[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 156 (Thursday, December 6, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7647-S7652]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTES TO DEPARTING SENATORS
Olympia Snowe
Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, many of our colleagues will be leaving us
at the end of this Congress, and I wish to take time this morning to
pay tribute to some of my colleagues, particularly those with whom I
have worked most closely. Of course, I must start with my colleague and
friend from Maine, Olympia Snowe.
In ancient Sparta, there was a saying that roughly translated as
this: It seems all the world knows what is the right thing to do, but
it is only the Spartans who will do anything about it.
As my friend, colleague, and senior Senator from Maine, Olympia
Snowe, ends her service in the Senate, I rise to pay tribute to this
descendent of that legendary civilization. Olympia is a true leader who
has always devoted her considerable intellect, energy, and commitment
to doing what was right for Maine and for America. Olympia Snowe has
dedicated her life to public service: 18 years in the Senate, preceded
by 16 representing Maine's Second Congressional District, plus 5 in the
Maine legislature adds up to a remarkable record of commitment to our
Nation and the great State of Maine.
But that span of nearly four decades tells us only part of the story,
for Olympia has truly set the gold standard for public service. From
the State house to the U.S. Capitol, Olympia has built an outstanding
reputation as an informed, thoughtful, and effective legislator. She
can always be counted on as a leader with integrity who pursued
solutions and who had no interest in just scoring partisan political
points. It is Olympia's character that has made all the difference.
The private acts of public figures can tell us a lot about their
character, so I wish to share with my colleagues this morning a story
about Olympia Snowe that I witnessed personally. There was a Republican
fundraiser going on one night and I was arriving late, driving up in a
car. People were streaming out of the fundraiser and each of them was
passing by a man who was on crutches, with only one leg, clearly
destitute, clearly down on his luck, who was asking for money.
Everybody but Olympia Snowe passed him by without a word, as if he were
invisible. Olympia went over to this destitute man on crutches, with
one leg, and she not only handed him some money but she took the time
to talk with him. I think that tells us so much about who Olympia Snowe
is--her kindness to this individual, when everyone else was passing him
by, her kindness to him when no one was watching, her kindness to him
was a private act that told all of us so much about her character.
With her retirement from the Senate, Olympia Snowe will join the
pantheon of great leaders our State has produced: Margaret Chase Smith,
Ed Muskie, George Mitchell, and Bill Cohen. All of them, similar to
Olympia, exemplify the principle that public office is a sacred trust.
Olympia's inspiring record of service is but part of an even more
inspiring life story. Several times, from childhood on, Olympia has
been visited by tragedy that would have caused most people to become
discouraged, disheartened, and negative. But each time Olympia rose,
transcended her personal tragedy, and was more determined than before
to succeed and to contribute to a better life for others. Her well-
deserved popularity among Maine people transcends party lines and is
testament to her strength and her spirit.
The people of Maine and America are grateful for her many years of
service. I am grateful for her leadership and her friendship. I know
Olympia Snowe will continue to influence national policy for many years
to come.
Joe Lieberman
Mr. President, we have a tradition in the Senate of referring to our
colleagues on the Senate floor during debate as ``my friend from this
State'' or ``my friend from that State,'' and oftentimes the word
friend just means colleague. But there is a fellow Senator whom I call
friend in the truest sense of the word. That person is the senior
Senator from Connecticut, my dear friend Senator Joe Lieberman.
[[Page S7648]]
When Joe Lieberman announced earlier last year that he would not seek
reelection to the Senate, he called himself a lucky guy for having had
the opportunity to serve his State and his country. I would contend it
is we in this Chamber and the people throughout Connecticut and across
our Nation who are the ones who are truly fortunate for Joe Lieberman's
lifelong commitment to public service, including his 24 years in the
Senate.
For more than a decade, it has been my privilege to serve with Joe as
the leaders of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Committee. Regardless of who has been chairman and who has been ranking
member, ours has been a partnership. Indeed, I will never forget when I
was losing the chairmanship because of the change in control, Joe
leaning over to me and saying: Don't worry, Susan, all that will change
is that you will pass me the gavel.
