[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Pages 23811-23813]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO SENATORS


                              JOHN WARNER

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to pay tribute 
and to wish my warmest regards to my dear and truly close friend, John 
Warner. As I have told John before, I feel very deeply that working so 
closely with him for the past almost 30 years now was truly one of the 
highlights of my Senate career. He is a gracious, civil, and wise man. 
He has been a great friend to me and to my wife Barbara. He has been a 
great servant to this institution and to the Nation.
  From the time that he enlisted in the Navy and rose to the rank of 
petty officer third class during World War II, his service as first 
lieutenant in the Marines in Korea, to his continued service in the 
Marine Corps Reserve where he rose to be a captain, to his leadership 
as Under Secretary and then Secretary of the Navy, John Warner has 
reliably strengthened our national defense for a remarkable six 
decades.
  For the last three decades as a Senator, he has continued the 
unwavering dedication that he has shown throughout his military career 
to the men and women in uniform. He is a profile in courage and 
statesmanship.
  John Warner and I were elected to the Senate on the same day, 
November 6, 1978. We have been on the Senate Armed Services Committee 
our entire careers, and we have worked together on 30 consecutive 
Defense authorization bills, authorizing funds for the

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armed services of the United States. We have served with some of the 
true giants of the Senate together, leaders such as John Stennis, Barry 
Goldwater, and Sam Nunn. They all understood the critical importance of 
bipartisanship on national security and defense issues.
  Over the past few years, as John and I have passed the chairman's 
gavel back and forth, we have worked together to maintain the spirit 
and practice of bipartisanship in our leadership of the Armed Services 
Committee. That spirit has lasted until the final days of this Congress 
and will last until this Congress is done, just as we have concluded 
work on the Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009, with the 
lion's share of the credit belonging to John Warner's energy, his 
passion, and his commitment to supporting our Armed Forces.
  The bill this year could not have passed without John Warner's 
support and some very courageous actions on his part. If trust is the 
currency of Senate dealings, John Warner is a rich man. In our many 
travels together--to Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Somalia, and elsewhere 
around the world--we have had plenty of time to discuss issues. We 
focus on areas of agreement, and we have trusted each other completely, 
even when we stand on opposite sides of an issue.
  The Senate is an institution whose individual seats are occupied only 
briefly, compared to our long history. But this institution is placed 
in the stewardship of each Senator, and I can name no Senator who feels 
and recognizes and honors that responsibility and that stewardship more 
than John Warner. Time and time again, John has answered the call of 
duty on behalf of our Nation's defense, on behalf of the welfare of the 
men and women and families of our Armed Forces whom he loves and 
respects so deeply and whose cause he so ably and passionately 
champions.
  One of the very first Senators from Virginia, James Monroe, said:

       National honor is the national property of highest value.

  Speaking to John's honor, one of John's staff members used to comment 
that John Warner is a Senator who happened to be from Virginia. What he 
meant is that John always looks for the course of action that is in the 
Nation's interest and in the interest of our national security, as well 
as in the interest of his beloved Virginia.
  John Warner has embodied the qualities that are our Nation's national 
greatest honor--integrity, independence, fairness, civility, and 
strength. Throughout his lifetime of service, he has been an unyielding 
advocate for causes and policies that embody those qualities. In all of 
his work, he has upheld the tradition of the distinguished and valuable 
leaders and patriots from Virginia who have shaped our country over the 
last three centuries. That is what our country needs in the Senate, and 
that is what our country expects from the Armed Services Committee. On 
so many occasions, when important issues arose on a variety of matters 
which required bipartisan solutions, the search for a partner began and 
ended with John Warner.
  I cherish the time that we have worked together. I cherish the deep 
friendship that has evolved. Barb and I will forever appreciate John 
and Jeanne's friendship. We expect to enjoy it for a long time.


