[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Pages 24289-24296]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         FAREWELL TO THE SENATE

  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I am grateful to the Senator from 
Virginia for his comments. I understand that duty calls him to go to 
his meeting at the CIA. I am grateful for his support.
  Mr. President, just before Christmas in 1968, I was appointed to 
succeed Alaska's first senior Senator, Bob Bartlett. Next month will 
mark the 40th year I have had the honor and privilege to serve in this 
great Chamber.
  First, and most important, I thank my family. After my wife Ann's 
tragic death in 1978, I thought the end of my career had come, but my 
dear wife Catherine entered my life in 1980, and joined by my six 
children, Susan, Beth, Ted, Walter, Ben, and Lily, and my 11 
grandchildren, my family has given me love, support, and sacrifice, 
which made my continued career in the Senate possible and gave it 
meaning. I dearly love each member of my family.
  Forty years. It is hard to believe that so much time could pass so 
quickly, but it has. I want everyone listening to know that I treasure 
every moment I spent here representing Alaska and Alaskans, the land 
and the people I love.

[[Page 24290]]

  As a Member of this body, I served as whip from 1976 to 1984, as 
chair of the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, as chair of the 
Arms Control Observer Group, as chair of the Ethics Committee, as chair 
of the Rules Committee, as chair of the Governmental Affairs Committee, 
as chair of the Appropriations Committee, as chair of the Commerce 
Committee, and also had functions as the ranking member as the 
political change took place back and forth across this aisle. I also 
served as President pro tempore and President pro tempore emeritus.
  I am having really a difficult time today articulating my feelings, 
and I hope if I puddle up a little bit, as my old friend used to say, I 
will be excused.
  When I came to the Senate, Alaska had been a State for less than a 
decade. We were then more of an impoverished territory than a full-
fledged State. The commitments made by the Federal Government in our 
Statehood Act were unfulfilled, and some are still unfulfilled. Alaska 
had not received the land and resources it had been promised. Poverty 
and illness reigned supreme in rural regions of our State. I remember 
so well when Senator Kennedy and I went to the Arctic and examined some 
of those villages. It was a disaster. Our fisheries were in peril, 
primarily from the intrusion of foreign vessels that were anchored just 
a few miles offshore 12 months out of the year.
  Many people doubted whether Alaska had what it took to be a 
successful State, and they asked whether Alaska was still Seward's 
Folly. We proved those doubters were wrong. Working with one another as 
Alaskans and with great friends in the Senate, Alaskans took control of 
our own destiny.
  In 1958, as legislative counselor for the Department of Interior, I 
worked on Alaska's Statehood Act. Section 4 of that act committed 
Congress to settle the Alaska Native land claims.
  In 1971, Congress did enact the Alaska Natives Land Claims Settlement 
Act, settling aboriginal claims in our State. Native corporations, 
established at my request to manage $1 billion paid to our State by the 
Federal Government, and the 44-million acre land settlement are now 
driving forces in the Alaska economy.
  In 1973, after a dramatic tie-breaking vote by the Vice President of 
this Chamber on an amendment which closed the courts of this country to 
further delay by extreme environmentalists, the President signed into 
law the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act. That act dramatically 
improved America's energy security and secured the economic future of 
Alaska.
  In 1976, Congress passed what became known as the Magnuson-Stevens 
Act to fight foreign fishing fleets which endangered America's 
fisheries. Because of that act, America's fisheries today are the most 
productive and the best managed in the world.
  Working within the framework of these basic laws, Alaskans have 
labored in the appropriations and administrative process to make 
statehood a reality. Where there was nothing but tundra and forest, 
today there are now airports, roads, ports, water and sewer systems, 
hospitals, clinics, communications networks, research labs, and much, 
much more. Alaska was not Seward's folly and is no longer an 
impoverished territory. Alaska is a great State and an essential 
contributor to our Nation's energy security and national defense. I am 
proud to have had a role in this transformation. Working to help Alaska 
