[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 13]
[House]
[Pages 17168-17173]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             THE CONGRESSIONAL DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

  (Mr. HASTERT asked and was given permission to speak out of order, to 
revise and extend his remarks and include therein extraneous material.)
  Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, this morning the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Pelosi), Democratic leader, and I had the honor of 
bestowing on four of our former colleagues the Congressional 
Distinguished Service Award. The four honorees were John Rhodes of 
Arizona, Louis Stokes of Ohio, Don Edwards of California, and Bob 
Michel of Illinois.
  I first discussed creating the award last Congress with the gentleman 
from Missouri (Mr. Gephardt), the then Democratic leader. We thought it 
appropriate and fitting to have an award that is dedicated to former 
Members of Congress whose service to the country exemplifies the best 
traditions of the United States House of Representatives.
  Today we honored four former colleagues, two Republicans, two 
Democrats, who had widely different political views, but who shared a 
love for their country and for this Congress. John Rhodes, Louis 
Stokes, Bob Michel, and Don Edwards shared certain virtues even as they 
pursued different political agendas. The words integrity, humility, 
honesty, and steadfastness describe all four of these individuals. None 
of them, none of the men that we honored today, pursued political 
ambition at the expense of common decency. None sacrificed their souls 
on the altar of political expediency. They inspired many with their 
political insight and their remarkable ability to bridge differences 
when seeking compromise.
  All of them left their mark on this institution. Some were succeeded 
by former staff members who they mentored. All were giants in their 
district who cultivated many to go into public service. All of them 
left this institution a better place by their service, and for that we 
give them our humble thanks.
  It was an honor to award these individuals, to hear them speak from 
their hearts today about what this House meant to each of them. It is a 
very special place for them and their generation and for us today. I 
wish them Godspeed.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to enter the entire proceedings 
of this morning's proceedings into the Congressional Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Terry). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  The material previously referred to is as follows:

 Remarks From the Congressional Distinguished Service Award Ceremony, 
                              July 8, 2003

       HASTERT. Several years ago, in conferring with then-
     Democrat Leader Dick Gephardt, we thought it was very fitting 
     and proper for us to recognize members of Congress of this 
     House of Representatives who've gone before us, who've laid 
     the cornerstones of the good things that we enjoy in this 
     Congress: the ability to communicate with one another, the 
     ability to move forward good legislation, people who have 
     shown the very best human attributes in this pursuit that we 
     carry forth day in and day out.
       I just want to thank every one of you, for being here today 
     in Statuary Hall as we honor and recognize the first 
     recipients of the Congressional Distinguished Service Award.
       In doing this, we said, ``Here are thousands of great 
     people, people that we deal with, people that we live with in 
     a sense day in and day out. But yet there are certain people 
     who add a very special meaning to serving in this Congress 
     and this House of the Representatives of the U.S. Congress.''
       The Distinguished Service Medal Award is dedicated to 
     former members of Congress whose service to the country 
     exemplifies the very best traditions of the United States 
     House of Representatives.
       We are honoring four men today, two Republicans and two 
     Democrats. The purpose of this was to start two years ago, 
     but because of illness and some extenuating circumstances 
     called 9/11 and others we have put both the Congresses 
     together today in this presentation.
       The two Republicans and two Democrats who had widely 
     different political views but who shared a love for their 
     country and for this Congress, all four are members of the 
     greatest generation who--those Americans who lived through 
     the Great Depression, who fought in the Second World War, who 
     played a critical role in making America the brightest beacon 
     of freedom in the darkest days of the Cold War.
       It is altogether appropriate that we honor these four men 
     with this new award.
       Since my colleagues selected me as their Speaker, I've had 
     the distinct pleasure to participate in ceremonies 
     recognizing recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal, our 
     nation's highest civilian award given by the United States 
     Congress.
       I have had the pleasure to participate in ceremonies 
     honoring Rosa Parks, the World War II Indian windtalkers, 
     Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II with the Congressional 
     Gold Medal. The gold medal awarded by the Congress is an 
     important way for our nation to pay tribute to leaders who 
     make this world a better place with their service.
       The Distinguished Service Award pays tribute to those who 
     make this House a better place with their service.
       John Rhodes, Lou Stokes, Bob Michel, Don Edwards--all of 
     these men shared certain virtues even as they pursued 
     different political agendas: integrity, humility, honesty, 
     steadfastness.
       None of these men pursued political ambition at the expense 
     of common decency. None sacrificed their souls on the alter 
     of political expediency. They always respected each other's 
     differences and opinions. They inspired many with their 
     political insight and their remarkable ability to bridge 
     differences when seeking compromise.
       They're all war heroes who served their country during 
     World War II, then continued to serve their country as 
     leaders in this United States Congress.
       John, Louis, Bob and Don will always be remembered not just 
     as the first recipients of this award, but also as great 
     leaders who truly made a difference in the lives of so many 
     Americans.
       You're all very deserving of such recognition.
       Congratulations again for being the first recipients of the 
     Congressional Distinguished Service Award.
       And now it's my privilege to introduce the Democratic 
     leader, Nancy Pelosi. (Applause)
       PELOSI. Good morning.
       Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for those very, very inspiring 
     words about the people whom we are gathered here today to 
     honor.
       Thank you also, Mr. Speaker, for having the idea, along 
     with Congressman Richard Gephardt--then-Leader Richard 
     Gephardt, to recognize the distinguished service of our 
     former colleagues.
       Those of us who served with them are blessed to be able to 
     call them colleague.
       As you know, it's a privilege to be here in this role to 
     honor the first-ever recipients of the Congressional 
     Distinguished Service Award and their families. It's an honor 
     for all of us to be part of this historic ceremony.
       I'm so pleased that we've been joined by some of the pages, 
     because they, of course, were not here when these 
     distinguished gentlemen served. But what they should know is 
     that all four of them had public service as a high calling, 
     all four of them were an inspiration to other generations to 
     serve to be attracted to public service. And that's one of 
     the reasons we're honoring them today.
       Again, I want to commend the speaker and Dick Gephardt for 
     their foresight in establishing this award.