It was typical of his thoughtfulness and generosity, and it is not
coincidental that ours is the only committee in the Senate where we do
not sit with Republicans on one side and Democrats on the other but
instead are interspersed because we recognize, given our important
mandate, that we must work together in a bipartisan and, indeed, a
nonpartisan way.
During the time Joe has been the chairman and that we have worked
together, the committee has established a well-deserved reputation for
bipartisanship, for thoroughness, and--most important--for getting
things done. I know the American people have been so frustrated with
the gridlock that has prevented action on so many issues facing our
Nation. For the most part, we do not see that kind of stalemate on our
committee and that is a tribute to the leadership of Joe Lieberman.
That reputation for our committee--of accomplishment and
bipartisanship--is the work of many hands, but Joe Lieberman's
fingerprints are all over it. Joe has always based his leadership on
his unwavering belief that the great challenges America faces--such as
combating terrorism, putting our fiscal house in order, and defending
freedom--transcend party lines.
The success our committee has achieved in helping to safeguard our
Nation is the result of that nonpartisan--some might say independent--
spirit that guides him. Those successes are many, from the landmark
Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act to providing the tools
that strengthen our first responders, to our extensive investigations
into the flawed response to Hurricane Katrina, the fatal communication
failures in the Fort Hood terrorism case, and our current scrutiny of
the attacks in Benghazi, Joe Lieberman has always put country first.
His actions are guided by deeply held principles and aim toward
progress. He has demonstrated his willingness, time and again, to risk
his political career to do what he believes is right for America.
Joe brings the same dedication to everything he does. Working with
him on the Armed Services Committee, I know firsthand how devoted he is
to our men and women in uniform and the deep respect he has for their
service and their sacrifice. His leadership in bringing about the
repeal of the discriminatory don't ask, don't tell law was nothing
short of extraordinary, and it gives me great personal pride to have
assisted him in achieving that important victory for justice. It was
vintage Joe Lieberman. He did what was right. He never gave up. He got
the job done.
Throughout his many years of dedicated service, Joe has demonstrated
the kind of character America needs and the American people deserve. It
is not by coincidence that the PowerPoint slide show I present to
students throughout Maine includes a photograph of Senator Joe
Lieberman at work. The young pupils of today who will be the leaders of
tomorrow could have no better role model than this leader of
intelligence and integrity.
A wonderful fringe benefit of working so closely with Joe for so many
years has been the opportunity I have had to get to know his wonderful
wife Hadassah. She is a person who also demonstrates remarkable
strength and compassion. Her devotion to community service spans a
range of issues, from advocating for women's health and breast cancer
research to providing women with opportunity through microfinance
programs.
The integrity and decency Joe brings to public service stands on the
unshakable foundation of his deep faith. It is telling that his
retirement announcement included these wise words from Ecclesiastes:
``To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under
heaven.''
In closing, I offer my dear friend this traditional Jewish blessing:
``May you live 120 years.''
While none of us expects to attain the longevity achieved by the
prophet Moses, I am confident the gratitude of the American people for
the service of Senator Joe Lieberman will be everlasting.
Jon Kyl
Mr. President, in reflecting on Senator Jon Kyl's service to this
institution and to our Nation, I am reminded of these words by Abraham
Lincoln. He said:
Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The
shadow is what we think of, the tree is the real thing.
Jon Kyl is the real thing. During 18 years in the Senate, preceded 8
by in the House, Jon has built a reputation that is a perfect image of
his character. National magazines have named him one of America's 10
best Senators, one of the world's most influential people, and one of
our Nation's hardest working lawmakers.
His unanimous election in 2008 as our Republican whip and his
recognized leadership on the great challenges of our time throughout
the Senate reflect the esteem in which he is held on both sides of the
aisle. These accolades confirm what we who have had the privilege of
working closely with Jon know from experience. He is intelligent, he is
informed, and he is fair. He is dedicated to the people of Arizona and
exemplifies the principles that are the foundation of our Constitution
and of our country.