achieve its potential has been and will continue to be my life's work.
  My motto has been here ``to hell with politics, just do what's right 
for Alaska,'' and I have tried every day to live up to those words. I 
take great pride in the work of the Appropriations Defense 
Subcommittee, the leadership of which I have shared for almost three 
decades with my brother Senator Dan Inouye, and I thank him for being 
here. He is a great American patriot and a true friend. Together, we 
have worked to rebuild our Armed Forces to provide the support and 
training needed by our warfighters to meet the challenges of a rapidly 
changing world.
  I don't have time today to recount the highlights of 40 years of work 
in this body. That will take a lot of time. I will take time, however, 
to acknowledge the friendships I have enjoyed with so many of my 
colleagues and Senate staffers.
  I really am grateful to every Member of the Senate for their 
friendship, and I bear no ill will toward any Member of this body. I am 
most grateful for the support and counsel of my colleagues in the 
Alaska congressional delegation, my old friend in the House, 
Congressman Don Young, who has done so much for our State, and my 
steadfast partner in the Senate, Senator Lisa Murkowski, to whom I owe 
so much and admire so much. She has been a true friend and true 
partner. I wish her well in the future here.
  I also want to acknowledge the tremendous contribution made by 
hundreds of young Alaskans who have come to Washington to serve on my 
staff. In particular, let me express my gratitude to my current staff, 
all of whom have worked hard for Alaska during the toughest of times. I 
know all will go on to do great things for Alaska and our country.
  I feel blessed by God to have had the opportunity to serve in this 
body. I deeply appreciate the trust Alaskans have reposed in me for 40 
years. When Alaska needed a strong voice to speak up for its interests, 
I did my part to the best of my ability. When an administration 
submitted legislation or a budget that ignored Alaska's legislative 
concerns, I urged Congress to exercise its constitutional power to 
redress the balance. When an Alaskan--any Alaskan--or any Alaskan 
entity needed help, my office was ready and did help to the maximum 
extent possible.
  I feel the same way now that I did in 1968. I really must pinch 
myself to fully understand that I am privileged to speak on the floor 
of the U.S. Senate. Coming from the boyhood I had, I could never even 
have dreamed of being here today. And home is where the heart is, Mr. 
President. If that is so, I have two homes--one is right here in this 
Chamber, and the other is my beloved State of Alaska. I must leave one 
to return to the other.
  As I leave the Senate and the work that has given me so much 
happiness and satisfaction over the years, I know Senator Murkowski and 
Congressman Young will continue to be strong voices for our 49th State. 
This is the last frontier. I also pray for my successor's success as he 
joins in that effort.
  My mission in life is not complete. I believe God will give me more 
opportunities to be of service to Alaska and to our Nation. And I look 
forward with glad heart and with confidence in its justice and mercy.
  I told members of the press yesterday that I don't have any rearview 
mirror. I look only forward, and I still see the day when I can remove 
the cloud that currently surrounds me.
  That's it, Mr. President, 40 years distilled into a few minutes, I 
close by saying and asking that God bless Alaska and our Governor, God 
bless the United States of America and our President, and God bless the 
Senate and every Member of this body.
  I yield the floor for the last time.
  (Applause; Senators rising.)
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Brown). The majority leader is recognized.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise to say farewell to our distinguished 
colleague, the senior Senator from the State of Alaska. Ted Stevens' 
public service has been more than a career, it has really been his 
life's calling.
  After serving in World War II, where he rose to the rank of first 
lieutenant, Ted Stevens completed undergraduate work at UCLA and 
received a law degree from Harvard. He then came to Washington, DC, for 
the first time to work for President Eisenhower. His career in elected 
office started in 1964 with his election to the Alaska House of 
Representatives. He became majority leader in his second term. 
Appointed to the U.S. Senate in 1968, Ted Stevens was returned by the 
voters of Alaska six times and last year became the longest serving 
U.S. Republican Senator in our Nation's history.
  His career has been more than about longevity. He has been an 
advocate for

