriors, GEN Douglas MacArthur, who proclaimed his 
leading lights to be, ``Duty, honor, country.''
  Mr. President, without qualification, I can say that it has been an 
absolute pleasure to have served with this distinguished and esteemed 
Virginia gentleman, and I will miss him.


                              chuck hagel

  Mr. President, I came to know Senator Hagel in 1997 when we worked 
together on the Byrd-Hagel Resolution related to the Kyoto Protocol. We 
made a good team because our effort was approved unanimously, by a vote 
of 95-0.
  In our work together, I made a new friend because I found Senator 
Hagel to be a likeable and cooperative person as well as a 
knowledgeable and hard-working Senator.
  My respect for this dynamic Senator increased as I watched him become 
one of the Senate's most outspoken critics of Mr. Bush's war in Iraq. 
Several of us were already pointing to the disastrous results of the 
Bush administration's flawed and failed Iraqi war policies. But Senator 
Hagel's opposition to the war carried very special impact. He is a 
conservative, a member of the President's own political party, and a 
military veteran. In fact, he still carries shrapnel in his chest and 
remnants of burns to his face from his service as an infantryman in 
Vietnam. Senator Hagel now calls Mr. Bush's war in Iraq ``an absolute 
replay of Vietnam.''
  I will miss my friend and colleague. The Senate needs strong, 
independent voices like Senator Hagel--lawmakers who are willing to put 
the best interests of our country and American people over partisan 
politics.


                             pete domenici

  Mr. President, when the Senate convenes next January, it is difficult 
to accept that Senator Domenici will not be here.
  This son of an Italian immigrant grocer was elected to the Senate in 
1972, making him the first Republican in nearly 40 years to be elected 
to the Senate from the great State of New Mexico. He is now the longest 
serving Senator in the history of New Mexico.
  In the Senate, he established himself as an expert on fiscal policies 
and the intricacies of the Federal budget. Having served with Senator 
Domenici on the Appropriations and Budget Committees, I have come to 
know and respect him not only as a dear friend and colleague, but also 
as a formidable opponent. Senator Domenici and I have clashed swords 
many times on the Senate floor, and, believe me, when you clashed with 
him, you would have the fight of your life. He has one of the sharpest 
minds on Capitol Hill. He is one of the most knowledgeable people on 
the budget on Capitol Hill. And he is always prepared.
  Oh, how I regret that he will be leaving us all too soon. But I would 
like to use this opportunity to thank the senior Senator from New 
Mexico for his wonderful service and to congratulate him on an 
outstanding career in the Senate.
  Thank you, Senator Domenici, for all your work for your State, and 
our country. And, thank you, Pete, for being a friend.

                          ____________________