[[Page 17169]]

       Today's ceremony offers the opportunity both to honor these 
     individuals and to remind ourselves how outstanding the 
     character of a few fine people through sheer measure of their 
     decency can elevate the institution for everyone.
       These former members were on different sides of the aisle, 
     but they took a shared oath and recognized a greater 
     obligation to serve the country together, both to find common 
     ground where they could and to stand their ground where they 
     could not. No one has come closer to the ideal, the perfect 
     member of Congress, perfect public servant, than John Rhodes, 
     Lou Stokes, Don Edwards and Bob Michel.
       Though John Rhodes cannot be with us today, we are honored 
     that his award will be received in the most appropriate way. 
     John Rhodes earned the love and the respect of his colleagues 
     and constituents for his service to his district, to his 
     beloved house and to the country. We remember his calming 
     strength and the dignity he displayed during the last days of 
     the Nixon Administration, when his leadership was so 
     important to the country.
       I hope that you will convey, in addition to the award, all 
     of the good wishes of all gathered here today to your 
     distinguished father.
       Lou Stokes and I served together for many years, both on 
     the Appropriations Committee and the Ethics Committee. A man 
     of humble beginnings and high principle through his integrity 
     and his commitment to the less advantaged was unsurpassed. He 
     came from a strong public tradition of public service, as did 
     Mr. Rhodes--continuing that. His colleagues were blessed to 
     see Lou's character in acton every day. But, the whole 
     country caught a glimpse and were affected by what made his 
     so special, and his moving personal statement during the 
     Iran-Contra hearings.
       He comes, again, from a distinguished family. His mother 
     has a federal building named for her, and rightly so, because 
     she produced two great public servants. And I have a personal 
     connection because my brother served as mayor of Baltimore 
     when Lou's brother was mayor of Cleveland, and went on, of 
     course, to represent our country with great distinction as an 
     ambassador.
       And part of that family tradition is, obviously, the 
     service of Lou Stokes in the Congress of the United States. 
     On the Intelligence Committee, where he was chair, he 
     introduced diversity into the mix: integrity, diversity, 
     mission success.
       On the Ethics Committee, it was always the highest possible 
     standard. And on his work on the Appropriations Committee, he 
     did a great deal to put forth the values of our country into 
     our spending priorities, and he has been recognized for that 
     at the National Institutes of Health, among other 
     distinctions.
       I had the privilege of naming this--Lou was named by Dick 
     Gephardt when he was leader, and as the speaker said, the 
     service of this presentation was deferred.
       I, in my capacity as Democratic leader, had the privilege 
     of naming Don Edwards, a great patriot in the finest sense of 
     the word, absolutely committed to his country, to our country 
     into making it better. Don spent his entire adult life 
     defending the Constitution and protecting our civil 
     liberties. Successfully demonstrating that neither our 
     security nor our liberties need to be sacrificed. In order to 
     have both, we need leadership; Don Edwards provided that.
       Don is the only member who upon his retirement received 
     both the American Civil Liberties Union Award and had a 
     dinner honoring him hosted by the FBI.
       And while in Congress, he was a mentor, a gentleman, a 
     floor leader of the ERA. Well, you're going to hear so much 
     more about all of these from our distinguished presenters, 
     but suffice it to say, as a Californian, I am particularly 
     proud of Don Edwards.
       Bob Michel--anyone who served with Bob Michel knew that it 
     was a special privilege to do so. He always had a basic 
     respect for his political friends and political foes alike. 
     He never questioned the motives of his colleagues.
       A great Republican leader, Bob's strong working 
     relationships and personal friendships with the Democratic 
     speakers of the House, Tip O'Neill and Tom Foley, were on 
     full display when then-Speaker Foley invited Bob to take the 
     chair on the last day of the lame duck session in 1994. That 
     spoke volumes as to the respect with which Bob Michel was 
     held as a member of Congress as a Republican leader, and is 
     held as a statesman for our country.
       It is a joy always to see him as a source of great 
     intellectual power, political strength and dignity in his 
     service to the Congress.
       I am honored to be part of any program that Bob Michel is 
     being recognized.
       As individuals, our honorees today are some of the finest 
     people ever to pass through these halls. Together, they are a 
     welcome reminder of what our country and our Congress can be 
     at its best. These first recipients of the Congressional 
     Distinguished Service Award call all of us to a higher 
     standard.
       Again, thank you, Speaker Hastert, for your vision and 
     leadership in establishing this award with Leader Gephardt.
       Congratulations to all of our honorees, and thank each and 
     every one of you for being with us this morning.
       Thank you, (Applause)
       HASTERT. Thank you, Leader Pelosi.
       Now I'd like to introduce the chairman of the Defense 
     Appropriations Committee, a 25-year veteran of the House, a 
     distinguished gentleman from California, the distinguished 
     Congressman Jerry Lewis. (Applause)
       LEWIS. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, Leader Pelosi, 
     Reverend Dan and friends (inaudible).
       Ladies and gentlemen, it's my distinct privilege and honor 
     to say a few words about John J. Rhodes and remind all of us 
     a bit of his service.
       I first met the then-Republican leader in 1969--'79--'89--
     1979 as I came to the Congress a part of a band of wild men 
     who arrived on the scene recognizing that the House had been 
     dominated by one party too long and by golly it was our 
     responsibility to do something about it.
       The wild men led by Newt Gingrich and the likes of then-
     Congressman-elect Dick Cheney were counseled early on by Bob 
     Livingston, who had arrived about six months before us, and 
     he had special tools in mind to help us carry forward our 
     quest.
       At that point in time, we were fortunate enough to have a 
     Republican leader who recognized that there was much to be 
     done, including changing the House, but who also recognized 
     that there were ways to accomplish things. And his advice and 
     counsel, over that period and over the years, has been very, 
     very important to me personally and to all of us.
       John J. Rhodes, a man of the House, served in the House as 
     the first Republican elected from Arizona. For 30 years, a 
     member of the House of Representatives. John J. Rhodes, first 
     and foremost a Republican but beyond that a public servant 
     committed to representing his people and his state well and 
     committed to bringing about change in our national 
     government.
       Over the years, John served on several committees in the 
     House: the Education and Labor Committee, the Interior 
     Committee, the Appropriations Committee, in which he served 
     on my Subcommittee on National Security, and on the Rules 
     Committee. During all of that service, he made many a 
     contribution to the work of the House in terms of impacting 
     public policy.
       During those early years, he had a direct involvement in 
     developing Republican policy or perhaps an alternative to the 
     then leadership direction that might be a bit more 
     conservative. He was chairman of the Republican Policy 
     Committee, and he did a fantastic job helping the leadership 
     to hold our band together to impact the direction of our 
     government.
       In 1973, his life changed rapidly for the then-Republican 
     leader, Gerald Ford, was tapped to become our vice president. 
     And by acclamation, John Rhodes was selected to be our 
     leader. His advice and counsel, his stability, his solid 
     commitment to the House made all the difference for the 
     minority of those days.
       He was a gentleman who everyone recognized as a person who 
     cared about the House, the institution and public policy 
     first. He reached out to the leadership on the other side of 
     the aisle, seeking compromise, where possible, to impact the 
     best possible of directions.
       John J. Rhodes developed an interest in water because of 
     its importance to Arizona. And while serving on the Interior 
     Committee, he literally developed more base knowledge 
     regarding the challenges in this difficult arena than anybody 
     in the entire body.
       John J. Rhodes, a public policy specialist, who early on 
     expressed concern about the direction of our country in terms 
     of national security. It was his voice that was heard time 
     and again talking about the challenge and the problem of 
     decreasing defense budgets. It was his voice that suggested 
     we should have an intertwining between foreign policy and 
     national defense that projected itself not for five years but 
     for 10, 20, perhaps 50 years, to make certain that America 
     played that leadership role that was necessary to make 
     certain that we were the force for peace and freedom in the 
     world, a voice that's heard today in many a circle, the first 
     echoed in these halls by our leaders, John Rhodes.
       A fabulous Arizonan who would be with us today if it were 
     not for the fact that he is fighting another battle, the 
     battle of cancer that we all know about affecting our 
     country.
       John J. Rhodes, a man to be remembered, a man of the House 
     who indeed served out his destiny, making a difference in 
     strengthening the House and laying the foundation for the 
     future of this great institution. (Applause)
       HASTERT. At this time, I'd like to call up Jay Rhodes.
       Jay. (Applause)
       On behalf of the Congress of the United States.
       JAY RHODES, son of John Rhodes. Thank you, Speaker, and 
     thank all of you for being here today. It's a great privilege 
     and it's such a great honor for me to be here. I wish I 
     weren't. There are so many of you in the audience that I 
     recognize, members of my dad's staff, members who served with 
     him, members who served with both of us.
       As you all know, service in this House is a great honor and 
     it's a great privilege. One of