[[Page 24291]]

his State. And that is an understatement. He has served as President 
pro tempore of the Senate, and now emeritus. He has been a senior 
member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committees. He has 
been heavily involved, as I know, in the Appropriations Committee, 
Homeland Security Committee, and Rules Committee.
  That is where I have become so well acquainted with Ted Stevens, is 
on the Appropriations Committee. I had the good fortune of helping on 
the floor on a number of appropriations bills. I consider a mark of 
distinction and something I will always remember my Hulk tie Senator 
Stevens gave me. I don't know anyone else he gave one to, but it was 
his way of saying thanks for getting that appropriations bill done; I 
liked the way you worked to get it done.
  Events have transpired in Senator Stevens' life these past 2 years 
that are deeply unfortunate. He and I had a number of conversations 
about what was going on. I wish nothing but the best for Ted, 
Catherine, and his daughter, whom I have known since she was a little 
girl, now a distinguished lawyer.
  Although I said in the past that Senator Stevens flew in World War II 
with the Flying Tigers, on the Senate floor he will always be 
remembered as a lion.
  I have two final stories. I was a brandnew Senator, and my friend 
Alan Bible died. Alan Bible served the State of Nevada with distinction 
for 20 years. A military aircraft was provided to take those who wished 
to go to Nevada for the funeral. There were two people on that 
airplane--Harry Reid and Ted Stevens. Think about that. We flew to 
Reno, NV, for a funeral. We went out and back in 1 day. It takes 5 
hours to go out that way and 5 hours to come back.
  I said--and I was a new Senator: Senator Stevens, why are you on the 
airplane? I framed it a little differently than that. He said: I have a 
long memory. The Alaska pipeline bill would not have passed but for 
Alan Bible. It was very hard for him to make up his mind what he wanted 
to do, and when he did, he was the culminating vote that allowed that 
to pass. He said: I had to go to Reno to honor what Alan Bible did for 
me.
  Finally, everyone knows I have a unique relationship with Dan Inouye. 
When he ran for leader, I supported him above anyone else. I did it 
because he had been so good to me personally and, I felt, good to the 
Senate. And, of course, I admired this man for what he had done for our 
country, not only in the House of Representatives and in the Senate but 
as a soldier in Italy where he was badly wounded.
  It doesn't take much intelligence to understand that the most secure, 
lasting friendship in this Senate and one that probably is a friendship 
I have never seen before is the one with Senator Stevens and Senator 
Inouye. Terms are thrown around a lot: ``He's my brother.'' With Dan 
Inouye and Ted Stevens, they are brothers.
  The Bible tells us in the Old Testament: ``Two are better than one; 
because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the 
one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he 
falleth, for he hath not another to help him up.'' Dan Inouye may not 
be the most powerful physical person in the world, but I think he is 
the most powerful friend a person could have. And as Scripture 
indicates, he will always be there for his friend, Ted Stevens.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Republican leader is recognized.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, Senate colleagues, how does one sum up 
the extraordinary accomplishments of the longest serving Republican 
Senator in U.S. history? The majority leader has summarized Senator 
Stevens' career, but I think there is a way to measure it and to 
summarize it that is even shorter. I think it is safe to say, without 
any fear of contradiction, there is no Senator in the history of the 
United States who has ever done more for his State than Senator Ted 
Stevens. Alaska would not be what it is today----
  Mr. BYRD. That is right.
  Mr. McCONNELL. But for him.
  Mr. BYRD. That is right.
  Mr. McCONNELL. So we say farewell to our friend from Alaska and wish 
him well in coming years. He can always be proud of the fact that no 
Senator in the history of this country has ever done more for his State 
than Senator Ted Stevens.
  Mr. BYRD. That is right, Ted. That is right.
  (Applause.)
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The junior Senator from Alaska.
  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I would like to speak this morning from 
the perspective of an Alaskan. Sometimes it is not appropriate for a 
woman to acknowledge her age, but when Senator Stevens first came to 
this body, I was 11 years old. Senator Stevens, Ted Stevens, has been 
``Alaska'' in this Senate for four decades now. Many Senators earn 
their place in the history of their States during the course of service 
in the Senate. But by the time Ted came to the Senate back in 1968, he 
had already earned his place in Alaskan history. He had earned his 
place in Alaska's history for his work a decade earlier.
  As an Interior Department attorney in the late 1950s, Ted was the 
Eisenhower administration's point man on Alaska statehood. Well, this 
year, our State is celebrating its 50th anniversary of statehood. But 
for the persistence of Ted Stevens at that time, our statehood 
anniversary date might be celebrated some years off in the future. It 
was that persistence that Ted brought to the Senate.
  Historians will record the life of Ted Stevens and the history of 
post-statehood Alaska and suggest they are all interwoven. But I think 
there is an easier way to express that. When I think of the good 
things, the positive things, that have come to Alaska in the past 50 
years, I see the face and I see the hands of Ted Stevens in so many of 
them.
  Some of them are so small, like a washeteria for Golovin, a village 
of 67 people people near Nome. Ted Stevens, through funding from the 
Denali Commission, has enabled that village to have that washeteria. 
You might not think much of that, but when you don't have a water and 
sewer system and you don't have a place for basic sanitary services, 
providing a washing facility in a little community is a big deal.
  There are also the big projects, whether it is our 800-mile trans-
Alaska pipeline that Senator Stevens helped to create or the settlement 
of our Alaska Native land claims, the fact that we have F-22s at 
Elmendorf Air Force Base, or a compromise recently that allowed Eielson 
Air Force Base to remain a vibrant and strategic center for our 
military. And then the big things that are yet to come, as we are 
working to advance a natural gas pipeline to bring that energy source 
to the lower 48. We will also have a new VA outpatient clinic in 
Anchorage that Ted has been responsible for.
  When Alaskans think about the difficult debates, the issues Congress 
has dealt with over the years as they relate to Alaska--and primarily 
these are debates where the Nation has sought to tell Alaskans what we 
should be doing to manage our lands, to develop our economies, to live 
our lives. Every time there has been an argument, a debate, a victory, 
it has been the forceful voice of Ted Stevens defending the right of 
Alaskans that prevails.
  We all knew when he would come to the floor wearing his Incredible 
Hulk tie, he was fighting a battle for Alaska that day, and look out. 
Whether it was our timber issues or the battle over ANWR or our 
fisheries, he was there working, fighting, compromising, negotiating 
these battles for the State of Alaska.
  There are a lot of things we know about Ted and his passions, as he 
has demonstrated them here on the floor, but there are some other 
things you might not know about Senator Stevens and what drives him, 
such as his care and his passion and support for world-class fishing 
out on the Kenai River, his support for public broadcasting, which 
earned him two national awards, and his undying commitment for the 
Olympic movement and amateur athletics.

