[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 14362]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                  FISA

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I wanted to build upon the remarks of the 
Senator from Kentucky. He commended and applauded Senator Bond, and 
that certainly is appropriate. But I also want to recognize, as the 
Republican leader did, the work they have done together. I may disagree 
with the result of what we have on the floor today, and the outcome of 
what is going to happen today, but I want everyone to know that Senator 
Rockefeller is a man who works hard. There is no Senator who works any 
harder than Jay Rockefeller. He spends, with his counterpart and 
counterparts, Members of the Intelligence Committee, days, days each 
week in a place that is secure, away from the press, staff, and the 
rest of the Senate, in trying to figure out what is going on in the 
world as it relates to bad people trying to do bad things.
  They also have to keep on top of what is going on around the world as 
the administration advises them. So when the history books are written 
about this institution, one of the people they will have to write about 
is the good man of West Virginia, a man of wealth who decided to be a 
public servant. He has done that for the people of West Virginia for 
decades. There are a lot of great Senators who have come from the State 
of West Virginia, and two of them are serving now, but I want everyone 
to know that my appreciation, my affection, and my total admiration for 
Jay Rockefeller is like no other Senator. He is a wonderful human 
being. I so appreciate his willingness to do this job. Not everyone 
runs and tries to get to be chairman of the Intelligence Committee, but 
he does it because he thinks it is the right thing to do for the 
country. We in the Democratic caucus think there is no one better to 
lead us in that behalf.
  I will simply say that the relationships with Senator Bond and 
Senator Rockefeller have been extremely pleasant, and that makes this 
most difficult job better for all of us.

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