[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 1144-1145]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO SENATOR KEN SALAZAR

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, in a few minutes, Senator Salazar will rise 
to give his final speech on the floor of the Senate. Parting is with 
such sweet sorrow. I have such great respect for this man we call Ken 
Salazar.
  I spoke yesterday regarding Senator Biden, who will become Vice 
President of the United States next Tuesday. I also spoke about Senator 
Clinton who, after her confirmation, will become Secretary of State. 
The accomplishments of Senators Biden and Clinton are well known--two 
great Americans. The accomplishments and life of Ken Salazar are less 
known but no less remarkable; in fact, in most instances more 
remarkable.
  Kenneth Lee Salazar is a fifth-generation Coloradan and a twelfth-
generation American. His family is a remarkable story about what 
America is all about. His family settled in New Mexico 400 years ago 
and moved to Colorado's San Luis Valley in the middle of the 19th 
century, claiming some of the region's first water rights.
  Ken Salazar grew up farming and ranching the same Colorado land his 
ancestors had for hundreds of years. This is real rural America, 300 
miles from Denver. The ranch did not have electricity until 1982--no 
telephone, no television. Senator Salazar and his seven brothers and 
sisters were born to two American patriots. His mom Emma traveled to 
Washington by herself as a 19-year-old girl to do her thing in World 
War II. She went to work in the War Department here in Washington, DC, 
while Ken's father Henry joined the military and became a staff 
sergeant. He was so proud of that service in the military that he 
asked, when he passed away, to be buried in his staff sergeant uniform; 
his family complied with that.
  Although Emma and Henry were not educated in the true sense of the 
word by having gone to colleges and universities, their love of 
education was so strong that all eight of the Salazar children have 
college educations, and some such as Ken, of course, have gone on to 
graduate from law school and other such things.
  Ken Salazar farmed for more than 30 years; and he and his lovely wife 
Hope--who is such a nice, strong person--owned a number of businesses 
in Colorado. As I recall, I think one of them was a Dairy Queen and I 
think maybe a couple radio stations.
  I had the good fortune of traveling to South America with Hope and 
Ken, and it was a remarkable trip--Bolivia, Peru, Machu Picchu. It was 
a wonderful trip, something I will always remember.
  But later, after having practiced water and environmental law to 
protect the health of Coloradans and the beauty of that State--and 
anyone who has ever been to Colorado knows it is one of the great 
national treasures we have in our country. It is a beautiful State. But 
I think what I have learned about the Salazars, and Ken especially, is 
that if you look at their family, you learn a lot about them. They are 
a great American family.
  When Ken decided to run for the Colorado State attorney general's 
office, his father Henry was with him all the time. In fact, he had a 
pickup truck, and he traveled the State with his son. All 64 counties 
in Colorado they visited. Senator Salazar did not do that just once, he 
has done it many times.
  Henry Salazar was not alive long enough to see Ken elected to the 
Senate, but I can say with certainty that as proud as he was of his son 
already, his pride would overflow for the Senator who is going to 
become now a member of President Obama's Cabinet.

[[Page 1145]]

