[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Pages 12449-12451]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO SENATOR JOHN WARNER

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I have come to the floor this evening to 
congratulate my esteemed colleague, the very distinguished and able and 
honorable and highly respected chairman of the Senate Armed Services 
Committee, on the completion of his final Defense authorization bill.
  He is my chairman, Mr. President. His tenure at the helm of the Armed 
Services Committee, on which I have the privilege to serve, has been 
eventful and very distinguished. But then distinguished tenure is not 
unusual for this Virginia gentlemen--another term I use lovingly and 
fondly and respectfully because it means something to me, having been 
in this Senate now for almost 48 years, having been on the 
Appropriations Committee for almost 48 years, having been on the Armed 
Services Committee for almost that long. This is a very special man--a 
Virginia gentleman in every sense of the term. I say this with the 
utmost admiration. Distinguished tenure is not unusual for this 
Virginia gentlemen, whose entire life has been spent in the service to 
his country, to his great State, the Commonwealth of Virginia, the 
cradle of Presidents.
  Since his enlistment in the Navy at the tender age of 17, during 
World War II, John William Warner, Jr., has put his immense and very 
considerable talents completely--I say completely--at the disposal of 
his beloved country. He is in a long line of Virginia gentlemen who 
have put their talents at the disposal of this beloved country of 
theirs and ours. A Virginia gentleman. What more noble term could be 
used? A Virginia gentleman. Whether serving in World War II, the Korean 
conflict, as an officer in the Marine Corps, or on the U.S. Circuit 
Court of Appeals, John Warner always said, ``Here am I. Send me.'' Look 
at your Bible. Someone else said that. ``Here am I. Send me.'' John 
Warner has always said that--``send me.''
  John Warner's remarkable career spiraled ever upward, eventually 
taking him to the office of assistant U.S. attorney, then to the office 
of Under Secretary of the Navy, then to the office of the Secretary of 
the Navy from 1972 to 1974, and finally to his present position as 
senior U.S. Senator from the great State of Virginia, having now won 
five consecutive elections to the Senate, beginning in 1978. I was then 
the majority leader of the Senate, yes, when he came to the Senate.
  This year, my friend John Warner became the second longest serving 
Senator from Virginia, second only to the illustrious Harry Flood Byrd, 
Sr., in the 218-year history of the Senate. Senator John Warner--what a 
man--is currently serving his 27th year in the U.S. Senate.
  What a record of achievement for his country and my country and your 
country, Mr. President. And what a shining example of dignity, 
intellect, style, integrity, and talent Senator Warner presents for the 
young people of his country and his State and my country and my State. 
He presents integrity and talent for the young people. Never given to 
harsh criticism--I have never heard him utter a word of harsh 
criticism--never given to rhetoric, never succumbing to the rank 
partisanship which has become so prevalent today in American politics 
on both sides of the aisle, John Warner is his own man. That is a lot 
to say. He is his own man. What more noble attribute? He is his own 
man, and I am proud to serve with him. I enjoy working with him. I 
shall miss his very steady hand on the wheel, at the helm of the Armed 
Services Committee. What a great position, what an honorable position--
the helm of the Armed Services Committee. But I will relish the 
opportunity to work with him for the good of our country in the years 
to come. Talk about class acts--John Warner is the classiest of class 
acts, and his comity, his courtesy, his unfailing good humor, and his 
refreshing bipartisan attitude are of incalculable benefit to this 
body. May we be blessed in the Senate by many more like him. I salute 
Senator John Warner for his patriotic service--my, look at that 
record--his patriotic service. How many times has he put his life on 
the line for the good old red, white, and blue, for Old Glory? I thank 
him for his patriotic service and for his selfless--selfless--selfless, 
I say, selfless, leadership. He is my kind of Senator. May God bless 
him. He is my kind of Senator.
  He is the best kind of man. I could say more and more and more about 
him, and I could say more and more and more about his colleague who 
works with him on the Armed Services Committee, the Senator from 
Michigan, Mr. Carl Levin. They are two of a kind.


[[Page 12450]]

     God, give us men! A time like this demands strong minds, 
           great hearts, true faith, and ready hands.
     Men whom the lust of office does not kill;
     Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy;
     Men who possess opinions and a will;
     Men who have honor; men who will not lie.
     Men who can stand before a demagogue and brave his 
           treacherous flatteries without winking.
     Tall men, sun-crowned; who live above the fog, in public duty 
           and in private thinking.
     For while the rabble with its thumbworn creeds,
     Its large professions and its little deeds, mingles in 
           selfish strife, lo! Freedom weeps!
     Wrong rules the land and waiting justice sleeps.
     God, give us men!