Of all the words that have been used to describe Jon Kyl, these five
describe him best: As good as his word. Jon has been an invaluable ally
in the great challenge of defending America against terrorism, a
challenge he recognized and worked hard to address long before the
terrorist attacks of more than a decade ago.
As the leader of the Judiciary Committee, he worked hard to
strengthen our intelligence capabilities and was at the forefront of
one of the most crucial antiterrorism issues, tracking, exposing, and
cutting off financial networks that bankrolled terrorism. Combating
this financing was one of our earliest and greatest antiterrorism
successes, although work continues today, and it was Jon Kyl who played
a key role.
Arizona, similar to Maine, has a long international border. The
American people fully understand the importance of borders that are
close to our enemies as they remain always open to our friends. Jon is
dedicated to providing those who protect our borders with the
personnel, the training, and the technology so America can continue to
welcome with compassion those seeking a better way of life while
turning away those who would do us harm.
As a member of the Finance Committee, Jon Kyl has been one of the
Senate's most diligent fiscal watchdogs. He has a sharp eye for
wasteful spending. He is dedicated to reining in deficit spending,
reforming our Tax Code, and making government more accountable.
Jon Kyl understands the challenges that confront America, and he also
empathizes with the challenges that confront American families. His
record is one of strong advocacy for our most vulnerable citizens,
including victims of crime, children, and our seniors.
Jon often compares his work in the Senate to that of a teacher.
Whether addressing constituents or colleagues, he strives to educate
with facts, with evidence, and with the truth. None of us has ever
heard Jon try to win an argument by belittling or berating an opponent.
It is simply not in his character to do so.
It has been said that a politician thinks of the next election and a
statesman thinks of the next generation. This statesman from Arizona
expresses his philosophy of government and the obligation of government
leaders this way:
We owe future generations the chance to live their dreams,
to be successful, and--most important--to achieve true
happiness by their own efforts.
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Senator Jon Kyl's commitment to the security of our Nation, to fiscal
responsibility, and to helping those in need have earned him a
reputation that is worthy of his character.
The people of Arizona and America are grateful for his service. I am
thankful for his guidance over the years and for his friendship. We
wish him all the best in the years to come.
Mr. President, there is one more tribute I would like to give this
morning if there is time remaining. Could the Chair inform me if we are
under a time agreement.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator may proceed.
Richard Lugar
Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, in his 36 years of service in the Senate,
Richard Lugar has established a reputation as an extraordinary leader
on such issues as foreign relations, national security, energy policy,
agriculture, and economic growth. He is the Senate's most senior
Republican and the longest serving Member of Congress in Indiana's
history.
Senator Lugar has established a well-deserved reputation as a true
statesman. At a time when the coarsening political discourse across our
Nation and in Congress is a growing concern, Dick Lugar is a shining
example of civility and mutual respect we must regain if our Nation is
to meet the challenges that lie ahead.
Thirty-six years in the Senate is a part of Dick Lugar's long time of
service. After attending Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, Dick
volunteered for the U.S. Navy in 1957, eventually serving as an
intelligence briefer for the Chief of Naval Operations. As the two-term
mayor of Indianapolis, beginning in 1968, he was a trailblazer in
unifying local government, setting his city on a remarkable path of
economic growth and prosperity as well as efficiency. As mayor, he
served three terms on the U.S. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental
Relations and as president of the National League of Cities. It is
evident Dick Lugar always rises to the top of any organization because
his colleagues recognize his extraordinary capability and his
outstanding leadership.
Dick's life experiences and character have served the people of
Indiana and our country so well. He has been the leader in reducing the
threat of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. What better
tribute or legacy could anyone leave the world than to reduce the
inventory of these dangerous weapons. The bipartisan partnership he
forged in 1991 to destroy these weapons of mass destruction in the
former Soviet Union has resulted in the deactivation of more than 7,500
nuclear warheads that once were aimed at the United States.
As chairman of the Agriculture Committee, Dick Lugar has led the way
for reforming our Federal farm programs and has promoted research
advancements and increased export opportunities that have generated
higher net income for America's family farms. Through the Lugar Energy
Initiative, he has combined his foreign policy and agricultural
expertise to promote policies to spur economic growth.
