[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 164 (Wednesday, December 19, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H7275]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING EMANUEL CLEAVER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Israel) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ISRAEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to join my colleagues in honoring 
Chairman Emanuel Cleaver. I have never had to wait so long to say 
something nice about a colleague of ours, and that gives you a sense of 
how wonderful Chairman Cleaver has been as the chairman of the CBC, as 
a Member of Congress, and as a human being.
  This is a place of hard elbows and harsh tongues, and Chairman 
Cleaver has always worked to make us better, a better Congress and 
better as individuals.
  He and I found common ground very early on in our tenure together. I 
created the House Center Aisle Caucus, and he reached out to me and we 
tried to figure out ways of injecting respect and tolerance and 
sensitivity into our discourse on the floor of the House. We share the 
value that listening is better than shouting and that bringing people 
together is a more valued tradition than driving them apart.
  His leadership of the CBC has inspired so many of us, his ability to 
drive the CBC forward and, at the same time, to reach even higher. And 
I know that the incoming chairperson, Chairwoman Fudge, will pursue 
those goals with equal tenacity and equal vision.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would say this. Although Emanuel Cleaver 
ascended to the highest position in the Congressional Black Caucus, 
although he has become a senior Member of this Congress, he has never 
forgotten that our fundamental ability is to work for those we serve, 
and he has reminded us every single day that no matter how high you are 
at any given time, there is always a higher calling. And for that we 
are forever grateful to Chairman Cleaver, for his service to the CBC 
and his continuing service as a Member of this body. He has made us a 
better Congress and a better country, and we look forward to continuing 
to work with him.

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