[[Page 17170]]

     my honors and privileges was to serve with both Speaker 
     Hastert and Leader Pelosi. And I thank you both very, very 
     much for the kind words that you've mentioned here this 
     morning.
       And, Congressman Stokes, Congressman Edwards, Congressman 
     Michel, it's an honor to share this podium with you.
       We are here to award four longtime members of the House, 
     members who lent a significant part of their lives and of 
     their dedication to service to the House of Representatives, 
     and that's quite appropriate.
       But in many ways these four members are simply reflections 
     of the House, because the House, while it's made up of a 
     group of fiercely independent individuals, when it is the 
     House, when it's the House acting on the country's business, 
     it's a grouping of Americans, a grouping of Americans who 
     have ideals and thoughts and aspirations and hopes and goals 
     which basically can be boiled down to a peaceful, free, 
     harmonious United States.
       And those are the goals of every member of this body, 
     regardless of the time that they served and regardless of the 
     party that they served.
       And so you award four very deserving former members of the 
     House, but at the same time you're honoring yourselves and 
     you're honoring the institution, and rightfully so.
       And were my dad able to be here today--and let me hasten to 
     say to you that he is not currently at death's door, he just 
     simply would be physically unable to make the trip--but were 
     he here he would tell you that service in this body is an 
     honor that has been conferred upon and enjoyed by very few in 
     the history of this country, and it's an honor that cannot be 
     replicated and it's an honor that can sometimes barely be 
     described.
       But he would tell you that service here made him when he 
     left a better person than he was when he arrived, and I think 
     that each and every one of us who's had the honor to serve 
     here would concur in that. I think that being here makes you 
     a better person. Having the opportunity to be of some 
     measured service to your country has to make you a better 
     person.
       If I could use two words to describe my dad, they would be 
     service and they would be loyalty. Service is self-described 
     in terms of the amount of time that he spent, both in the 
     military and then here in this body, and what he has done 
     since he's left the body.
       Loyalty, of course, to his family, tremendous loyalty to 
     his family. Tremendous loyalty to his wife, to my mother. But 
     loyalty to this institution, because he felt and feels very 
     strongly that this is democracy's cradle, this is where the 
     work of keeping people free and hopeful starts and sometimes 
     is concluded, hopefully always positively.
       And were he here he would tell you that he appreciates this 
     from the bottom of his heart, as do I for him. Thank you all 
     very much. (Applause)
       HASTERT. Thank you, Jay.
       When Louis Stokes decided to retire after 30 years of 
     service in the House many in Ohio thought it would be 
     impossible to fill his shoes. But when a certain prosecutor 
     by the name of Stephanie Tubbs Jones decided to run for his 
     seat, the people chose her as their candidate to do that job.
       Please welcome Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. 
     (Applause)
       U.S. REPRESENTATIVE STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES (D-OH). To 
     Speaker Hastert, Leader Pelosi, Reverend Coughlin, my 
     colleagues, current, my former colleagues who I have not had 
     a chance to meet, imagine this: In 1968, I was completing my 
     freshman year in college at Case Western Reserve and I had 
     the opportunity to work in the campaign for the first African 
     American to be elected to the U.S. Congress from the State of 
     Ohio. Imagine this: He didn't know who I was. (Laughter)
       Imagine this: Some 30 years later, I would be running to 
     hold that very same seat in the U.S. Congress, and today, 35 
     years later, I have the opportunity to participate in the 
     presentation of this Distinguished Service Award to the 
     Honorable Congressman Louis Stokes, to celebrate and 
     recognize his outstanding service and achievement.
       Let me fill in the blanks. Prior to serving in Congress, 
     Congressman Stokes practiced law for 14 years and was one of 
     the founders of the firm Stokes, Character (ph), Terry (ph), 
     Perry (ph), Whitehead (ph), Young (ph) and Davidson (ph) law 
     firm. His brother Carl (ph), the first African American mayor 
     of a major American city, was also a partner. Congressman 
     Stokes argued three cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, one 
     of the most famous the stop-and-frisk landmark case of Terry 
     (ph) v. Ohio. On November 6, he ran and was elected to 
     Congress, serving 15 consecutive terms. When he left the 
     Congress he was 11th overall ranking in the House.
       But during his tenure he served as chair on several 
     important committees, including, most notably, the House 
     Select Committee on Assassinations, the Ethics Committee, the 
     House Intelligence Committee and the Appropriations 
     Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs, HUD and Independent 
     Agencies.
       He was the dean of the Ohio delegation and was one of the 