In the dark days following the attacks of September 11, 2001, Senator
Lugar set forth a set of principles to guide our Nation in these
difficult times. The Lugar doctrine calls upon the United States to
``use all of its military, diplomatic and economic power--without
question--to ensure that life threatening weapons of mass destruction
everywhere are accounted, contained and hopefully destroyed.''
In addition, the Lugar doctrine asserts that America should encourage
democratic institutions and decrease reliance on foreign energy
sources.
These accomplishments, and so many more, stem from a profound
intellect combined with character. There is nothing I love more than to
hear Dick Lugar give a tutorial on any country in the world, and he can
talk knowledgeably and teach us about any country in the world. That is
the depth of his experience, his knowledge, and his expertise.
Dick has also always been a voice of reason in the Senate. No matter
how bitter the debate, he has always stood by his values and engaged in
thoughtful discussions that result in solutions. That is why his advice
has so often been sought by Presidents, military leaders, Cabinet
Secretaries, Governors, and so many of his colleagues, including me.
As Dick Lugar returns to the private life he left behind so many
years ago, his advice will continue to be sought after and I hope
heeded. His knowledge and insight will still be valued, and the example
of his decency and civility he has set throughout his life should guide
us all. The people of Indiana and America are grateful for his service,
and I am so grateful for his friendship and guidance over the years we
have served together.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia.
Farewell to the Senate
Mr. WEBB. Mr. President, as our office is winding down from my Senate
term beginning this week, the field offices in Virginia ceased their
functioning, and it is going to be my pleasure later on today to host a
lunch for all my staff and to thank them for the work they have done. I
just want to take this opportunity to talk about why I have said so
many times since I came to the Senate that my greatest legacy will be
the work of our staff.
When I first came to the Senate, people were asking: Will you be
remembered for the GI bill if you get it done--which we did--or maybe
some great transportation project or something of that sort? I said:
No, the most important thing a leader can do is to bring good people
around him or her and to work them to the full extent of their capacity
and then to provide them the opportunity to grow professionally in the
spirit in which we have worked together.
It is not going to surprise the Presiding Officer or anyone else when
I say the greatest learning experience for me in that regard was when I
served as a rifle platoon and company commander in the U.S. Marine
Corps. When we were in training to go to Vietnam, we got a lecture from
a battle-hardened lieutenant colonel who fought as an enlisted marine
in World War II, rifle platoon commander in Korea, and then as a
battalion commander in Vietnam.
One of the things he said to us was, You may carry a side arm, you
may carry a 45 pistol, you may carry an M-16 rifle, but a Marine
officer is only successful if he fights with his marines. It is the
same concept here. A person is no better as a leader than the people he
or she leads. We worked hard on our staff for 6 years to find the most
talented people in America, to work them to their full capacity, to
instill in them my personal views of the principles of leadership and
the philosophy of governance which are at the core of what I wanted to
bring to the Senate, and I believe we did that.
We started with Paul Reagan and Kathy Wilmoth. Paul Reagan, my chief
of staff, is a veteran with 25 years of Democratic politics and
governance inside Virginia. He worked for Congressman Rick Boucher. He
worked for Jim Moran as his chief of staff. He worked for two other
Members of Congress, and he had been the communications director with
Mark Warner when he was Governor. We were what some people would call
the political odd couple early on. Paul was a master of every detail
inside Virginia politics. My experience for many years had been on the
national level of policy. We worked very hard to screen every single
applicant to make sure these were people who met the standards we were
trying to put into place.
Kathy Wilmoth, in my view, is something of a legend here. She became
our office director. She knows every Capitol Hill policeman. She
probably knows every person sitting here working on the Senate floor.
She is an absolute gold star administrator. Before she came to work for
us, she worked for Senators John and Lincoln Chafee. When I was a 25-
year-old marine, I worked on Senator John Chafee's staff when he was
Secretary of the Navy. I know I am biased, but I would challenge anyone
to rebut that we have had the best run staff on Capitol Hill.