[[Page 24292]]

  Somebody mentioned it would take a long time to enumerate the 
accomplishments of Ted Stevens. Mr. Majority Leader, I might suggest 
that in order to do that, it would take as long as it took you when you 
read your book about Searchlight on the floor when I was sitting in the 
Presiding Officer's chair. We don't have time to do that this morning, 
and that is not my purpose today. But I would like to refer to Ted's 
accomplishments in two small areas to illustrate a point I wish to make 
about his character and his personal commitment to public service. 
These are in the areas of what he has done to improve the lives of 
Alaska's Native people and also his legacy to America's fisheries.
  It is often said a society is judged by the way it treats its most 
vulnerable members, and it is appropriate we judge the character of our 
elected leaders in a similar way. In Alaska, the most vulnerable among 
us are our Alaska Native people--the 120,000 or so Aleuts, Eskimos, and 
Indians who are the descendants of Alaska's first inhabitants. We 
recognize that the statistics about the condition of our Alaskan 
Natives are not something of which we are proud, with incomes that are 
half of other Alaskans and high rates of domestic violence, suicide, 
child abuse, violent deaths, and a prison rate among our population 
which is not acceptable.
  For decades, Alaska's most vulnerable people have had no better 
friend than Ted Stevens. If you go to Ted's Web site, it lists his 
milestone legislative accomplishments, and 8 of the 13 are directed to 
improving the conditions of Alaska's first people. So many of them are 
so basic. You have all heard the stories; Ted has stood on the floor 
and talked about the economic conditions we face--the fact that we 
don't have road systems, the fact we have to fly to most of the 
villages or go by boat--but the reality is that in so many of our 
communities, in so many of our villages, we still don't have basic 
water and sanitation for those who live there. Before Ted Stevens came 
to the Senate, many of these villages had no running water, no flush 
toilets, no plumbing, no place to wash clothes or take a shower--the 
basic needs when it comes to sanitation and health.
  In so many instances, our Native people have lived, and some still 
live, in what could be called Third World conditions, conditions that 
wouldn't be tolerated anywhere in this country, and conditions that Ted 
Stevens would not tolerate. He determined he was going to change it and 
he did. In 1980, only about 20 percent of the rural houses in Alaska 
had indoor sanitation facilities. Thanks to Ted Stevens, that 
percentage has risen to well over 75 percent. Now, we still have a ways 
to go, but what he has done is pretty remarkable.
  Talking about health improvements and conditions, it is almost 
impossible to recruit health professionals to our small and remote 
areas. So Ted looked into the future and wondered how we were going to 
provide access, how we were going to provide for the needs of those who 
live out here. And he said: Well, let's think ahead, and he brought 
statewide telemedicine. It is the backbone of what we have in Alaska in 
terms of how we provide for our health care needs. It is the largest 
telemedicine program in the world. It gives first responders an ability 
to consult with doctors in the larger cities. Thanks to Ted Stevens, 
people's lives have been saved. He has made an enormous difference in 
our community. He has championed the construction of hospitals in our 
rural hubs out in Kotzebue, Barrow, Nome, and Dillingham. He has 
brought about the community health centers and health clinics.
  I know a lot of you have had an opportunity to come to Alaska, and 
your first stop is the airport in Anchorage, and you notice that the 
airport is named after Ted Stevens. Well, you might not know that there 
is a large monument at the entrance to the Alaska Native Medical Center 
that has been erected to remind Alaskans that this facility would not 
have been possible without the work of Ted Stevens. So our Alaska 
Natives today enjoy an integrated, high quality health care system 
thanks to Ted Stevens.
  This is important for us to remember because so much of what we see 
in the Senate, the record that is created, we don't have the 
opportunity to see how that translates to the people Ted Stevens has 
represented for some 40 years.
  Other areas he has worked for Alaska's Natives involve work to 
preserve their cultural lifestyles through preservation of their 
subsistence traditions and making sure the Inupiaq people can continue 
their whaling and helping with economic opportunities and reducing 
transportation costs. We are seeing a migration from our smaller 
villages into our larger cities, but I can tell you, without the 
lifestyle improvements Ted Stevens has brought to rural Alaska, our 
Native people would have left their villages decades ago. So I wish to 
thank you, Ted, for all you have done there.
  I mentioned the fishery resource, and Senator Stevens himself 
mentioned that in his comments, but it was nearly 40 years ago that Ted 
joined with Warren Magnuson and developed a new management regime for 
our fisheries. This was at a time when our fisheries in the United 
States, including Alaska, were heavily overfished by foreign fleets. 
The Magnuson-Stevens Act helped put America back in the fishing 
industry. This legislation also created the Regional Fishery Management 
Council. It is largely responsible for the development of Alaska's 
sustainable fisheries. We are very proud of the fact that to this day 
we supply about half the seafood that is caught in this country.
  It was at Ted Stevens' insistence that the United States negotiated 
an agreement to stop the illegal fishing in the international waters of 
the Bering Sea. This agreement has restored the Alaska pollock fishery 
from near collapse. He has been an absolute champion of ocean 
conservation. He pushed the U.N. to ban high seas drift net fishing, a 
practice that was devastating our salmon fisheries. Alaska fishermen 
will never forget Ted Stevens, the conservationist, the advocate who 
has truly helped bring our fisheries where they are.
  Ted's departure from the Senate truly leaves a void in our hearts and 
some very big shoes to fill here in the Senate. There are a lot of us 
in Alaska who are wondering if anyone can fill these shoes. We agonize 
over whether the Federal Government's interest in Alaska is going to 
dwindle without Ted here to fight for us. But I am optimistic, Ted, 
that is not going to be the case.
  You have said many times in speeches you have given here on the floor 
and back at home--you voiced the words of GEN Billy Mitchell back in 
1935 when he said:

       I believe that, in the future, whoever holds Alaska will 
     hold the world. . . . I think it is the most important 
     strategic place in the world.

  Those words of Billy Mitchell, I think you and I agree, hold true 
today. Alaska continues to provide this top cover for the defense of 
the North American Continent. Our troops tell us our communities in 
Alaska support the military like nowhere else in the country. The 
heartfelt appreciation is genuine. We offer unencumbered military 
training areas that are simply not available anywhere else. Our 
resources--our natural gas, our mineral resources--will support and 
continue to support America's national security for generations to 
come.
  Through his investments in the development of our State and our 
people, Ted Stevens has helped to prepare Alaska to meet its future 
challenges. We are a strong and confident and skilled people, and we 
are empowered--we are empowered by all Ted's work has brought to us 
over 40 years of service in the Senate.
  While Ted may leave this body, I think all of us will continue to 
seek his advice, his counsel, and his wisdom for as long as he is 
willing to offer it.
  Ted, you have earned a very special place in the golden hearts of 
Alaskans, and you hold a very special place in my heart. Thank you for 
your service to Alaska.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The senior Senator from Hawaii is recognized.

[[Page 24293]]


  Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, all of us realize the events of recent 
weeks have been less than pleasant and at times dismal and 
heartbreaking. But to my friend, I say stand tall, Ted, because you 
have every reason to do so. Your good and courageous service to our 
Nation is part of our history. It can never be obliterated. Your 
service to the people of Alaska is legendary, and I am certain that in 
decades to come, Native Alaskans--Eskimos and Indians--will be singing 
you songs of praise. But above all, I thank you for your four decades 
of friendship. I will cherish them. Thank you.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senate President pro tempore is 
recognized.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I have been thinking, while sitting here 
listening to the eloquent remarks of the senior Senator from Alaska on 
this day, I have been here a long time, and so has he, the Senator from 
Alaska, although he is just a youngster compared to me. Some in this 
town would say we have both lived too long.
  A long life is a blessing for many reasons. One of the reasons is one 
learns a lot. One learns to take the bad with the good. One learns to 
separate the phonies from the friends. One learns that family is the 
most important gift. One learns to appreciate small, special moments 
and the really good things in life--like a good laugh, a good cry, a 
good dog, and a good meal.
  Politics is a rough business, with lots of highs and lots of lows. 
After a long time in politics, I come to understand that the point of 
it all is helping people. Ted Stevens has helped a lot of people.
  We all make mistakes. I have made more of them than I have hair 
follicles. But thank God we will be judged in the next world by the 
good we do in this world. Ted Stevens has done a lot of good.
  I wish for you, my friend Ted Stevens, many happy years. I know you 
will never stop working for the people of your beloved State of Alaska. 
Bless your heart, Ted. I love you.
  I offer an Irish blessing: May all the roads that you have built, 
Ted, rise up to meet you, and may the wind, Ted, be always at your 
back. May the Sun shine warmly upon your face, Ted, and may the rains 
fall softly upon your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold 
you, Ted, in the hollow of His hand.
  Bless your heart, Ted. I love you.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Mexico is recognized.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I rise now because I look around and I 
don't think there is any Senator left on the floor who has served 
longer than I with him. He has had his 40; I have had my 36.
  Senator, I just want to say this to you. The Constitution of the 
United States said that there will be a difference between the Senate 
and the House. They said the way to get a constitution is to make sure 
they provide that individually the States would be adequately 
represented. And they said: We will make sure of that by creating a 
U.S. Senate where two Senators represent the State.
  My friend, I want to say to you, obviously I have traveled a little 
bit different path in my 36 years, but many times the paths have 
crossed--you and this Senator. I do want to say that, more than anyone 
else, you have taught me the meaning of representing my State. You are 
unabashed about that. That caused me on many occasions to think about 
what I was doing and whether I was representing my State correctly, to 
the full extent of my ability, and whether I did that with gusto, 
knowing that we needed things. For we are comparable in that we are a 
very poor State. We are among the last that came in, and we have many 
of the same problems you have.
  It has truly been a luxury of my life to work with you, to see how 
you got things done, and, from time to time, to be able to help you 
because you asked--you were unabashed in that regard too--to help your 
State. You would ask any of us to join you in your cause, and most of 
us did that willingly.
  Mr. BYRD. You bet.
  Mr. DOMENICI. But, Senator, I wish to say just a word to the people 
of your State.
  We know Ted Stevens as a Senator representing you people. A big event 
has occurred in the life of Ted Stevens that you people of Alaska quite 
properly have been involved in. But none of us who have worked with him 
could let this day pass with anyone not knowing--whether they be in 
Alaska, a Native of Alaska or resident of Alaska or a Native, true 
Native--all of you must know of the high respect and great esteem in 
which we hold your Senator. We are most grateful that you sent him here 
for 40 years. For some of us, it ends too abruptly, but every ride 
seems to have an end.
  All I hope is, with what you have left in your life, that you will 
feel this day is a special one, when Senators have put their hearts out 
here on the Senate floor to tell you who you were to them, what you 
meant to them. I hope I have done my share in my few moments. Nobody 
will know how many times we have talked and met, how many times you and 
I have shared personal things and gone on with our own business, but we 
were certain to mention our personal problems along with it, things we 
wanted to share as men. I thank you for every bit of that.
  To the extent that some of our prayers and the prayers of some of our 
relatives whom I asked personally to pray for you--I hope it has had 
some good. I hope when you were down, you were lifted a bit. I hope 
that today you are going to be lifted more so that you can stand what 
is ahead of you with a high head and come out of it with more of the 
successes of your life right out in front of you for you to feel and 
touch, as those hard issues still remain.
  Thank you for your friendship.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut is recognized.
  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, much that has been true and honest has 
been said by our colleagues this morning to support and pay tribute to 
the unique, the great and historic service of Senator Ted Stevens to 
Alaska and to our country. I will come back to that, but I wish to take 
a moment to speak about Ted Stevens as a friend and a neighbor.
  It happened that when I first came to the Senate 20 years ago, our 
wives, Catherine and Hadassah, became friends. As usual, they led us in 
the right direction--which is toward each other. In fact, it was 
Catherine and Ted's counsel and urging to Hadassah and me that led us, 
after 6 years living somewhere else, to the neighborhood we live in 
now, which is where they used to live. In the last several years, they 
have come back to that neighborhood.
  Maybe, beyond the news that comes out of the Senate in Washington and 
the politics that dominates the news, a lot of people back home and 
around the country do not realize we are actually just normal people--
we live in neighborhoods here, we have friends, and we get to know our 
friends.
  I speak of Ted in that regard. Once years ago somebody said: What can 
you tell me about Ted Stevens? I can tell you a lot and others can 
about what he is like as a Senator. I will tell you this, that Hadassah 
and I talked the other day and we said: Who would we call, of our 
colleagues in the Senate, if something happened in the family?
  Now I think about it, it was said at 3 a.m. in the morning. That was 
before the commercials in the last campaign. But this was not about a 
national emergency, this was about something that happened in the 
family and you needed somebody's help to come over and watch the kids 
or something such as that. We said we would call Ted and Catherine 
Stevens. I never had to make that call, but I have no doubt they would 
have responded.
  I have gotten to know Ted Stevens very well. This is a good and 
honorable man. He is a wise man, reads a lot. And in recent years we 
have exchanged books, usually adventure novels, with one another. He 
has a tremendous sense of history, and more than some might appreciate, 
he has a great sense of humor as well.
  So I salute him as a good and honorable man, a man of faith who has 
served our country with great effect. I