     founding members of the infamous Congressional Black Caucus.
       It is through his work and leadership that he became the 
     chair of the Congressional Black Caucus health brain trust, 
     and his name is marked across the country for his service in 
     this area. He has worked in health care in so many different 
     areas that he is recognized for the Alliance for Minority 
     Participation program that was created under his leadership 
     and funded by this Congress, and more than 20 programs across 
     this country are participating in this wonderful program.
       His work in the area of health care has also been 
     recognized by the National Institute of Health, the Louis 
     Stokes Libraries, the Case Western Reserve University Louis 
     Stokes Health Center, the Department of Veterans Affairs 
     Louis Stokes VA Hospital campus, and Howard University Louis 
     Stokes Health Science Libraries.
       I'm smiling, Congressman Clay, because Congressman Clay 
     said if another building in Cleveland is named after Louis 
     Stokes they might as well call it Stokes, Ohio. (Laughter)
       He has received more than 26 honorary degrees from colleges 
     and universities across this country. The Congressional Black 
     Caucus, in association with the Heinken Company (ph), created 
     the Louis Stokes Congressional Fellows Programs.
       Now, why do you think that a man like this would be 
     recognized in so many instances? It is because of his 
     leadership. It is because of his willingness to stand up and 
     talk about issues that are important for all Americans.
       In Cleveland, the Cleveland Public Library has a Lou Stokes 
     wing. The public transit station is named after him. A street 
     is named after him and his brother. A day care facility. A 
     post office after his wonderful mother, Louise (ph) Stokes.
       Yet with all of this recognition, he takes time to talk to 
     children at schools, to teach at Case Western Reserve, to 
     serve as an adviser to the National Committee on Minority 
     Health.
       And you would think after retiring, at least in my 
     conversations with Jay, that he would get a fishing pole and 
     find a cool stream. Not my congressman. He, in fact, says, 
     ``How would you characterize successful aging?'' These are 
     not my words, these are his. ``I'm not sure I know precisely 
     what the term successful aging means. If by successful aging 
     you mean continuing to be active and involved and productive, 
     notwithstanding that I am older than 65, then that might be a 
     good definition of successful aging. I've worked since I was 
     12 years old. I have never been without a job. I love work. 
     I``--I need my glasses--'' (inaudible) when I am productive 
     and I am involved in being active. I perhaps overdo it in 
     that one should have hobbies. Perhaps, people say to me all 
     the time. `What are your hobbies?' I don't know. I don't have 
     any hobbies. My hobby is work. I just love work. If anything 
     has enabled me to fill a category of successful aging, it is 
     that I have spent my lifetime working.''
       And quote he says--well, the question is, ``With your 
     public service career behind you, to what are you looking 
     forward to now?''
       ``The challenge of engaging a third career at the age of 74 
     is very exciting. To think that now I come back to the city 
     to practice law is thrilling. I practiced law for 14 years as 
     a criminal defense lawyer before I went to Congress. I spent 
     30 years in Congress. Now to come out and have a worldwide 
     law firm, Squire (ph), Sanders (ph) & Dempsey (ph), accept me 
     as senior counsel in the firm is very flattering. Most law 
     firms kick you out at 65. The fact that they have a lot of 
     seniors and juniors in respect to one of the myths that after 
     65 you don't have much utility to a law firm, for them to 
     reach out and take a man who is 74 years old and say, `Oh, he 
     does have value,' should cause some of the law firms to 
     rethink that myth.''
       It goes on, but I won't spend time reading it.
       I have been personally blessed to have the ear, the heart 
     and the support of the Honorable Congressman Louis Stokes. On 
     each occasion that I've asked for help he was there for me, 
     and occasionally when I didn't ask he was there. (Laughter)
       People often ask, ``Is it hard coming behind an icon like 
     Congressman Louis Stokes?'' I answer, ``Of course it is. But 
     I'm not trying to fill his shoes, I'm standing on his 
     shoulders.''
       He's blazed the trail for me, cleared the bushes, and it's 
     my obligation to keep moving forward. God has truly blessed 
     me. I viewed Congressman Stokes from afar and I watched him 
     on that TV doing that cross-examination or standing up on 
     issues or bringing people in Cleveland out to vote or turning 
     out people in support of issues important to our community. I 
     sat at his feet, and now I can sit at his table.
       What a great country we live in and what a wonderful and 
     mighty God we serve that I've had the opportunity to go from 
     afar and to come this close to my icon, the Honorable 
     Congressman Louis Stokes. (Applause)
       HASTERT. Would Louis Stokes please come forward?
       Louis, on behalf of the United States House of 
     Representatives.
       FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE LOUIS STOKES (D-OH): Thank you, 
     Mr. Speaker.
       And thank you, Stephanie.