We set up a communications shop. We had Jessica Smith and Kimberly
Hunter, two very talented and invaluable communicators, who understood
the job was not simply to respond to media requests but to proactively
explain what we were doing, what our purposes were, what our goals
were, and what the philosophical approach we were taking happened to be
to local and national media rather than simply entertaining interview
requests and those sorts of things.
[[Page S7650]]
On the State level, we were able to have Conaway Haskins and Louise
Ware. They set up the State administrative structure. We were
constantly able to listen and respond to the needs and to the opinions
of people throughout this extraordinarily complex demographic
jurisdiction that is the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Sometimes we forget about what happens on these phones in our offices
when we are off in our meetings. The people who have run our phones and
have done our casework at times have astounded me. We go back to the
votes on health care reform. We know all the debates that were going on
here. We took a count in our office, and we received--just in our
office--226,000 pieces of advice just on health care reform; in fact, a
total of 300,000 pieces of communication on that debate of which
approximately 50.1 percent of the people who called in to us may have
been happy with the eventual vote that I took. But I could walk out of
the office when that was going on and I could see the young people on
those phones and see how battered they often were, from the advice
which, quite frankly, wasn't always pleasantly given.
With respect to casework, I had the great pleasure and unique
experience when I was 25 years old, on the Secretary of the Navy's
staff, of how to do casework. It opened my eyes to how many people
there are in this country who simply don't know how to open the door to
get their needs solved by the government that has set its requirements
on them. I did this for John Chafee when he was Secretary of the Navy,
and I did it for John Warner when he was Secretary of the Navy. I
strongly emphasized to the people who handled our casework what an
important job it was they were doing.
In the time we have been in the Senate, our staff has resolved more
than 40,000 personal cases. More than 40,000 people who had not known,
in many cases, even how to approach their government have received
personal assistance that has helped them solve other problems in their
lives. In fact, Andrea Trotter, JoAnn Pulliam, Debra Lawson, Gwen
Sigda, and Debby Burroughs are on our staff, and each one of them
resolved more than 3,000 cases during the time I have been in the
Senate.
On legislative and political issues I would say that before I came to
the Senate, I made promises on the campaign trail and we kept those
promises. The greatest achievements, in my view, during this term were
made right out of our office, not because we were responding to the
suggestions of some committee work or from the executive branch saying
they wanted something, but because we continually made suggestions to
those committees and to the executive branch about what we thought
needed to be done.
My first day in office I introduced a new GI bill. I had talked about
it for years. The logic was very simple. These people who had been
serving since 9/11 deserved the same chance at a first class future as
those who had served during World War II. Within 16 months, with the
strong support, by the way, of Leader Reid, we were able to pass this
legislation, the most important piece of veterans legislation since
World War II.
Most of that effort, again, came directly out of our office from the
work of people on our personal staff, led by Mike Sozan, who at that
time was our legislative director and has since moved on to be the
chief of staff for Senator Mark Udall.
We said during my campaign and after I got here that the United
States desperately needs to reform its criminal justice system. We have
5 percent of the world's population and 25 percent of the world's
prison population. If we ask the average American, two-thirds of them
will tell us they feel less safe in their own community than they did a
year ago. It is not a political issue. To me, it has always been a
personal issue, a leadership issue. I was warned when I first started
raising this issue in Virginia 7 years ago that this could actually
kill my political campaign. It didn't. People responded.
So since I was not on the Judiciary Committee, we worked on this
legislation to create a national commission to examine all the aspects
of the criminal justice system, and we did it right out of our office,
with Doug Ierley being the point person for the entire country to get
this debate going in a way that it hadn't been debated before. We met
in our own office with more than 100 different organizations in our
conference room. We had a bill a little more than a year ago that
reached the floor of this Senate.
I would ask the Presiding Officer or any of my other colleagues when
is the last time they have seen a criminal justice bill endorsed by--I
have two pages of organizational endorsements--the National Sheriffs
Association, the Marijuana Project, the Fraternal Order of Police, the
International Association of Chiefs of Police, the ACLU, and the
Sentencing Project. We got a buy-in from across the philosophical
spectrum for a mere $14 million commission where we could receive the
advice from the experts in this country on an issue that we have not
received their advice on since the 1960s.