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want to take a moment before I close to talk about the extraordinary 
service and supportive leadership Ted Stevens has given to the Armed 
Forces of the United States and, therefore, to the security of every 
American, the freedom of every American, and I would say the security 
and freedom of people in countries all over the world who have 
benefited from the courage of our military, the skill of our military, 
and even more directly because of the support Ted Stevens and Dan 
Inouye have given to our allies militarily around the world.
  The distinguished Republican leader said he could not think of any 
Senator who had done more for his State in the history of the Senate 
than Ted Stevens has done for Alaska. I would say something else at 
this moment. Remember, we have constitutional responsibilities that we 
swear to uphold when we take the oath of office as Senators. One of the 
great ones, perhaps the first one, which precedes all others, is to 
provide for the common defense. I honestly cannot think of two Senators 
who have done more to protect the security of the United States of 
America, and therefore our freedom, than Ted Stevens and Dan Inouye.
  You know, we talk a lot around here about partisanship. All of us 
agree that there has been too much of it, that it gets in the way of us 
getting things done. I have been privileged in the years I have been on 
the Homeland Security Committee to have had a wonderful relationship 
with Senator Collins, whether she has been chairman or I have been 
chairman. But this relationship between Ted Stevens and Dan Inouye is 
unique. Regardless of which one was in the majority and which was in 
the so-called minority, these two were cochairs. They shared staff, 
they helped each other, because the party affiliation ultimately did 
not matter.
  What did you say your oath was? To hell with politics, I have got to 
do what is good for Alaska. I am going to say, in so many ways, 
particularly working with Dan Inouye, you have said throughout this 40 
years, particularly in the years you have worked together on the 
Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, to hell with politics, we, Dan 
Inouye and I, are going to do what is good for America.
  I salute you for that. I thank you for that. I love the fact that you 
said in your remarks that you are confident God has more work for you 
to do. I share that confidence and that faith. I wish you and your 
wonderful family, your beloved wife Catherine and your children, all of 
God's blessings in the years ahead.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah.
  Mr. HATCH. I remember the first time I met Ted Stevens. It was back 
in 1976 when I was a young candidate for office, citizen candidate, 
hardly knew where the Senate floor was. I have loved and admired him 
ever since. We have been in the presence of three great senior lions in 
the Senate. Bob Byrd, as we all know, has served this Senate many 
years. And I love these three people.
  Dan Inouye. I admire him so much for the courage, honor, and 
friendship he has displayed to so many of us. But above all, to Ted 
Stevens. Ted Stevens is truly one of the greatest Senators who ever sat 
here. All three of them are. They have been exemplary to all of us, but 
especially me.
  I have watched them. I have learned from them. Hopefully I have not 
heard the last of my dear friend Ted. Ted Stevens personifies a person 
with real guts, with real ability, that dedication to his State, 
dedication to every person in his State regardless of politics, 
religion, or anything else. He has worked his behind off for 40 years, 
and actually longer than that, in public service--one of the greatest 
men I have ever met.
  I always loved him when he wore the Incredible Hulk tie. I always got 
a big kick out of it. I even liked his crankiness, because there was 
always a little smile behind it. He never held a grudge against 
anybody, and he was always willing to lend a helping hand and give good 
advice.
  Frankly, I admire him so much. Ted, I believe this cloud will be 
lifted from you. It should be. The fact is that you are a great man in 
a great body here where so few rise to the top level. You really have. 
You have shown such kindness and graciousness to virtually everybody 
here, and enough toughness too, when we have needed it. You are a great 
leader. I for one am going to miss you as a Member of this body. I hope 
we will not miss you as a friend and colleague in the future, because 
you will always be my colleague. You will always be somebody I look up 
to. You will always be somebody who I learn from. You will always be 
somebody who has stood for things that count: family, home, State, 
country.
  I do not know if I can say anything much better than that. But all I 
can say is this is a good man. He deserves to be remembered as a great 
man as well. We all love you. We wish you the best. We hope we continue 
to see a lot of you.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Washington State.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I rise today on behalf of many citizens 
of Washington State who are friends of the Senator from Alaska. On 
their behalf today, I say thank you for all of the work that you have 
done for your neighbor to the South.
  Obviously, everyone here has listed the many accomplishments of the 
senior Senator from Alaska in his many decades of service. We are a 
State that considers Alaska a neighbor. He has been an ally of ours 
many times over, and throughout his long service in serving his own 
State, has also helped the citizens I represent. I thank him for that 
today. I thank him for his years of service on the Appropriations 
Committee where I watched him as the Chair and ranking member, where 
though he may be a strong adversary, he also understood that everyone 
had a right to speak and had a right to offer arguments and respected 
that. I think that is truly a lesson all of us should remember.
  But I want to share a lesson that the Senator from Alaska also taught 
me that I think is important for this time as well. Several years ago I 
was privileged to join the Senator from Alaska and the Senator from 
Hawaii on a delegation trip to China where we met with officials across 
the country to talk about the important issues facing our country and 
China.
  Senator Inouye was called away, and I was left as the senior Democrat 
on the trip. We met with leaders from China across the table from us. 
Senator Stevens led many of these meetings but on several occasions 
turned to me to ask me to lead those. As we were leaving China, I 
thanked him for that respect he gave me in front of our delegation and 
in front of theirs. He said to me he thought it was important that the 
people of China see that even though we have two different parties here 
with very strong opinions we respect each other and out of that respect 
are able to lead this country facing the challenges we have in front of 
us.
  He used that as a lesson to China, but it was a lesson to me as well, 
that we do have two strong parties, but in the end we serve the people 
of America, and we do it by respecting each other. So I stand today and 
join my colleagues in thanking the Senator from Alaska for being the 
leader he has been here, for the work he has done, and wish him the 
very best in his future.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kansas is recognized.
  Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. President, first impressions are always important. I 
think many times they are completely false. I was a Member of the House 
when I first met Ted Stevens. It was at a retreat our party was having, 
and I sat there wondering what on Earth makes this man tick. Here was 
the most obstreperous if not outrageous person expressing his opinion, 
despite any other person who had an objection, who insisted on making 
his point.
  I went away from that meeting and said: That Ted Stevens fellow is 
one of the most unique people I have ever met. I would just as soon not 
meet him again. Then I found out that he was running for leadership of 
the Republican party in this distinguished body against my friend and 
colleague, mentor, hero, Bob Dole, and came within

