[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Page 23884]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO JOHN WARNER

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, it is with a touch of sadness that I 
speak about my friend, the senior Senator from Virginia, John Warner, 
who announced last week that he will not seek a sixth term and will 
return to the Commonwealth he loves so well following the conclusion of 
the 110th Congress. We will miss our friend, our colleague, and one of 
our finest and most respected members.
  John Warner is a true American patriot, who has spent his life 
serving the public good. From volunteering to serve in World War II at 
the age of 17, to his service as Secretary of the Navy and his years 
among us in the Senate, his life has been defined by a commitment of 
service to others.
  First and foremost a Virginia gentleman, John Warner is also one of 
the greatest advocates our fighting men and women have ever had in the 
U.S. Senate, consistently supporting their interests regardless of the 
prevailing winds.
  He was an extraordinary chairman of the Armed Services Committee, 
where he helped transform the Committee from a Cold War posture to a 
new focus on emerging threats, rapid technological changes, and 
asymmetric warfare. The changes he made helped usher the committee into 
the 21st Century. As his colleague on the committee for a quarter 
century, I can attest to the unrivalled depth of his understanding of 
our Nation's military, and was grateful to have the opportunity to call 
upon him innumerable times over the years for his wise counsel.
  In addition to his commitment and dedication to our military and to a 
strong national defense, John Warner is also the embodiment of the 
finest traditions of the Senate. Deliberate, thoughtful, and 
principled, over the past 28 years he has shown us all that we can 
disagree without being disagreeable, and that the demands of party must 
yield to the demands of the American people that we do our very best to 
support our armed forces in their all-important missions for our 
country and our future.
  Time after time, he has demonstrated his courage, decency and high 
principles in the Senate, whatever the partisan passions of the moment. 
That is who John Warner is--someone who thinks long and hard about 
important decisions, and then does what he feels is right.
  I am sure he and Jeanne thought long and hard about the decision to 
retire from the Senate, and I know it wasn't an easy call. He will 
leave enormous shoes to fill for the next person elected to serve the 
people of Virginia in this body.
  I will miss serving side by side with John Warner in the next 
Congress, but I am grateful we will have him here in the Senate for the 
coming year, especially, as we work to find answers to the 
extraordinarily complex and dangerous situation we confront in the 
Middle East. I am sure that all of us admire him for his statesmanship 
and leadership.
  And we are especially grateful for his friendship, which extended to 
my brothers Jack and Bobby as well.
  We will miss him very much.

                          ____________________