One of the great disappointments of my time here has been the fact
that this simple, sensible piece of legislation was filibustered. We
got 57 votes on it. For some reason, the people on the other side of
the aisle decided this shouldn't happen. We did get four votes from the
other side of the aisle. Even the National Review, which is one of the
most conservative magazines in the country, said filibustering this
piece of legislation was ``insane.''
I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record at this time
the endorsers of that legislation for the historical record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Criminal Justice Bill Endorsements
Innocence Project; National Sheriffs' Association; NAACP;
ACLU; Fraternal Order of Police; American Bar Association;
International Association of Chiefs of Police; Sentencing
Project; Families Against Mandatory Minimums; National
Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators; American
Probation and Parole Association; National Association of
Evangelicals; American Society of Victimology; Colorado
Organization for Victim Assistance; International Community
Corrections Association; International Organization for
Victim Assistance; Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD);
National Association of Crime Victim Compensation Boards;
National Center for Victims of Crime; National Children's
Alliance.
National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center;
National Organization for Victim Assistance; The Renee
Olubunmi Rondeau Peace Foundation; Legal Action Center;
Correctional Education Association; Middle Atlantic States
Correctional Association; Mennonite Central Committee; Safer
Foundation; Just Detention International; Justice Policy
Institute; Law Enforcement Against Prohibition; Union for
Reform Judaism; Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights; Church
of Scientology; United Methodist Church, General Board of
Church and Society; American Humanist Association; National
Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd; Healing
Communities Prison Ministry and Prisoner Reentry Project;
Marijuana Policy Project; Citizens United for the
Rehabilitation of Errants (CURE).
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws;
Corporation for Supportive Housing; National Employment Law
Project; United Church of Christ/Justice and Witness
Ministries; National African American Drug Policy Coalition,
Inc; American Probation and Parole Association; Women of
Reform Judaism; Students for Sensible Drug Policy; The
Fortune Society; Black Law Enforcement in America;
Therapeutic Communities of America; National Treatment
Accountability for Safer Communities; National Association of
Criminal Defense Lawyers; The Leadership Conference on Civil
and Human Rights; National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People; National Association of Social Workers;
NETWORK--A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby; Community
Action Partnership; Safe Streets Arts Foundation; November
Coalition; TASH--Equity, Opportunity and Inclusion for People
with Disabilities; Drug Policy Alliance; American Civil
Liberties Union; National Council of La Raza; National
Association of Evangelicals; National Alliance of Faith and
Justice; The Episcopal Church; National Gay and Lesbian Task
Force Action Fund.
Mr. WEBB. We have had a lot of discussion over the last 6 years about
the so-called pivot to Asia. I will say as someone who has spent a
great deal of time in and out of east Asia that this pivot was heavily
influenced by the actions, again, taken directly out of our office. We
looked for people to come and work with us who had expertise and the
intellect to work not only on the Hill, not only with Members of
Congress, and not only with the State Department, but with our
embassies around the world, with foreign leaders, with validators, to
take a different approach and to refocus the energy of the United
States on this most vital part
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of the world. David Bonine, Marta McLellan Ross, Gordon Peterson, and
Philip Brady were among them.
Our many visits to this part of the world sometimes included five
countries in 2 weeks, traveling solely via commercial air rather than
with military codel support, and included repeated meetings with the
top leadership of countries such as Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand,
Singapore, Indonesia, and Burma, all of which represent the future of
the United States in terms of trade, security, and cultural growth in
the coming decades.
With respect to Burma, it was a great moment for me to be able to sit
down with and see Aung San Suu Kyi, recognized by the Congress a month
or so ago, coming to this country as an elected member of their
Parliament. We began the change in that relationship directly from our
office based on work I had begun and become interested in over a period
of 6 years before I was elected to the Senate.
