[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 51 (Wednesday, March 25, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3739-S3740]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        AMBASSADOR RYAN CROCKER

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, it is appropriate for us to honor, from 
time to time, outstanding public servants whose work on behalf of the 
American people might otherwise be overlooked.
  Next week, Ambassador Ryan Crocker will return home to Washington 
State after a remarkable career promoting America's interests abroad. 
In a career spanning nearly 40 years, Ambassador Crocker has 
represented the United States in some of the most challenging 
environments. So it is fitting that we pause to honor him for a job 
well done.
  A graduate of Whitman College in Washington, Ryan Crocker joined the 
Foreign Service in 1971, beginning a career that would take him to 
diplomatic posts in Iran, Qatar, Egypt, Lebanon, and Iraq. Ambassador 
Crocker served as Ambassador to Syria, Kuwait, Lebanon, Pakistan, and, 
most recently, Iraq. Clearly, he has not shied away from a challenge. 
And he has excelled at every one.
  Earlier in his career, Ambassador Crocker served in Lebanon during 
the Israeli invasion of 1982 and the bombing of the U.S. Marine 
barracks in 1983--experiences from which he would later draw important 
lessons while serving in Iraq, particularly in 2007, when Shia militias 
and Sunni insurgents fed sectarian tensions and tribal feuds.
  Ambassador Crocker's career spanned the entire Middle East and recent 
U.S. history. But he will undoubtedly be remembered most for his 
service in Iraq.

[[Page S3740]]

Success in Iraq was never ensured, but it was made far more likely by 
the presence of Ryan Crocker. As Ambassador from March 2007 to February 
2009, he was instrumental in carrying out the diplomatic tasks required 
to implement the counterinsurgency strategy, and to successfully defend 
that strategy before a skeptical Congress. He also carried out the 
negotiation that produced the Status of Forces Agreement, and he helped 
Iraqis through provincial elections. In all this, Ambassador Crocker 
forged a strong partnership with GEN David Petraeus that protected our 
Nation's interests in Iraq at a moment of peril.
  Ryan Crocker has served his Nation with honor, and our country owes 
him a debt. He is a diplomat's diplomat, the best of the best, and a 
tribute to the State Department that he has served. He is also a very 
fine man, and I wish him well in retirement and the best of luck in the 
future. Ambassador Crocker may be leaving the stage, but his service to 
our Nation will not be forgotten.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from California is 
recognized.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, what is the order?

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