[[Page 17171]]

       To our leader, Nancy Pelosi. Distinguished members of the 
     dais. Ladies and gentlemen.
       I want to thank Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones for 
     being my presenter on this occasion and for her very warm and 
     kind remarks.
       The choice of who in the current Congress would present me 
     was not an easy one because I still have many friends here. 
     But I chose Stephanie because she is not only my friend, she 
     is the embodiment of all that I hold dear about this 
     institution. She is now the current and the future for the 
     people who gave me the honor of representing them in the 
     United States Congress.
       The torch I placed in her hands is burning brightly, and I 
     anticipate her exceeding any accomplishments that I may have 
     had in this house. She is now the pride and the joy of the 
     11th congressional district of Ohio.
       Stephanie, I thank you. (Applause)
       Mr. Speaker, I thank you for this honor bestowed upon me 
     today. It is humbling to be accorded this honor by the 
     speaker of the House of Representatives. Having served in 
     this house with you prior to and during your speakership, I 
     have great admiration and respect for both your leadership of 
     the House and the great service you are giving to our nation. 
     Thank you, sir.
       Madam Leader, Nancy Pelosi, as you and I know, before 
     Stephanie Tubbs Jones arrived you were my favorite female in 
     the House. (Laughter)
       Madam Leader, I am so proud of you, and I am proud of our 
     friendship over the years. As members of the Appropriations 
     Committee and the Ethics Committee, as you've already stated, 
     you and I stood and fought together on many issues on behalf 
     of health, education, housing, women, children, minorities, 
     the poor and the disadvantaged. We didn't always win, but we 
     always fought.
       I want to thank you, Nancy Pelosi, also for this great 
     honor.
       I'm also indebted to my friend Dick Gephardt, who last 
     year, while still Democratic leader, selected me for this 
     honor. When I served in the House I was proud to be a member 
     of his leadership team. His leadership in the House was 
     exemplary, and I am grateful to him for deeming me worthy of 
     this high honor.
       In this audience today are a few people whose presence I 
     would like to acknowledge. I share this great honor today 
     with my lovely wife and closest friend, Jay Stokes, with whom 
     next month I will celebrate 43 years of marriage. (Applause)
       We have with us here today our four children, Shelley, 
     Angie, Chucky, Lori, Lori's husband Brian. We also are 
     privileged to have with us five of our seven grandchildren. 
     My children and my grandchildren have been my greatest 
     inspiration.
       Also present is my best friend in the House, former 
     Congressman William ``Bill'' Clay, who came into Congress 
     with me, with whom I served for 30 years.
       I'm also proud to acknowledge the presence of a number of 
     my current colleagues at Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, a 
     worldwide law firm, including the chairman of that firm, Tom 
     Stanton (ph).
       The word ``ultimate'' seems to best describe the award 
     being given me, John Rhodes, Bob Michel and Don Edwards. 
     Serving with each of them was a great honor.
       I have always thought that to be one of the small group of 
     Americans privileged to have been elected to serve in the 
     greatest legislative body in the world was the highest honor 
     that one could achieve. But to be given this ultimate award 
     here today by my former colleagues in an institution which I 
     revere is the most humbling experience of my life. No greater 
     honor can ever be accorded than to be honored by one's own 
     peers.
       In accepting this award today I'm reminded of my first day 
     in Congress, January of 1969, 34 years ago. My mother, my 
     wife and family had been specially seated in the gallery, in 
     the section usually reserved for the family of the president 
     or other special guests. My mother had just been honored as 
     Ohio's mother of the year. Seated next to her was my brother 
     Carl, the mayor of Cleveland, who was America's first black 
     mayor of a major American city.
       Growing up on welfare in the housing projects of Cleveland, 
     in the heart of Cleveland's slums, this mother, who scrubbed 
     floors and cleaned houses for a living, constantly admonished 
     Carl and me to work hard and grow up to be somebody. That 
     day, 34 years ago, as I stood on the floor of the United 
     States Congress and looked up in the gallery at her, 
     painfully aware that Carl and I were the first in our family 
     to ever to go to college, I was determined to make her proud.
       Thanks to all of you in my prayers tonight I can say, Mom, 
     I worked hard, and Congress said I grew to be somebody.
       Thank you very much. (Applause)
       HASTERT. Thank you, Louis.
       I'd now like to introduce the distinguished gentlewoman 
     from the state of California, who for eight years worked for 
     Congressman Don Edwards before his retirement from Congress. 
     She then ran for his seat and was elected to serve the people 
     of the 16th District of California.
       Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Congresswoman Zoe 
     Lofgren. (Applause)
       U.S REPRESENTATIVE ZOE LOFGREN (D-CA). Thank you, Mr. 
     Speaker, and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. It is great to 