[[Page 24295]]

one vote. There is a story there, but we will not get into that. And so 
that was the history as I regarded Ted Stevens.
  I came to the Senate, had the privilege of being elected to the 
Senate in 1996. I was standing right over there. All of a sudden there 
was Ted Stevens standing in front of me. That was sort of a frightening 
experience for a new Senator. But he came up and he jabbed his finger 
on my chest--Ted, you will not remember this--and he said, ``I know who 
you are.''
  I said, ``Well, I sure as hell know who you are.''
  He said, ``You allegedly know something about agriculture. Bob Dole 
told me about you, said you were a stand-up guy.''
  I said, ``Thank you. That is a real compliment.''
  He said, ``You serve on Armed Services and Intelligence?''
  I said, ``Yes, sir, I do.''
  He said, ``How would you like to go to the Russian Far East with 
me?''
  I thought to myself: Why on Earth would I want to go to the Russian 
Far East?
  He said, ``We are going to go to Habarodfk. I can assure you, 
Habarodfk is not one of the places that you would want to go to if you 
had free time to go anywhere.'' And he said, ``Then we are going to go 
to Vladivostok. We are going to meet with the admiral of the Russian 
navy. He is closer to Alaska than he is to Moscow. I know him.''
  I thought, this is a man who has unusual relationships with people 
all around the world.
  ``And then we are going to go to South Korea to meet one of the many 
presidents that come and go in South Korea to indicate our strong 
support. But then we are going to be the first delegation allowed into 
North Korea.''
  Well, that got my attention. He said, ``That is why I would like to 
have you come along, because if we could arrange a third-party grain 
sale''--and I guess this is not classified anymore, but at any rate--
``arrange a third-party grain sale, and using agriculture as a tool for 
peace, there are things we can do in North Korea to at least establish 
a relationship.''
  This man has tried to do that all around the world with our 
adversaries. People talk about that a lot, that he actually just does 
it. He does not make any press releases about it, does not talk about 
it much.
  So I said, ``Well, sure, I will sign up.''
  And he said, ``I understand that you are a journalist.''
  I said, ``Yep, that is an unemployed newsman.''
  And he said, ``You could be the scribe in regard to this CODEL.'' I 
might say that any CODEL you went on with Ted Stevens, you always had a 
T-shirt saying: ``I survived CODEL Stevens'' because you would go to 
the South Pole, you would go to other places, but you didn't go to the 
water holes where apparently the business executives of our financial 
institutions go now to think about things.
  In any case, we went to Habarovsk where I had a little discussion 
with Senator Inouye about where we were staying, our accommodations, 
and got to know Danny very well. We went to Vladivostok. We talked to 
that admiral who felt closer to Ted Stevens than he did the Russian 
Government at that particular time. We went to Sakhalin Island. There 
are tremendous oil reserves there. He was trying to work out some kind 
of arrangement where American oil companies could come in and take 
advantage of all of the oil reserves. We had to work our way through 
the saber-toothed tigers; I am not making that up.
  Then we went to South Korea because you have to go to South Korea if 
you are going to go to North Korea. That is just required. Then we went 
into North Korea. Darnedest experience I have ever had in my life. It 
was a situation where that is a theocracy. It is a robotic theocracy. 
If there is a trudging contest in the Olympics, the North Koreans will 
win without any question. It was the first delegation allowed into 
North Korea. Senator Inouye and Senator Stevens met with the North 
Koreans. It was Senator Cochran who insisted on going to a farm. I say 
that with a smile. We did that. I will just say from an agricultural 
standpoint, it was just a field with nothing there except a 1938 Case 
tractor with a camouflage net over it. That sort of tells you where 
they are: not a Third World country but, as I said, a theocracy. But 
back to the story. It was about 11 or 12 midnight. This was a very 
unusual trip. We left everything on the plane, and we stayed at an 
alleged VIP headquarters. There wasn't any heat. I won't go into all 
that.
  At any rate, this discussion had gone on and on and on, and there was 
an interpreter with the two people with whom we were meeting. We had 
hoped to meet with Kim Jong-il. That was not possible. So he sent two 
of his puppets down there to meet with us. They were just going back 
and forth with propaganda and we were serious. We had permission from 
the Treasury to waive certain requirements so we could arrange for a 
third party grain sale to assist North Korea which goes through a 
famine every harvesting year. In response, we could ask for other 
things.
  So you had two World War II veterans who told these two individuals: 
We are World War II veterans. We want to make Pammunjon a tourist 
attraction. We want to make real progress about that. Finally, Ted had 
it up to here. He said: Knock off the BS. I know you understand 
English. Just take the interpreter out of it and let's get to the 
bottom line.
  The bottom line was that they couldn't do anything. They were there 
to learn what we were about. They really couldn't make any decisions. 
That was a real lost opportunity at that particular time. I will never 
forget his leadership.
  At any rate, I would just like to say on another CODEL, I don't even 
know which one it was, we landed at 11 and we got to the hotel about 
midnight. This man is a great connoisseur of military movies, military 
history, almost any other movie. He is a great devotee of that great 
documentary ``Band of Brothers.'' So we were playing ``Band of 
Brothers'' to virtually staff and to all present. And this is at 12:30 
at night. We had reached episode 5; we were going to episode 6. So 
there we all were. And, of course, it was playing and playing. I looked 
around. All the staff were asleep. Loyal, they were still there, but 
they were asleep. Then all the Members who were still there, because 
you didn't leave in regards to the Stevens entourage and whatever 
performance he decided that we should see, so consequently, I was 
having a hard time keeping my eyelids open.
  I looked over at him and his eyes were closed. I thought, the great 
man has his eyes closed. Everybody else is asleep. So I will get up, 
the scribe of the CODEL, and look around and gently turn off the 
television and then I can gently wake him up and say: ``Ted, it is 
pretty late, 1 o'clock. We all ought to go to bed.''
  As I reached for the button to turn off the power, he said: ``This 
next part is the best part.'' He wasn't watching it; he was listening 
because he had seen it about three times. Well, needless to say, we saw 
episode 6 in its entirety. Thank the Lord, we didn't go into episode 7. 
We would have been there all night.
  Let me just say, I was present for the ceremonies in Alaska when Ted 
was named the Alaskan of the Century. How can a sitting Senator or a 
sitting Member of Congress or anybody get citizen approval or approval 
from his State or accolades from his State at that particular time. But 
he was Alaskan of the Century. His name was everywhere. I told him the 
Anchorage Daily News should have been the ``Ted Stevens News.''
  But I had the unique privilege of roasting this man, which I enjoyed 
thoroughly, and then got pretty serious toward the end. At any rate, he 
flew in on a World War II plane. He had his combat jacket. He came in 
with Catherine and took his place on two very posh chairs. And I quoted 
again that saying he has said, and it has been said today by the 
Senator himself and by others: ``The hell with politics; let's do what 
is good for Alaska.'' I will add: And the country and our national 
defense and for every man and woman in uniform; they owe this man a 
great

