[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 1151-1152]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO SENATORS


                               Joe Biden

  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I thank you.
  I welcome and commend Senator Kaufman as he succeeds Senator Joe 
Biden.
  I particularly want to say a few words about Joe Biden. He has had an 
extraordinary career in the Senate, and he is going to be an 
extraordinary asset for President-elect Barack Obama.
  Senator Obama, the President-elect, said very clearly why he chose 
Joe Biden. He said that when the tough decisions come, and they will 
come quickly and often, Joe Biden is the guy he wants in the room with 
him. And I think that choice was extraordinarily inspired because no 
one can bring the breadth of knowledge and experience, not only with 
respect to the Senate but with respect to domestic policy and indeed 
international policy, as Joe Biden.
  The other thing Joe brings to this great challenge of the country is 
his profound decency and sense of fairness and his commitment to make 
sure

[[Page 1152]]

America is still a place of opportunity for all citizens. Those values 
were shaped in Scranton, PA, where he grew up. They were shaped by his 
mother and father. His mother, Jean Finnegan Biden, is still an 
inspiration to him today, and I am sure one of the reasons he is the 
guy who should be in the room with the President is because if he needs 
advice, his mother is still there, and I think that is something he 
cherishes.
  Joe has served in this body for many years. He was the author of the 
Violence Against Women Act to ensure that our criminal justice system, 
our system of law, recognized the particular dangers posed to women. He 
was the chief architect of the COPS bill, which put hundreds of 
thousands of police officers on the street, recognizing that the basic 
responsibility of government is to provide safety and security to its 
citizens. There are a lot of people who talked about that, but Joe 
recognized that if there are more police on the streets, that would 
happen, and indeed it has. We have seen that statistic over the last 
few years.
  As the preeminent expert on foreign relations, he has traveled the 
world and brought his wisdom to foreign leaders but also sought their 
candid advice with respect to our leadership in the world, and he will 
continue to do that. He has just concluded a trip to Iraq and 
Afghanistan. I had hoped to be with him, but duties here prevented me. 
But that is typical of Joe--hands-on, go to the source of the issue, 
examine the problem, and move forward.
  He has had an illustrious career. Beyond his success as a Senator, 
his success as a master of foreign relations, a leader in terms of 
domestic policy, has been his extraordinary family: his wife Jill, an 
extraordinarily gifted professional in her own right; Ashley, Hunter, 
and Beau; and I know the five grandchildren are particular joys to Joe. 
We are particularly respectful that today his son Beau serves in the 
uniform of the United States overseas and is someone Joe thinks of 
constantly. Once again, in those tough decisions in the White House, I 
think Joe will have a special equity because his son serves along with 
the sons and daughters of other Americans, and he will recognize that 
when they make difficult decisions regarding the deployment of our 
forces.
  It has been an honor to serve with him. It is an honor to call him a 
colleague and a friend.


                            Hillary Clinton

  Mr. President, I also wish to say a few words about our other 
colleague who is departing, Senator Hillary Clinton, an extraordinarily 
gifted lady. I had the privilege of traveling with her to Afghanistan 
and Iraq in 2003. I was impressed with her knowledge of international 
affairs and her personal knowledge of so many leaders; it was a first-
name basis. So I think we have, in the presence of Hillary Rodham 
Clinton, an extraordinary asset to the State Department.
  Senator Obama made a wise choice. She brings not only great 
experience with great recognition but a tenacious attitude toward work 
and service. She is one of the hardest working people I have ever met. 
All of these skills are going to be important at this moment in our 
history. We have to reform and transform, indeed, our national security 
posture away from the unilateral military force, which I think was the 
wrong approach of this administration, to a much more nuanced, broader 
embrace of diplomacy, backed up by a strong military force. Hillary 
Clinton can and will do that, working together with President-elect 
Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden.
  She has been a friend to me, she has helped me, she has inspired me, 
and indeed, perhaps the true test, she has taught me a great deal about 
not only substantive issues but about how one conducts one's self to a 
higher standard. I believe she will continue to maintain those 
standards as she goes forward.
  So we are losing several dear colleagues--Ken Salazar, Joe Biden, and 
Hillary Rodham Clinton. The good news is that America still has their 
extraordinarily valuable services.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Washington State 
is recognized.

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