     see all of you here today, and especially so many Members of 
     the House. I know how hard it is to take time to be at a 
     ceremony. We're pulled in a million different directions. But 
     someone who's probably even busier than us is a Cabinet 
     secretary, and I'd especially like to thank Secretary Norm 
     Mineta, who shared San Jose with Don Edwards for so many 
     years, for being here. (Applause)
       Norm was the Watergate class, the class of `74. And I see 
     people who served with Don Edwards, and I know that there was 
     a scramble, every one of them would have wanted to introduce 
     Don Edwards. And I guess I was lucky enough because not only 
     was I elected to represent the people that he represented so 
     well for 32 years, but I also served on his staff for nearly 
     nine years.
       And you know, those of us who were on the staff sort of 
     divided up our service. I mean, there were different decades, 
     the `60s, the `70s, the `80s, and the `90s. And some of those 
     who served in the `90s never really knew the people who 
     served in the `60s, but we knew that Don Edwards made a 
     difference in every one of those decades.
       It's worth noting that Don Edwards was not always a 
     Democrat, hard to believe. A native of San Jose, he grew up 
     on 13th St., just a few blocks from where I live today, on 
     16th St. He graduated from Stanford, passed the bar exam. He 
     was a scratch golfer, he was ``AM'' in the winning Pro-Am at 
     the Crosby one year. He established and ran a successful 
     business in San Jose and looked like he was going in one 
     direction when all of sudden the world turned.
       And in 1960, John F. Kennedy was elected president of the 
     United States, Don Edwards came to his senses and became a 
     Democrat, and he got elected to Congress in 1962 to join the 
     country's new president in changing the world. And he did.
       As floor leader during the omnibus civil rights act in the 
     `60s, he also led on the voting rights act; he was a key 
     figure in the establishment of fair housing laws.
       You know, he was part of the greatest generation in World 
     War II. He was not afraid to fight for our country as a 
     gunnery officer and later as an intelligence officer, but he 
     also wasn't afraid to stand up for what he knew was right. 
     And so he was one of only nine people who voted against the 
     first funding for the Vietnam War, in the `60s. And he knew 
     that he was right and he wasn't afraid to stand up for it.
       In the 1970s, he was the floor leader for the equal rights 
     amendment, and we all called him the Father of the Equal 
     Rights Amendment, but he was gracious enough to make sure 
     that women got to be the mothers and the authors. He was a 
     gentleman.
       In the 1980s he led the fight for the ADA. And although he 
     and Congressman Henry Hyde had sharp differences of agreement 
     on many issues, he was able to work with Congressman Hyde 
     together on the assault weapons ban, and also on voting 
     rights issues, because he is the kind of person who would not 
     let a disagreement stand in the way of reaching an agreement 
     when you could if it served the public interest.
       There are things that he did that people don't even know 
     about. I remember in the '70s, and you'll think back, when 
     the junta threw out the democratically elected government in 
     Greece, and his office became the center of the Greek 
     parliament in exile. And they would meet in his office, and 
     we would come in and find all the parliamentarians from 
     Greece plotting their return. And I think actually the 
     democracy in Greece today has a lot to do with what Don 
     Edwards was willing to do then.
       As a former FBI agent, he knew about and had the stature to 
     go after misconduct in the FBI, the CoIntelpro, the misuse of 
     FBI resources for politics. J. Edgar Hoover was not a fan. 
     But the FBI has now become a better place because of the 
     efforts that he did to make sure that we had standards and 
     that law enforcement could not be misused.
       I remember during 1974 in the impeachment inquiry of 
     Richard Nixon, President Nixon, and having served on the 
     Judiciary Committee's impeachment inquiries here, I am 
     especially impressed by the dignity and the fairness with 
     which Don Edwards dealt with that issue. He was never 
     interested in getting to an end, to reaching a conclusion; he 
     was only interested in making sure that the facts were out 
     and that fairness was applied and the country was served.
       As chairman of what was then known as Subcommittee Number 
     4, later the Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights, 
     he spent full time securing constitutional rights for 
     Americans, and, yes, trying to expand civil rights. He spent 
     every day thinking how he could expand freedoms for America, 
     not just in his bills: I think you can tell a lot about 
     someone not just by their voting record and by the bills 
     introduced, but how they act in their daily life.
       And I remember so clearly a situation where the least 
     powerful employees of the House of Representatives, workers 
     in the cafeteria, were being unfairly treated, and the one 
     person they felt they could come to in the House was 
     Congressman Don Edwards. And this group of totally powerless 
     people came to see him and he sat down with them and listened 
     to them and became their advocate so that they could receive 
     fair treatment.