     Men who serve not for selfish booty; but real men, 
           courageous, who flinch not at duty.
     Men of dependable character; men of sterling worth;
     Then wrongs will be redressed and right will rule the Earth.
     God, give us men!

  Men like Senator John William Warner.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, at the end of this long day and the 
conclusion of this Armed Services bill, I thank my colleague. I 
recognize that under the rules of our caucus I have done my 6 years, 
and I step down.
  Mr. BYRD. And I am sorry about that.
  Mr. WARNER. Anyway, I accept that, as we accept other things in life. 
But the rewards of this institution and service in the Senate are many 
fold, but none is coveted or desired more than the thoughts and indeed 
the praise of our fellow colleagues with whom we serve.
  I counted up the other day my record--as you say, in the 28th year--
which pales in comparison to yours. Senator Levin and I have been here 
these years together, and my calculation is that we have served with 
241 Senators in this period of almost 28 years. And I remember--I 
thought of it last night, Senator Byrd, when I was debating--I think it 
was close to 11 o'clock--with Senator Kerry. We had the old-fashioned 
debate with questions and answers, back and forth together.
  But when I first came and you were the majority leader, the Halls of 
this Chamber were literally trembling with the thunder of the debates 
of Ted Kennedy, Lowell Weicker, Bob Dole. And you were not sparing in 
the thunder that you have expressed from time to time; not in angst or 
anger but with thunder as to your convictions. My good friend, Senator 
Levin, we are perhaps a little more modest than those such as Strom 
Thurmond, and we could go on and name those individuals, back when we 
did a great deal more debate than we do now in the Senate.
  Mr. BYRD. Yes.
  Mr. WARNER. But the thoughtful remarks that Senator Byrd give me on 
this very special day in my humble career in this institution are 
deeply appreciated by me, by my mother and father who are no longer 
with me, but they would be grateful, as will be my children when I have 
the privilege of showing them what the Senator has said.
  I remember the trips that we have been on. Senator Byrd took the 
first group of Senators to meet Gorbachev when he was elevated in the 
Soviet Union. But I suppose the trip I remember the most was an 
official trip that we took to Italy, and Senator Byrd took myself and 
one or two others down, and we saw the Roman forum. It was a hot day, 
and I remember we paused and he recounted the history of those ruins 
that stood there, and how so much of the origins of the Senate are 
derived from that particular chapter of history.
  I recall that Senator Byrd--he may not remember this--but he 
presented each of us with a Roman coin, an old one--I still have it--
and on it is printed two letters: S and C--Senatus consultum--which in 
those times, those coins would not be a factor unless it had ``SC,'' 
which indicated it is with the approval of the Roman Senate.
  Fascinating. Senatus consultum. Advise and consent. How well I 
remember. He and I serve on this group that we call respectfully the 
Gang of 14, and the hours that we have spent in your office going over 
the history of the advise and consent clause in the Constitution, and 
how best to express the balance between the executive branch and the 
legislative branch in the process of advice and consent.
  Mr. President, I could go on for an endless period. And, yes, I have 
enjoyed your friendship. I must say that I remember with the deepest of 
sympathy your lovely wife because she would go with us on those trips--
--
  Mr. BYRD. Yes.
  Mr. WARNER. And spare us from some of your wrath and your ability to 
drive those delegations to utter exhaustion to perform our official 
duties and perhaps such other things that we did at other times, mostly 
related to history. How lucky we all are to have served with Senator 
Byrd. But above all, it is what he has taught us by way of dignity and 
honesty, or as MacArthur said: ``Duty, honor, and country.''
  Mr. BYRD. Thank you.
  Mr. WARNER. There you sit, Mr. Byrd, and there is not one among us 
who will ever be able to match you, I think, in so many ways.
  Mr. BYRD. Thank you. Thank you.
  Mr. WARNER. I shall always remember you as my teacher in the past, my 
teacher today, and my teacher so long as the good Lord keeps us here 
together.
  Mr. BYRD. Thank you, thank you.
  Mr. WARNER. I thank you, Senator. Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I will be very brief. I wanted to get back 
in time to hear Senator Byrd speak about Senator Warner. I knew that is 
what you were going to do, and I missed only the opening. I was back 
long enough to get the full flavor of what Senator Byrd was saying. The 
honor that he has just bestowed upon Senator Warner is genuinely 
deserved and genuinely delivered. It comes from perhaps not just a 
Senate man, but the Senate man to another Senate man.
  This institution we occupy for different lengths of time, but all 
relatively brief compared to its history, is really entrusted to all of 
us. I know of no two Senators sitting right across the aisle from each 
other in whom that trust is more genuinely felt and recognized and 
honored than Senator Byrd and Senator Warner. Just to be able to get 
back and listen to, Senator Byrd as he spoke about Senator Warner was a 
genuine treat for me.
  He captured the essence of Senator Warner. I tried to do it a few 
times in the last few weeks very briefly, always saying that when we 
bring back that conference report, which will be Senator Warner's last 
conference report as chairman, that I hope there will be many Members 
on the Senate floor who can try to do what you did so beautifully 
today, Senator Byrd, which is to capture the essence of the great 
Senator and to express the gratitude of each of us and everybody in 
this body, and I know the men and women in the Armed Forces--but truly 
broader than that, the men and women of the United States--for the 
service that Senator Warner is providing.
  So I thank Senator Byrd for taking the time to do what each one of us 
would want to do in our own ways, and that is just simply to 
acknowledge our love and our respect for a truly great man, a Senate 
man, from the Senate man, Senator Byrd.
  Mr. BYRD. Thank you.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I thank my colleague, Carl Levin. As I 
say, we came here to this institution together and served our entire 
careers on the Armed Services Committee, and we have shared back and 
forth the chairmanship and ranking member positions. But I do believe 
many of the comments that Senator Byrd made about me rest on your 
shoulders likewise.
  He and I have developed a trust and respect. Even though we often 
vote and cancel one another out on some issues, I think we have managed 
together to carve out a place in history for the Senate Armed Services 
Committee, a committee where there is the highest degree of 
bipartisanship, because our calling is the defense of this Nation and 
the welfare of the men and women of the Armed Forces and their 
families.

