[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Page 23508]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING JEANE KIRKPATRICK

  Mr. KYL. Mr. President, I rise to pay homage to a very special lady. 
I mourn her passing today, a great American patriot, Jeane Jordan 
Kirkpatrick. She, of course, is best known as our Ambassador to the 
United Nations under the Presidency of Ronald Reagan, but her history 
was of a dedicated American in public service before that.
  She first rose to international prominence as a foreign policy 
adviser to Ronald Reagan's first Presidential campaign. Although she 
considered herself a Democrat at that time, she always placed principle 
above partisanship. In Governor Reagan, she saw a man who shared her 
commitment to freedom and democracy and was willing to call evil by 
name.
  As America's first female permanent representative to the United 
Nations, Jeane served President Reagan from 1981 to 1985, and was an 
eloquent promoter of American values. She once said, ``I think that 
it's always appropriate for Americans and for American foreign policy 
to make it clear why we feel that self-government is most compatible 
with peace, the well-being of people, and human dignity.''
  Since leaving full-time Government service, Jeane Kirkpatrick has 
served as an educator, commentator, a wise woman whose counsel has been 
highly sought after. She has continued to be a passionate advocate for 
human rights and has also actively supported missile defense, United 
Nations reform, and the war against Islamic fascism. Most recently, I 
have had the pleasure of working with Jeane on the Committee on the 
Present Danger, which Senator Lieberman and I cochair, and on which she 
played an important advisory role.
  America has lost a great patriot and defender in Jeane Kirkpatrick. 
She will be sorely missed, but she will certainly be fondly remembered.

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