I am very proud to say we laid the groundwork for a historic visit in
2009 from inside our office--often, I would say, against the will and
against the advice of our own State Department. We used validators. We
talked to people we knew in the region. I became the only American
leader ever to meet with GEN Than Shwe, the leader of the military
junta, to express my belief that we could work forward and have a
different relationship. We met with Aung San Suu Kyi. I hope those who
had some doubts about the wisdom of opening this relationship now can
see the benefits as we are seeing the political situation beginning to
truly change in Burma.
We worked heavily with Japan. This is a critical yet often overlooked
relationship. It involved an effort to resolve basing issues on Okinawa
that don't always get the attention they deserve in the Congress but
have at times absolutely paralyzed the political debate inside Japan.
Ironically, I first began working on these issues as a military planner
in 1974 after I left the Marine Corps and was in law school. Our staff
has met--and I have been a part of most of these meetings--with more
than 70 delegations from Japan, in our office, organized and conducted
by our staff.
In Korea, we led an effort to bring Democratic Senators onboard to
support the critical free-trade agreement that is so important not only
to our bilateral relations but to the signals of the United States in
that part of the world, and we began what I believe is something of a
pioneering effort to get Korea and Japan to come together at the table
to realize their common security interests.
As to Vietnam, I have visited and worked inside Vietnam for 18 out of
the last 21 years in addition to having served there as a marine, I
would say.
I fought in Vietnam because I believed in the importance of that
country to our relationships in Asia. I have spent a great deal of
energy for more than 30 years now in an effort to heal the final wound
of that war, which is the relationship between our Vietnamese community
here in the United States and the government inside Vietnam.
We have worked in Thailand, Singapore, Laos. I was the first American
Senator to visit Laos in 7 years, the first Member of Congress to visit
Cambodia in 2 years when we visited Indonesia. We worked hard on the
sovereignty and maritime issues in the South China Sea. We initiated
and sponsored two important Senate resolutions regarding China's recent
aggression in the South China Sea. Again, we initiated this from the
staff members in our office.
I could go on. Let me just say that the other areas--important
areas--that our staff has worked on in the past 6 years include our
pioneering work in economic fairness, the need for stronger programs in
the area of adult education, the efforts from inside our office to
encourage a full spectrum of energy development, the preservation of
Civil War battlefields, and the vital need to rebalance the
constitutional relationship between the Congress and the Presidency,
which I have pursued in both administrations that have been in office
while I have been a Member of the U.S. Senate.
Mr. President, at this point, because I really will not have time to
list all of the contributions by my staff members, I ask unanimous
consent that the names and the positions of my staff members be printed
in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Kathryn M. Wilmoth, Administrative Director
Staff Arthur B. Scott Assistant to the Chief of Staff
Colin MacDermott, Assistant to the Chief of the Staff
Will Jenkins, Communications Director
Heather Fluit, Communications Director
Jessica A. Smith, Communications Director
Rafael Anderson, Constituent Correspondence Manager
Verna (Tina) Graham, Danville Caseworker
Lisa Marie Stark, Director of Scheduling
Melissa Bruns, Director of Scheduling
Carolyn D. Walser, Executive Assistant
Nadia S. Naviwala, Legislative Aide
Ann M. Vallandingham, Legislative Assistant on Veterans
Affairs
Doug Ierley, Legislative Assistant and Counsel on Economic
Issues
Gordon I. Peterson, Legislative Assistant for Defense
Ali Nouri, Legislative Assistant for Energy
Trent D. Bauserman, Legislative Assistant for Energy and