[[Page 12451]]

And I have always felt that, and I say with a deep sense of humility 
that member after member on that committee has always put those 
obligations, those special trusts ahead of all other considerations. I 
thank both Senators very much.
  Mr. President, I see another Senator seeking recognition, so at this 
point I yield the floor.
  Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Colorado.
  Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, I would just like to take a moment to 
express some accolades to my fellow colleagues who are on the Senate 
floor and say that it is an honor and a pleasure to have an opportunity 
to serve on the Armed Services Committee under the leadership of the 
chairman, Senator Warner, as well as the ranking member, Senator Levin. 
It has also been an honor for me to serve on the Appropriations 
Committee under the leadership of Senator Byrd, as well as the 
chairman, Senator Cochran. It is the institutional memory that they 
bring to the process that so many of us appreciate. It is the 
bipartisan approach they take to solving our legislative problems that 
brings some peace and understanding, I think, to this process.
  I just want to take a moment before I make my official remarks 
honoring my Congressman from Colorado, to express to the Senators on 
the floor how much I appreciate their leadership and what they have 
done and congratulate them on a great Defense bill that we have just 
passed.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Colorado. I must 
say that he is my eldest daughter's Senator. She lives in his State 
with her husband and child, and therefore I have a very special 
affinity for the Senators from Colorado. I have known them for years.
  My only regret is that the Senator once served on the Armed Services 
Committee, but he could not resist the temptation of joining our 
esteemed colleague, Senator Byrd, on the Appropriations Committee. I 
have seen many Senators succumb to that same temptation.
  At any rate, the Senator from Colorado will always have a place on 
our committee should he wish to return someday. I thank the Senator.
  Mr. ALLARD. I thank the Chairman. I still recognize him as ``Mr. 
Chairman.'' He has connections to Colorado. I want to share with him my 
connection I have with Virginia. I have an ancestor who fought in the 
Revolutionary War who came right out of Bedford, VA. We have deep roots 
in Virginia. It is always a pleasure for me to get to know your State. 
I venture to say I have probably spent a lot more time in his State 
than he realizes, just getting to know it because of my family roots 
there.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I know the community of Bedford. It is a 
very historic community.
  Mr. ALLARD. It is.
  Mr. WARNER. They are very proud of the fact that they erected a 
magnificent memorial to the men and women of the Armed Forces who 
served in World War II, and particularly on D-day. The President of the 
United States came down to speak at the time of the dedication. The 
sons of Bedford are well known.
  As a matter of fact, as a footnote to history, in World War II, of 
all the communities across this great Nation that lost so many men and 
women--as you know, over a half million casualties in World War II--
Bedford, per capita, on D-day lost more than any other community in 
America of its sons who fell on those beaches in that historic battle, 
June 6, 1944.
  Mr. ALLARD. That is worth noting. I thank him again for his gracious 
hospitality and the help he has extended to me in trying to serve the 
people of Colorado in the debate on this very important bill.
  I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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