[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 143 (Thursday, November 20, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S6191]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 TRIBUTE TO AMBASSADOR WILLIAM J. BURNS

  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, today I honor a truly remarkable diplomat 
and legendary statesman. After 33 years of service to our Nation, 
Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns is retiring from the U.S. 
Department of State. Having served under 10 Secretaries and twice 
postponing his retirement, Ambassador Burns has had an enormous impact 
on the trajectory of U.S. foreign policy and I would like to recognize 
his many years of distinguished service and thank him for his tireless 
efforts.
  Ambassador Burns joined the Foreign Service in 1982 and, within a 
year of joining, he had already made a name for himself as someone 
willing to go above and beyond the call of duty. Over the course of his 
33 years in the Foreign Service, he has served in countless posts, 
including as Ambassador to Jordan, Assistant Secretary of State for 
Near Eastern Affairs, Ambassador to Russia, and Under Secretary for 
Political Affairs. Since 2011, he has served as Deputy Secretary of 
State, holding the rare distinction of being only the second career 
diplomat to rise to the position.
  It is a testament to both his character and unique skills that nearly 
every person who has had the pleasure of meeting Ambassador Burns has a 
story to tell about it. He has deftly steered our foreign policy 
through countless challenges over the past three decades and handled 
with skill sensitive diplomatic missions that few were willing and 
capable of taking on. That he has one of the most distinguished tenures 
as a career Foreign Service officer in memory is made all the more 
remarkable by his modesty and humility.
  Ambassador Burns embodies the mission of the Department of State at 
its finest. He has been a mentor for generations of Department of State 
personnel and is an inspiration to all public servants, myself 
included. America is stronger and the world a better place thanks to 
his service. And while the Department of State will feel his absence, I 
am relieved to know that he will continue to play an important and 
constructive role in global affairs through his new position as 
president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. I thank 
him for his willingness to serve our country and I wish him and his 
family the best as they embark on a new journey.

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