[[Page 17172]]

       I first saw Don Edwards in Mitchell Park in 1964. He was 
     running for reelection. And Larry O'Brien, then the 
     postmaster general, was with him. He gave a speech and I was 
     totally inspired. I was totally impressed. And although he 
     didn't know it, I walked a precinct for his election.
       Later, on the staff, I was inspired again. And I will say, 
     also, on a personal level, I would not be here today as a 
     member of Congress except for the help and assistance and 
     encouragement that he gave to me, both in terms of working 
     here and helping me to go to law school and always inspiring 
     me to do my best.
       You know, when I got elected in 1994, after Don's 
     retirement, members would come up to me and say things about 
     him, and I think you can learn a lot by what people--the 
     words used to describe someone they had served with, and let 
     me just give you some of those words: ``a gentleman, fair, 
     decent, honest.''
       ``Even when I didn't agree. I knew he was a principled 
     person. He was someone who actually listened to other points 
     of view. He stood up for his country.''
       I was inspired when I first saw Don Edwards in 1964. I'm 
     inspired today that even in his retirement he continues to 
     fight for civil rights, for civil liberties.
       He continues to stand up for what is right and decent in 
     America. Our country is a better place because of his 
     service. We are all in his debt. And I am very, very honored 
     to be participating in this ceremony today. Thank you very 
     much. (Applause)
       HASTERT: Will Don Edwards please come forward?
       On behalf of the House of Representatives. (Applause)
       EDWARDS. Thank you, Zoe.
       And thank you, Mr. Speaker and Leader Nancy Pelosi. The 
     people's house is in very good hands with your leadership.
       I'm pleased today that my wife, Edie Wilkie Edwards (ph), 
     can share in this happy day, and also that I have members of 
     my family have come from a long way, from California, to 
     share in this lovely day. My grandson, Eric Edwards (ph), and 
     his fiancee, Susan Parret (ph), are here. They're going to be 
     married in September in Carmel, California. Carmel is a 
     little village...
       (Laughter)
       ... out of the Third World...
       (Laughter)
       And we're looking forward to the ceremony.
       Also, Eric's mother, Dr. Inger Sagatin Edwards, who is 
     Norway's great gift to the United States. Inger is a 
     professor, got her doctorate at Stanford University, and is 
     the head of the Administration of Justice Department at San 
     Jose State University.
       We also have other people from different parts of the 
     country, and welcome to all of you.
       No member of Congress would be anything without a staff 
     that is competent and skillful, and I was very lucky for all 
     the many years to have a marvelous staff. And from Portland, 
     Oregon, Terry Pocue came all this way to share in this 
     celebration. Catherine LeRoi was the chief counsel for the 
     Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights, where I was 
     chair. Stuart Ishimaru from the Department of Justice and a 
     valued staff member. And Virginia Stone, Ginny Stone, was a 
     valuable lawyer, and she and I worked very closely on a lot 
     of issues.
       So I couldn't have gotten along without these valuable 
     staff members, and I thank you all for coming.
       I am very grateful to have had the privilege of being a 
     member of the House of Representatives. It's a glorious 
     organization, and I have many happy and important memories of 
     my service.
       One day in 1983 I was sitting in my office and the sergeant 
     at arms called and said that You, as the senior member of the 
     California delegation, have the honor of escorting the 
     president into the House chamber tonight so that the can 
     deliver his State of the Union message.
       And I said, fine, and so I showed up at quarter of nine in 
     the speaker's formal sitting room, I walked into the room, 
     and there was only one person: It was President Ronald 
     Reagan.
       And I said, I said, What in the heck am I going to talk to 
     President Reagan about? (Laughter)
       All by myself. So I walked over and shook hands, and then 
     I, there was a moment of silence, and I said, Mr. President, 
     at your ranch in San Diego, do you have rattlesnakes? 
     (Laughter)
       And his face lit up, big smile, he said, We sure do. He 
     said, And I wear boots up to my knees because they're pretty 
     dangerous. And he said, When I see one on the path, I just 
     stomp on it with those big boots.
       Oh, but, he said, Two weeks ago Nancy and I had been 
     riding, and we were walking back from the stable to the ranch 
     house, and I saw a rattlesnake and I stepped on him, and I 
     looked down and I had on tennis shoes. (Laughter)
       But the most glorious moment in 32 years in Congress was in 
     1964, when the House enacted the omnibus Civil Rights Bill 
     that did away with segregation and American apartheid in this 
     country.
       The House was the leader, and we didn't have the votes on 
     the Democratic side because we lost so many votes in the 
     South. And the Republicans joined us in enacting this 
     glorious piece of legislation.
       Bill McCulloch of Ohio was the Republican leader, and other 
     great ones there were Bob Michel, John Rhodes, and the 
     Republicans did better in the vote than the Democrats, and 
     then next year this same thing happened with the Voting 
     Rights Act.
       So that was my glorious moment, when the House in a 
     bipartisan way did this great movement. Now, if anybody asks 
     me what's your advice as you leave the House--nobody ever 
     asked me, but I said anyway----
       (Laughter)
       And all I would say is do good. Do good for the American 
     people, don't do any harm. And the same would apply to the 
     billions of people throughout the world. Do good for them, 
     too. Be a good neighbor. Thank you very much. (Applause)
       HASTERT: Thank you.
       Now I'd like to introduce a congressman from my own state 
     of Illinois, who also is known for his fair and balanced 
     approach in the House, just like his former boss, Mr. Bob 
     Michel.
       Please welcome Congressman Ray LaHood. (Applause)
       REP. RAY LAHOOD (R-IL): Thank you very much. Thank you, 
     Speaker Hastert, for the honor you bestow on me and to my 
     friend, Bob Michel, and the opportunity to say a few words of 
     introduction to our great leader.
       I've had the honor to know Bob Michel for over 20 years, so 
     that I know there are three things that he dislikes very 
     much. The first is to miss a three-foot putt at Burning Tree. 
     The second is to see his Cubs lose a game they should have 
     won. And the third, worst of all, is to sit quietly by while 
     a former staffer sings his praises in public.
       So Bob, I ask you to bear with me this morning. I'll try to 
     make this as painless as possible.
       We all know Bob as a great legislator, a combat veteran, a 
     great singer, a patriot and as a man devoted to his beloved 
     Karin (ph) and his great family.
       But today I want to speak of Bob in another capacity. I 
     want to speak about Bob Michel the teacher. I consider myself 
     a graduate of the Robert H. Michel school of applied 
     political arts and sciences, and there are some in this room 
     who are also students, like our friend Billy Pitts, who's now 
     at the Rules Committee; like John Feehery, who works for the 
     speaker; and Ted Van Der Meid, who works for the speaker; and 
     Karen Haas who works for the speaker, all students of Bob 
     Michel. And Paul Vinevicy, who works at the House 
     Administration Commission.
       And my own staff, Diane Liesman and Joan Mitchell and Erin 
     Reif, all students of the Bob Michel school. We went to one 
     of the finest schools anywhere in the world.
       His classrooms were his office, the floor of the House, its 
     committee rooms, and the farms and towns of the 18th 
     Congressional District. Everywhere he went, he taught his 
     staff by his example what it means to be a great public 
     servant.
       President John Adams once said the Constitution is the 
     product of, quote, ``good heads prompted by good hearts.'' 
     Bob Michel taught us that both of these qualities, head and 
     heart, are necessary in order to make this institution work. 
     Bob taught us by his example that the House floor should be a 
     forum for reasoned debate among colleagues, equal in dignity.
       He inherited an old-fashioned Peoria work ethic from his 
     beloved parents, and he came to the House every day to do the 
     work of the people and not to engage in ideological 
     melodramas or political vendettas. And he expected, in fact 
     he demanded, that all his staff do the same.
       Bob knew warfare first hand. Not a war in a Steven 
     Spielberg movie, or war fought on the pages of books, but 
     real war. I guess that's the reason he never used macho 
     phrases like ``warfare'' and ``take no prisoners'' when 
     discussing politics with his staff. To Bob, the harsh, 
     personal rhetoric of ideological warfare had no place in his 
     office, no place in the House, and no place in American 
     politics. He knew that the rhetoric we use often shapes the 
     political action we take.
       Bob Michel was a superb Republican leader. And he would 
     have been a great speaker of the House. But fate decreed that 
     this was not to be.
       So Bob, today I want you to know that you are, in the 
     opinion of many, the greatest speaker this House never had.
       Bob, in a sense, you have never left this place you love so 
     well. Whenever there is a debate on the House floor conducted 
     by men and women with good heads and good hearts, treating 
     each other with mutual respect, you are there among us, and 
     will be so long as the House endures.
       You are a great congressman, and you remain, as ever, a 
     great teacher.
       And if I may just indulge--I was told we only had three 
     minutes, and some of the other people didn't get that memo, 
     so I'm not going to abide by it either. Right after I was 
     elected in 1994, and Bob was obviously a big help and came to 
     our victory party that night. Right after we were sworn in, I 
     had the great privilege of chairing the House of

[[Page 17173]]