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debt. That is a true thing that he has done in terms of his service.
  I am a journalist. I am an old newspaper guy. My great-grandfather 
founded the second oldest newspaper in the State of Kansas, John Wesley 
Roberts. He was an abolitionist. I have printer's ink in my blood. The 
only thing I would say to my fellow colleagues who have now left the 
galleries because the show is over, or at least up to this point, I 
would only say to my colleagues that I don't know who sang the song, 
``You Don't Know Me.'' Maybe that was Patsy Cline; maybe it was 
somebody else. I will have to Google it. But at any rate, you don't 
know him. You really don't know him. This is a man with a very gruff 
exterior, but he is a teddy bear when you really get to know him. I 
know that because that is exactly what my daughter labeled him when she 
worked part-time for him some years ago.
  As a matter of fact, she called him the mad penguin. She never called 
him that to his face. I don't know if you knew that or not, Ted. But 
that was the label.
  So under this great, gruff facade--i.e., the mad penguin--there is a 
compassionate, caring, wise and, yes, a man with a very good sense of 
humor which I enjoyed immensely.
  When you come to this body and you come to public service, you know 
that you risk your ideas, your thoughts, your hopes, and your dreams 
before the crowd. Sometimes the crowd says yes, and you have friends 
who will stand behind you when you are taking the bows. Then when 
something happens in your life, when it is most unfortunate--and my 
family has experienced this as well--you wonder where your friends are 
who will stand beside you when you are taking the boos as opposed to 
the bows.
  I want to tell you that being the Alaskan of the Century and the 
Alaskan or the Senator who has done so much for the country and my 
State of Kansas, I stand next to you, Ted, and as many have said: You 
are a dear friend. I love you. God bless.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Tester). The Senator from Texas.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I so appreciate hearing the many 
stories that Ted Stevens has generated in this body. He has been a 
friend to everyone who has served all of the time with him. People say: 
Ted took care of Alaska. Ted did take care of Alaska. But from my 
standpoint, what I saw is that Ted made sure that every State was taken 
care of, that every Senator's priorities were met, if at all possible. 
He took care of the military. He took care of upgrading the military 
bases because, of course, he served in the military. And he wanted more 
than anything for our military people to have the quality of life they 
deserved. So I see him as someone who has been what people say is so 
rare in this city, and that is a true friend.
  It has been mentioned a couple of times that he has a gruff exterior. 
When I see pictures of him in the newspaper and he is looking like 
this, it is not the Ted Stevens we know. It is not the person who has 
endeared himself to our colleagues for years and years and years in the 
Senate. That is his manner, but I always said behind his back: He is 
all bark and no bite. He is the most loyal friend and the person you 
could go to when you needed advice, as I know his great colleague from 
Alaska, Senator Murkowski, has done many times, as have I, but also 
when you needed help.
  I, too, have traveled with Ted Stevens and Danny Inouye because I was 
fortunate enough, with Ted's help, to get on the Defense Appropriations 
Committee. So we went to the garden spots of the world such as Bosnia, 
when the Serbs had been shooting from the hills, and when we went 
undercover with flight jackets, undercover of delivering 2,000 pounds 
of peas to the many refugees who were in Bosnia at the time. We came 
into the Sarajevo airport with our helmets on and our flight jackets. 
Of course, it was a war-torn city. We saw later, when we went there, 
the former Olympic fields that were burial grounds because they had no 
place else to put the people who had died in these terrible, tragic 
circumstances in Bosnia.
  I went with Ted Stevens and Danny Inouye to Saudi Arabia where I was 
told later that it was actually discouraged that a woman would be in a 
delegation. But Ted Stevens said: No way was there ever going to be 
discrimination against a Senator. I was a part of that delegation. I 
went to our airbase there. I went and met with everyone we met with as 
a delegation. I spoke in my turn, just as every member of our 
delegation did, because Ted Stevens was always going to stand up for 
the right of every Senator to be a part of a foreign delegation.
  I went to the farm bureau air show with Ted Stevens. There is nothing 
more joyous than Ted Stevens when he is in an air museum or at an air 
show. He is an aviator to his core. He asked all the questions. He knew 
most of the answers already because he knows airplanes and he knows 
aviation.
  I know what this man has been through for the last few months. I know 
the toll it takes on himself and his family.
  I am proud to stand with Ted Stevens because I value his friendship 
and all he has done for me in my term in the Senate and what he has 
done for Texas every time I have needed for Texas to be taken care of.
  I will say two things in conclusion about Ted Stevens. His country 
has never called that he has not answered the call--from the military, 
to being in the Eisenhower administration, to fighting for Alaska to be 
a State, and then fighting to make Alaska a great State. It is a great 
State.
  It would not be the State it is without your leadership, Ted.
  But I want to say the most important thing I think you could say 
about anyone you know; that is, those who know him best love him most.
  Thank you.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Washington.

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