                              Chuck Hagel

  Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to recognize and express 
my appreciation for my friend and colleague Senator Chuck Hagel. I have 
served in the Senate with Chuck Hagel for the past 12 years. During 
that time, he has established himself as one who is able to rise above 
partisanship, and he is respected on both sides of the aisle for his 
honest appraisals.
  For the past 2 years, I have had the opportunity to work with Chuck 
on our bipartisan efforts to change our course in Iraq. We have served 
together on the Intelligence Committee. When we have agreed on policy, 
he has been a thoughtful and effective partner; and when we have not, 
those same qualities served the Senate well nonetheless.
  Chuck Hagel has brought to the U.S. Senate a deeply held commitment 
to our nation's troops and veterans and an equally deep understanding 
of their needs. With that perspective, he has served as an honest 
broker between parties and positions, and he has been an effective 
advocate for our brave men and women in uniform as well as for the 
people of Nebraska.
  He understands the power of this nation's values, not just of our 
military, and he has eloquently represented those values. He has 
defended his extraordinary independent streak with great courage.
  I extend my thanks to Chuck and wish him and Lilibet all the best in 
their future endeavors.


                             Pete Domenici

  Mr. President, after six distinguished terms in the U.S. Senate, Pete 
Domenici is retiring. I am certain that this change of pace is a 
challenge in itself for a man who has over the years impressed all of 
us with his energy and drive and decency.
  I have had the privilege of serving with Pete Domenici on the 
Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, and working with 
him on that committee's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. I 
have seen and long respected Senator Domenici's expertise on energy 
policy; his depth of knowledge in that area has made him a steady voice 
through many challenges and will be very much missed by his colleagues. 
The Senate is also losing his great depth of experience on the budget 
process.
  Pete Domenici has also earned bipartisan admiration for his extensive 
work on mental health issues, including his leadership to pass the 
bipartisan Mental Health Parity Act. I know that mental health issues 
are very personal to Senator Domenici and his family; his first-hand 
insights have contributed significantly to congressional efforts to 
improve mental health care in America.
  I wish Pete Domenici and his wife Nancy all the best as they enjoy 
life after the Senate.


                              Wayne Allard

  Mr. President, today I rise to recognize Senator Wayne Allard, who 
will retire from the U.S. Senate at the end of this Congress after more 
than 25 years of serving and representing Colorado in the state senate, 
the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
  Wayne Allard's work throughout his career reflects his intense 
commitment to the people of Colorado. While we frequently disagree on 
issues, he has earned the respect of his colleagues for his integrity, 
hard work and the strength and steadfastness of his support for the 
principles he believes in.
  I have worked with Wayne Allard as he helped lead our effort to move 
the National Trails System Willing Seller Act through Congress. Without 
this bill, a landowner who wants to sell to the Federal Government was 
denied the right to do so. The legislation provides the Federal 
Government with the authority to acquire land and easements from 
willing sellers to complete nine national scenic and historic trails 
authorized across the Nation. One of those is the North Country Trail, 
which runs through Michigan. I particularly appreciate Wayne Allard's 
hard work on this important measure. On the Senate Armed Services 
Committee he brought his important background and experience as a 
veteran to our work on the anthrax threat.
  I offer my thanks and best wishes to Wayne Allard and his wife Joan 
as they turn to the next chapter of their productive lives.


                              larry craig

  I rise today to pay tribute to my colleague from Idaho, Senator Larry 
Craig. As the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, I can 
particularly appreciate the vital role played by the Veterans' Affairs 
Committee. Larry served as the chairman of that important committee 
from 2005 to 2007, and the ranking member since then. During his 
tenure, Veterans' Affairs has been challenged by two ongoing wars and, 
more recently, by public revelations of serious deficiencies in our 
system for caring for our wounded warriors.
  Helping our Nation's wounded warriors is a cause to which Larry Craig 
is profoundly committed. He has

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fought for our deserving and brave veterans, introducing bills to 
improve educational opportunities and to expand benefits for traumatic 
injuries. He helped make possible a rare joint hearing between the 
Veterans' Affairs Committee and the Armed Services Committee to look 
into the situation at Walter Reed and help formulate the wounded 
warrior legislation which passed through the Senate with overwhelming 
bipartisan support as part of the Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 
year 2008.
  While Larry Craig and I often been on opposite sides of policy 
debates, I admire his commitment to his views and to the people of 
Idaho. In addition to the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Senator Craig 
serves as the ranking member on the Subcommittees on Interior and 
Related Agencies, and Superfund and Environmental Health, legislative 
areas of great concern to the citizens of Boise, the ranchers of 
Midvale and the skiers of Sun Valley. And today, I join my colleagues 
in thanking Larry Craig for his service to his State and his country, 
and I wish him and Suzanne the very best in the future.

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