Environment
Juliet M. Beyler, Legislative Assistant for Veterans
Affairs
Courtney L. Weaver, Legislative Assistant on Energy
Trevor L. Dean, Legislative Assistant on Environment-
Transportation
Marta McLellan Ross, Legislative Assistant on Foreign
Relations
Jennifer Park Stout, Legislative Assistant on Foreign
Relations
Ann M. Vallandingham, Legislative Assistant on Veterans
Affairs
William Edwards, Legislative Assistant on Veterans Affairs
Maribel Ramos, Legislative Assistant on Women's Issues,
Indian Affairs, Immigration
Patrick Day, Legislative Correspondent
Amy E. Hensley, Legislative Correspondent
Ashleigh Owens, Legislative Correspondent
Jacob E. Terrell, Legislative Correspondent
Jacqueline R. Ball, Legislative Correspondent
Jennifer Ann Bryant, Legislative Correspondent
John L. (Luke) Principato, Legislative Correspondent
Kyle Grantier, Legislative Correspondent
Nathan D. Buniva, Legislative Correspondent
Olivia N. Marshall, Legislative Correspondent
Sara Brown, Legislative Correspondent
Will Rosenthal, Legislative Correspondent
Nelson M. Jones, III, Legislative Director and Counsel on
Judiciary
David N. Bonine, Legislative Director
Michael L. Sozan, Legislative Director
Regan Gwyn Dutton, Norton Caseworker Director
Gwen Sidga, NOVA Casework Director
Matthew Scott Lucas, NOVA Casework
Barrett Kinsella, NOVA Caseworker
Kali A. Matalon, NOVA Caseworker
Tuy Q. Le, Outreach Staff
Anne Elizabeth Hughes, Press Assistant
S. Logan Gibson, Press Assistant
Allison H. Jaslow, Press Secretary
Kimberly Hunter, Press Secretary
A. Nicholas Cohen, Richmond Caseworker
Hope L. Elliott-Murphy, Richmond Caseworker
Justin Jennings, Richmond Caseworker
Joann B. Pulliam, Richmond-Deputy State Director
Deborah R. Burroughs, Richmond-Director of Casework
Conaway B. Haskins, III, Richmond-State Office Director
Louise F. Ware, Richmond-State Office Director
Linda C. Williams, Richmond-State Office Manager
Frederick W. Hutchins, Jr, Roanoke Caseworker
Brittany A. Brown, Scheduler
Jessica VandenBerg, Staff Assistant
Martin Mash, Special Projects Manager
Cody Huffman, Staff Assistant
Erin Raymond, Staff Assistant
Gregory Willett, Staff Assistant
Hope W. Hurley, Staff Assistant
Jada Greenhowe, Staff Assistant
Jonathan Shields, Staff Assistant
Kevin Franklin, Staff Assistant
Liza Bray, Staff Assistant
Mary E. Humphreys, Staff Assistant
Russell M. Rivers, Staff Assistant
Sarah Broadwater, Staff Assistant
Daniel L. Gonzales, Systems Administrator
Joe G. Gallo, Systems Administrator
Andrea R. Trotter, Virginia Beach Caseworker
Charles F. Stanton, Virginia Beach Caseworker
Emily V. Mazich, Virginia Beach Caseworker
Jeanne S. Evans, Virginia Beach Field Representative
Joel R. Alvarenga, Staff Assistant
Michael (Mack) McGarvey, Legislative Assistant on Veterans
Affairs
Amy Reiter, Strategic Planning Coordinator
Phillip F. Thompson, Executive Assistant
Debra T. Lawson, Roanoke Casework Director
[[Page S7652]]
Evan Chapman, Staff Assistant
Michael Mazzuto, Staff Assistant
Steven D. Le, Staff Assistant
Darryl Holt, Richmond Caseworker
Kimberly A. Hunter, Press Secretary
Philip O. Brady, Counselor
Mr. WEBB. So to my staff, a heartfelt thanks, and to each of those
who have served with us, I say again, thank you for your contributions
to our staff and, most importantly, to our country. And I say also
again that I will continue to expect great things from you in the
future. You are my legacy. Never forget that the people you might have
the honor of leading as you move forward in your careers, wherever you
end up, will someday become your legacy.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Brown of Ohio). The senior Senator from
New Mexico is recognized.
Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I want to first, of course, commend the
Senator from Virginia for his great leadership here in the Senate on a
whole range of issues. He has served with great distinction here, and
it has been an honor for me to serve with him. So I congratulate him on
the various issues he discussed and the various issues he has worked
on. I have had the good fortune to work and support his efforts on many
of those issues.
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