     Representatives. And during that chairing of the House, there 
     was a phone call to our office from our great leader, Bob 
     Michel, and he said to one of our staffers, You know, I 
     served in the House for 38 years. LaHood's been there three 
     months and he's chairing the House. How could this happen?
       And it happened because of the great leadership that he 
     showed to all of us. He was a great teacher, he is a great 
     teacher, and we all--we all, not just those of us that worked 
     for him, but all of us who stand in the House, or serve in 
     the House, stand on his shoulders.
       Thank you, Mr. Leader. (Applause)
       HASTERT. Bob Michel, will you please come forward.
       Bob, it's my great honor to present this to you on behalf 
     of the House of Representatives. (Applause)
       MICHEL. Well, thank you, Ray, for your introduction. And 
     Mr. Speaker and Mrs. Pelosi and my erstwhile colleagues in 
     the House and those currently serving, and my friends, I 
     thought when I retired from the House, nine years ago, that I 
     had received far more than my share of plaudits and awards. 
     And yet, today there is one more.
       I wouldn't feel right accepting it if I didn't share it in 
     a way and acknowledge those over the years who made it all 
     possible, those closely associated with me, working in my 
     office back in Illinois, here in Washington, here in this 
     Capital building.
       And of course it would also include my dear wife of 54 
     years, members of the family.
       When I first came--well, let me begin by saying that I 
     decided upon embarking upon a career in politics without the 
     blessing of my parents. I remember Dad and Mother telling me, 
     why would you want to get involved in this dirty, rotten, 
     nasty game of politics? And I had to respond to my mom and 
     dad, Folks, you've taught me the different between right and 
     wrong.
       And while my father was a French immigrant, probably didn't 
     quite understand our system all that well, and my mother was 
     first-generation American, I told them that I was quite sure 
     that politics could be a very noble profession, and that I'd 
     give it a try, and then from time to time, Dad, we'd come 
     back and we'd check signals with one another and see if you 
     were right or if I was right.
       And, well, time passed, and I went up the ranks, 
     leadership, and became leader, and before my parents passed 
     away, they changed their mind. And I think they were proud of 
     their son.
       But I mentioned that only because, well, for several 
     reasons, because of the nature of things today, and how we 
     have changed as a country. And mention has been made, or 
     surely should be made, of my 38 years, all as a member of the 
     minority party. All those were frustrating years, believe me. 
     (Laughter)
       And there wasn't many cheers. But I tell you, I never 
     really felt that I was out of the game, or that I had no part 
     to play. Under the rules of the House, the traditions of the 
     House and practices of the House, there is a role to play for 
     the minority and a solo voice from here and there.
       And for me to have all these voices from around the 
     country, men and women, of different persuasions, come to 
     this body and argue those differences, the clash of ideas and 
     views of members. And then I guess the more exhilarating days 
     from me as I became leader and took on more roles of 
     responsibility, that those differing views, those clashes of 
     ideas, verbally, not personally, but on the issue, had to be 
     harmonized, they had to be rationalized, and we struck a 
     deal, we made a bargain, hopefully, and the joy of bringing 
     dissonant factions together, to work together, to craft good 
     legislation for the country.
       That was the joy of it, and I can honestly say today, 
     emotional as this is for me, that my service in the House was 
     a real joy. And my colleagues, particulary John and Luke, 
     with differing views than John Rhodes and I, were always just 
     good friends.
       And we went at it hammer and tongs from whatever it was, 
     12:00 to 6:00 or 7:00, but then after all the arguments, back 
     and forth, you know, you could still be good personal 
     friends.
       That's the way I like to see these deliberative bodies 
     work, and I hope we can continue to keep our eye on striving 
     toward that end, because in that way, I think, we bring 
     credit to ourselves and for our country to the rest of the 
     world.
       I tell you, this has been just some, such memorable day for 
     me, Mr. Speaker, and Nancy, Majority Leader, thank you for 
     the high honor that you do me by once again honoring me as 
     you do today.
       I shall surely treasure this moment for the rest of my 
     life. Thank you. (Applause)
       HASTERT. Thank you, Bob Michel.
       As somebody has said several times today, we do stand on 
     the shoulders of giants. That's how we can make this a better 
     place. I think we can all learn from lessons passed and those 
     heroes that have gone before us.
       I want to thank everyone, including all the families and 
     friends who have joined us for today, as we honor John Rhodes 
     and Lou Stokes and Don Edwards and Bob Michel. Please stand 
     and join me in a very deserving round of applause for all 
     recipients of the first-ever Congressional Distinguished 
     Service Award. (Applause)
       And now please welcome the House chaplain, the Reverend 
     Daniel Coughlin.
       COUGHLIN. Every blessing comes from our eternal father. May 
     divine providence continue to guide this nation, hold this 
     House together with clear ideals, civility toward all, aware 
     of the deepest needs of the people.
       May God grant all who have gathered here, especially the 
     family and friends of the honorees, his continued blessings. 
     And let the honorees assure them happiness and health in the 
     future, with unwavering faith, constant hope and love that 
     will endure to the end.
       God, order all our days and grant us peace of heart, hear 
     our every prayer and bring us all to everlasting joy and life 
     forever. Amen.

  Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California 
(Ms. Pelosi), Democratic leader.
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Speaker for his very inspiring 
words about the people who were honored today and for having the idea 
along with the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Gephardt), our former 
leader, recognizing the distinguished service of our former colleagues.
  Today's ceremony was an opportunity to honor these individuals and to 
remind ourselves how the outstanding character of a few fine people 
through the sheer measure of their decency can elevate the institution 
for everyone. It was a sincere pleasure, Mr. Speaker, to see our 
friends and former colleagues today, and it was a moving occasion to 
thank them for their service and to rededicate ourselves to the ideals 
by which they lived. Those of us who served with them are indeed 
blessed to be able to have called John Rhodes, Louis Stokes, Don 
Edwards, and Bob Michel our colleagues. These former Members, as the 
Speaker indicated, were on different sides of the aisle, but they took 
a shared oath and recognized a greater obligation to serve the country 
together to find their common ground where they could and to stand 
their ground where they could not.
  No one has come closer to the ideal of a perfect Member of Congress, 
a perfect public servant, than John Rhodes, Republican of Arizona, who 
could not be with us, but his son accepted the award for him, accepted 
the award and the very good wishes of all assembled. And let me say 
that the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) had the opportunity of 
making the presentation on behalf of Congressman Rhodes, and moving it 
was indeed; Congressman Louis Stokes, who was presented by the 
gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Jones), his successor, and with great 
pride; Congressman Don Edwards, who was presented by the gentlewoman 
from California (Ms. Lofgren), his successor; and Congressman Bob 
Michel, who was presented by the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood), 
his successor.
  Any who have served with these people know what giants they were, and 
as individuals they are some of the finest people ever to pass through 
these halls. Together they are the welcomed reminder of what our 
country and what our Congress can be. These first recipients of the 
Congressional Distinguished Service Award call all of us to a higher 
standard.
  Mr. Speaker, it is so appropriate that this ceremony took place in 
the days following July 4, because all of these people honored the 
memory and the sacrifice of our Founding Fathers, every one of them, in 
their service to this country. And in the course of these holidays, and 
July 4 being a great one for our country, we are all singing God Bless 
America, and we know that God in the service of Louis Stokes, Don 
Edwards, Bob Michel, and John Rhodes in their service to this country, 
God truly blessed America.
  Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Democrat leader for her 
remarks, and I think in the spirit of Bob Michel, God Bless America was 
probably a very fine resemblance.

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