[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.


[[Page S7649]]


  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

[[Page S7651]]

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.

                          ____________________