[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Pages 23254-23255]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                   BIRTHDAY GREETINGS TO JIMMY CARTER

  Mr. CLELAND. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the 
immediate consideration of Senate Resolution 192 introduced earlier by 
myself and the distinguished senior Senator from Georgia, Mr. 
Coverdell.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative assistant read as follows:

       A resolution (S.Res. 192) extending birthday greetings and 
     best wishes to Jimmy Carter in recognition of his 75th 
     birthday.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, Henry David Thoreau once said ``If one 
advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to 
live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success 
unexpected in common hours.'' I rise before my colleagues today to 
reflect on the successes of one of our nation's great leaders and to 
pay tribute on the occasion of his 75th birthday, President Jimmy 
Carter.
  James Earl Carter, Jr. was born October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia. 
Peanut farming, talk of politics, and devotion to the Baptist faith 
were mainstays of his upbringing. Upon graduation in 1946 from the 
United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, he married Rosalynn 
Smith. The Carters have three sons, John William (Jack), James Earl III 
(Chip), Donnel Jeffrey (Jeff), and a daughter, Amy Lynn.
  After seven years' service as a naval officer, Jimmy Carter returned 
to Plains. In 1962 he entered state politics, and eight years later he 
was elected Governor of Georgia. Among the new young southern 
governors, he attracted attention by emphasizing the environment, 
efficiency in government, and the removal of racial barriers. I was 
pleased to serve in the Georgia State Senate during his Governorship 
and to support his reform agenda.
  Jimmy Carter announced his candidacy for President in December 1974 
and began a two-year campaign that quickly gained momentum. At the 
Democratic National Convention, he was nominated on the first ballot. 
He campaigned hard, debating President Ford three times, and won the 
Presidency in 1976 by 56 electoral votes. One of the greatest honors of 
my life was when President Carter chose me to lead the Veterans' 
Administration. In fact, I was President Carter's first scheduled 
appointment--it was not more than a couple hours after the inauguration 
when he asked me to be a part of his administration. It remains one of 
my proudest moments.
  As President Jimmy Carter worked hard to combat the continuing 
economic woes of inflation and unemployment by the end of his 
administration, he could claim an increase of nearly eight million jobs 
and a decrease in the budget deficit, measured as a percentage of the 
gross national product. He dealt with the energy shortage by 
establishing a national energy policy and by decontrolling domestic 
petroleum prices to stimulate production. He prompted Government 
efficiency through civil service reform and proceeded with deregulation 
of the trucking and airline industries.
  President Carter also sought to improve the environment in many ways. 
His expansion of the National Park System included protection of 103 
million acres of Alaskan wilderness. To increase human and social 
services, he created the Department of Education, bolstered the Social 
Security system, and appointed record numbers of women, African-
Americans, and Hispanics to jobs in the Federal Government.
  In foreign affairs, Jimmy Carter set his own style. His championing 
of human rights was coldly received by the Soviet Union and some other 
nations. In the Middle East, through the Camp David agreement of 1978, 
he helped bring amity between Egypt and Israel. He succeeded in 
obtaining ratification of the Panama Canal treaties. Building upon the 
work of predecessors, he established full diplomatic relations with the 
People's Republic of China and completed negotiation of the SALT II 
nuclear limitation treaty with the Soviet Union.
  Remarkably fit and compulsively active, President Carter remains a 
leading figure on the world stage. After leaving the White House, Jimmy 
Carter returned to Georgia, where in 1982 he founded the nonprofit 
Carter Center in Atlanta to promote human rights worldwide. The Center 
has initiated projects in more than 65 countries to resolve conflicts, 
prevent human rights abuses, build democracy, improve health, and 
revitalize urban areas.
  His invaluable service through his work at the Carter Center has 
earned him a record that many regard as one of the finest among any 
American ex-President in history. Jimmy Carter's high-profile, high-
stakes diplomatic missions produced a cease-fire in Bosnia and 
prevented a United States invasion of Haiti. He supervised elections in 
newly democratic countries and has aided in the release of political 
prisoners around the world.
  Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, still reside in Plains, Georgia 
and enjoy their ever-growing family which now includes 10 
grandchildren. I ask my colleagues today to join with Mrs. Carter, 
Jack, Chip, Jeff, and Amy to honor President Carter on his 75th 
birthday.
  Mr. COVERDELL. Mr. President, I rise today to offer a few comments on 
the occasion of the 75th birthday of our Nation's 39th President and 
fellow Georgian, James Earl Carter.
  I have known President Carter and his lovely wife Rosalynn since my 
days in the Georgia State Senate, and I have always known him to be a 
very gracious, forthright, and effective public official. Jimmy Carter 
has dedicated his life to his country--graduate of the United States 
Naval Academy, member of the Georgia State Senate, Governor of Georgia, 
and of course, President of the United States.
  Many former Presidents choose a slower and more relaxed lifestyle 
once they leave office. But not Jimmy Carter. Since leaving office, he 
has been a leading advocate for democracy, peace, and human rights 
throughout the world. The Carter Center, headquartered in Atlanta, is 
one of the most renowned organizations in the area of promoting health 
and peace in nations around the globe.
  Mr. Carter has also been a leader in our country's struggles to end 
poverty. In 1991 he launched the Atlanta Project, an initiative aimed 
at attacking social problems associated with poverty.
  Besides the Atlanta Project, Mr. and Mrs. Carter are regular 
volunteers for Habitat for Humanity, a charitable organization 
dedicated to ending homelessness throughout the world. As two of 
Habitat's most well-known volunteers, each year they lead the Jimmy 
Carter Work Project, a week-long event that brings together volunteers

[[Page 23255]]

from around the world for this noble effort.
  Mr. President, the resolution brought forward by my colleague Mr. 
Cleland and myself will express the Senate's best wishes to President 
Carter on his 75th birthday. I can not think of someone more deserving 
of this honor. I wish Jimmy and his wife Rosalynn well on this 
occasion, and encourage my colleagues to do likewise. I thank the 
Chair.
  Mr. CLELAND. I ask unanimous consent the resolution and the preamble 
be considered and agreed to en bloc, the motion to reconsider be laid 
upon the table without intervening action, and any statements relating 
to the resolution be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 192) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 192

       Whereas October 1, 1999, is the 75th birthday of James Earl 
     (Jimmy) Carter;
       Whereas Jimmy Carter has served his country with 
     distinction in the United States Navy, and as a Georgia State 
     Senator, the Governor of Georgia, and the President of the 
     United States;
       Whereas Jimmy Carter has continued his service to the 
     people of the United States and the world since leaving the 
     Presidency by resolutely championing adequate housing, 
     democratic elections, human rights, and international peace;
       Whereas in all of these endeavors, Jimmy Carter has been 
     fully and ably assisted by his wife, Rosalynn; and
       Whereas Jimmy Carter serves as a living international 
     symbol of American integrity and compassion: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) extends its birthday greetings and best wishes to Jimmy 
     Carter; and
       (2) directs the Secretary of the Senate to transmit an 
     enrolled copy of this resolution to Jimmy Carter.

  Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent I be the next 
Democratic Senator to be recognized for purposes of an amendment after 
Senator Reid of Nevada.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The Senator from North Carolina is recognized.

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