[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 15, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4910-S4911]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO SENATOR DAN INOUYE

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, there are not many lists on which Senator 
Dan Inouye ranks second. He was Hawaii's first Congressman, and he now 
is the longest serving Senator from that great State. He is the first 
Japanese American to serve in the House and first Japanese American to 
serve in the Senate. He was the first chairman of the Senate Select 
Committee on Intelligence. He has cast more votes than any other 
Senator west of the Mississippi. We have all heard the stories about 
his bravery, both legislatively and on the fields of war where, because 
of his gallantry, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
  But there is one place where he comes in No. 2, though it is a 
remarkable accomplishment nonetheless. This past Friday, Senator Inouye 
became the second longest serving U.S. Senator in this Nation's 
history, passing Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina. Every day 
since Hawaii has been a State, Senator Inouye has proudly represented 
its citizens in Congress. Every day since January 3, 1963, 46\1/2\ 
years ago, Hawaiians have been proud to call Dan Inouye their Senator. 
Every day I have had the privilege of knowing him and serving with him, 
I have been proud to call Dan Inouye my friend.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Republican leader is recognized.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, last October, the Senate had an 
opportunity to call attention to one of our colleagues who so rarely 
calls attention to himself when Senator Daniel Inouye became the third 
longest-serving Senator in U.S. history. This past Friday, Senator 
Inouye reached an even loftier milestone when he surpassed Strom 
Thurmond to become the second-longest serving Senator in history. So we 
honor him for this remarkable feat of longevity.
  Senator Inouye's dedication to the people of Hawaii is legendary, and 
so is his story. He was only 17 when he heard the sirens over Honolulu 
and saw the gray planes overhead. But he was old enough to know that 
life would never be the same.
  Sure enough, a few years later, he would be lying in a hospital bed 
at Percy Jones Army hospital recovering from wounds sustained in a 
grenade attack in the mountains of northern Italy. It was there that he 
first met his future colleague, Bob Dole, who evidently mentioned that 
after the war he planned to go to Congress.
  As it turned out, Senator Inouye beat him by a few years, and he has 
survived him here in the Senate by many more.
  For his heroic actions in World War II, Senator Inouye received our 
Nation's most prestigious award for military valor, and he has earned 
the admiration of all Americans. Dan Inouye became a member of one of 
the most decorated U.S. military units in American history and one of 
its longest-serving, and finest, Senators. So, Senator, thank you for 
your service, and congratulations on another remarkable achievement.
  (Applause, Senators rising.)
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Hawaii is recognized.
  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I rise to congratulate our senior Senator, 
my good friend and longtime colleague, Senator Dan Inouye, on his 
impressive milestone.
  On Friday, Senator Inouye became the second-longest-serving Senator 
in the history of this storied institution.
  Dan was sworn into the Senate in 1963, just a few years after Hawaii 
became a State. At the time, he was the first and only Japanese 
American to step foot in this room as a Member of this prestigious 
body. Today, he is the chairman of the Appropriations Committee. Dan 
Inouye did not just break barriers, he shattered them.

[[Page S4911]]

  Of course, the Senate is only the most recent chapter in Dan Inouye's 
lifetime of service to our country, which includes his Medal of Honor 
service in the Army during World War II, and his service in the Hawaii 
Territorial Legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives.
  Hawaii may be the youngest State in this great country, but as 
Senator Inouye's milestone demonstrates, our contributions continue to 
shape the United States of America.
  From President Barack Obama, who grew up not far from Senator 
Inouye's childhood home on the island of Oahu, to each teacher, 
soldier, construction worker, and farmer, we are proud of the many 
accomplishments of Hawaii's people. We are proud to be the 50th State, 
and we are proud of Senator Inouye's long career serving our Nation.
  Aloha and congratulations, Dan.
  (Applause, Senators rising.)
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is, Will the Senate advise and 
consent to the nomination of Brian Anthony Jackson, of Louisiana, to be 
U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of Louisiana?
  Mr. McCONNELL. I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be a sufficient second.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Byrd) 
and the Senator from Missouri (Mrs. McCaskill) are necessarily absent.
  Mr. KYL. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator 
from Florida (Mr. LeMieux) and the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Roberts).
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber 
desiring to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 96, nays 0, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 186 Ex.]

                                YEAS--96

     Akaka
     Alexander
     Barrasso
     Baucus
     Bayh
     Begich
     Bennet
     Bennett
     Bingaman
     Bond
     Boxer
     Brown (MA)
     Brown (OH)
     Brownback
     Bunning
     Burr
     Burris
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Chambliss
     Coburn
     Cochran
     Collins
     Conrad
     Corker
     Cornyn
     Crapo
     DeMint
     Dodd
     Dorgan
     Durbin
     Ensign
     Enzi
     Feingold
     Feinstein
     Franken
     Gillibrand
     Graham
     Grassley
     Gregg
     Hagan
     Harkin
     Hatch
     Hutchison
     Inhofe
     Inouye
     Isakson
     Johanns
     Johnson
     Kaufman
     Kerry
     Klobuchar
     Kohl
     Kyl
     Landrieu
     Lautenberg
     Leahy
     Levin
     Lieberman
     Lincoln
     Lugar
     McCain
     McConnell
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Mikulski
     Murkowski
     Murray
     Nelson (NE)
     Nelson (FL)
     Pryor
     Reed
     Reid
     Risch
     Rockefeller
     Sanders
     Schumer
     Sessions
     Shaheen
     Shelby
     Snowe
     Specter
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Thune
     Udall (CO)
     Udall (NM)
     Vitter
     Voinovich
     Warner
     Webb
     Whitehouse
     Wicker
     Wyden

                             NOT VOTING--4

     Byrd
     LeMieux
     McCaskill
     Roberts
  The nomination was confirmed.


                            Vote Explanation

  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, unfortunately I was unable to make this 
morning's vote on the nomination of Tanya Walton Pratt to be United 
States District Judge for the Southern District of Indiana. Had I been 
present for the vote, I would have voted aye on the nomination.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is, Will the Senate advise and 
consent to the nomination of Elizabeth Erny Foote, of Louisiana, to be 
United States District Judge for the Western District of Louisiana?
  The nomination was confirmed.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the motions to 
reconsider are considered made and laid upon the table, and the 
President will be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

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