  That election in 2004 was dramatic. All over the country, we 
Democrats were hoping to pick up seats. We lost just about everything, 
except Illinois and Colorado. Two great Senators, two great Americans 
were elected that year as Democrats: Barack Obama and Ken Salazar.
  Ken's mother Emma, who is now almost 88 years old, is surely just as 
proud as her husband Henry was of her son, who will now serve this 
country as a Cabinet Secretary.
  Senator Salazar's election, as I have indicated, was one of the few 
bright spots of 2004, a year that saw us defeated in the Presidential 
election and all the close congressional races.
  Expectations were high for the new Senator from Colorado, and Ken 
Salazar met and exceeded every one of the expectations. While in the 
Senate, Senator Salazar has been a champion for a new defense and 
foreign policy that keeps us safe, restores our authority in the world, 
and honors the courageous service of our men and women in uniform. He 
has helped lead the fight for affordable health care, and to help 
broaden the State Children's Health Insurance Program. He serves on the 
Senate Energy Committee, Finance Committee, and Agriculture Committee, 
and these are tremendous assignments that he received as a young 
Senator.
  He has done so well as a Senator in so many different capacities: as 
an advocate for clean, affordable, and renewable energy and for 
protecting our environment and natural resources.
  Coloradans have rightly come to love Ken Salazar. He is now going to 
bring this remarkable experience and wisdom, as he leaves the Senate, 
upon confirmation, to begin a new adventure as President Obama's 
Secretary of the Interior.
  All of us feel his time in the Senate is far too short, but I know 
his upcoming service to our Nation will in no way take away from the 
legacy he has left in the Senate. After having served as a Cabinet 
officer, it will be enhanced. His new role will enhance that.
  Senator Salazar has a keen understanding of life and of the 
environmental concerns and needs of Western States such as Colorado and 
Nevada. He will be a great advocate for the people of both our States 
and the whole West and our country.
  Barack Obama's Cabinet selections have been one of his most approved 
adventures in Government in a long time: Republicans, Democrats, 
Independents. I think his appointments to the Cabinet have been so 
significant. None has been more significant than Ken Salazar. To take 
this great Senator and convince him to be a Cabinet officer says it 
all. It shows how remarkable both Obama and Salazar are; classmates who 
came here together in 2004.
  The most important attribute I have found about Ken Salazar, this 
relatively new Senator, was his ability to be a peacemaker, to reach 
out and bring us together. He was new here when we were going through 
the battle dealing with the nuclear option. But he stepped right in, 
understood what our Constitution was all about, why it was so important 
that matter be settled, and he was one of the leading advocates of 
working that out, which he did.
  Immigration, a difficult issue. Who, of course, was the leader on 
that? Ken Salazar. Because he wanted a program that was comprehensive 
and fair to all sides.
  As everyone knows, we had a situation with Senator Lieberman that was 
a unique situation, and it needed to be resolved. Who did that? Ken 
Salazar. Ken Salazar wrote in hand the resolution. He is the one who 
talked to Democrats and Republicans, recognizing we were headed in the 
right direction.
  So he is a peacemaker, not bound by labels but only by his own 
integrity. Much of that integrity and moral grounding comes from his 
faith, which I have heard him discuss in personal conversations with 
me, downstairs every Wednesday with our Prayer Breakfast, and other 
places.
  I have seen tears well up in his eyes as he talks about the beautiful 
mountains that surround his home in southern Colorado.
  Ken tells the story of those mountains being named by a young priest 
who was dying. He wakes up delirious, with death close at hand, and 
looks out at those beautiful mountains, 14,000 foot mountain peaks, to 
see the Sun coming through those mountains. To the priest, they looked 
like the blood of Christ, and they were named ``Sangre de Cristo,'' the 
Blood of Christ, Mountains.
  Senator Salazar, your abiding faith, your moral grounding, your 
lifelong love of our country, and your family are treasures that I will 
never forget, and that will serve you well in years to come. Your 
colleagues are proud of you, proud of your accomplishments, grateful 
for your service, and excited for the problems you will solve and the 
progress you will make for all Americans.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Republican leader is 
recognized.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I wanted to come out and join my good 
friend, the majority leader, in congratulating the Senator from 
Colorado upon his selection as Secretary of the Interior, but I must 
say I am kind of sorry to see it.
  The first thing I said to Senator Salazar is, say it isn't so. I 
hated to see him leave the Senate. Even though he has been here a 
relatively short time, he has made an enormous number of friends, I 
think an incredible contribution to the institution and, of course, to 
his State as well. I think his passion for the issues the Interior 
Department deals with overcame what I would have hoped he would have 
concluded in the end was the right decision, which was to say no to the 
new President and stay in the Senate.
  We hate to see him leave. We think he has been an extraordinarily 
outstanding and fine Member of this body. I wanted to join with the 
majority leader and say how much we appreciate his service and how much 
all of us look forward to continuing to work with him in the coming 
years in his new and important responsibility as Secretary of the 
Interior.
  I yield the floor.

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