[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 16644-16645]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             RICHARD LUGAR

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, let me first echo the comments of the 
Republican leader, Senator McConnell, about our colleague and friend, 
Senator Dick Lugar of Indiana.
  It has been my good fortune now for some 16 years to serve in the 
Senate with Senator Dick Lugar and to come to know him and his wife 
Char and, more importantly, to come to know their work together on 
behalf of Indiana and the United States. Dick Lugar is truly a giant in 
the Senate. We are going to miss him. There aren't many with the vision 
of Dick Lugar.
  There is something about standing in the middle of this country, 
Adlai Stevenson II once noted, with the flatlands all around you that 
gives you a perspective on the world a little different. Dick Lugar's 
perspective on the world has been so insightful and so important for 
decades.
  His work with Senator Nunn in dealing with the proliferation of 
nuclear weaponry and the dissolution of the Soviet Union was truly 
historic and may have saved the world from catastrophe time and again. 
He reached out to a young Senator from Illinois by the name of Barack 
Obama and took him on a congressional delegation tour to look into this 
issue. I think at the end of the day their friendship was solid, and 
President Obama notes it was one of the more important overseas visits 
he made as a Member of the Senate.
  I know Dick Lugar as well from the many times we came together with 
our wives at the Aspen Institute. It is truly unfortunate that there 
aren't more Senators participating in the Aspen Institute. It is a 
meeting, usually overseas, of members of the Senate and their spouses 
with experts to discuss some of the most important problems facing us 
in this world. No lobbyists are allowed to attend; it is truly 2 or 3 
days of work. But it is also a time in the evening to sit together and 
come to know a family. Loretta and I have come to know Char and Dick 
Lugar as exceptional people. Char and I would sit and talk about 
books--which she

[[Page 16645]]

loves to read and I do too--and Dick and I would talk about the topic 
of the day, and we created a bond of friendship in those experiences.
  He has done so much work in the Senate, as Senator McConnell noted, 
starting as the mayor of Indianapolis and working his way up to the 
Senate. He became a powerful force in the Senate Foreign Relations 
Committee, and I was honored to serve on that committee over the last 
several years and watch his work unfold and evolve.
  Dick Lugar is going on to great things, I am sure. This is not the 
end of his service to our country. I wish him and Char the very best, 
whatever their next undertaking may be.
  As you receive praise from the Senator from Kentucky to the south of 
Indiana, accept some from the Senator from west of Indiana in the State 
of Illinois. I am honored to count Dick Lugar as a friend, and I am 
sure going to miss you. You have been an extraordinary ally and 
colleague on so many important issues.


                              Daniel Akaka

  Mr. President, I also add my comments in chorus to what the majority 
leader said about Senator Dan Akaka of Hawaii.
  I came to know him--and I have spoken about this on the floor--and 
Millie who are the perfect Senate family. They have devoted a major 
part of their lives to serving Hawaii and serving in the national 
interest.
  The legacy Senator Akaka leaves behind is substantial when it comes 
to legislation, particularly in helping veterans and agricultural 
issues. But, more important, what Dan Akaka leaves behind is the 
feeling of kinship and camaraderie which he has with so many Members of 
the Senate. He is a stalwart at the Senate Prayer Breakfast, leading 
the singing every Wednesday morning, and it is heartfelt and very 
genuine.
  As Senator Reid mentioned earlier, his family background of Hawaii--
which he shared with us one afternoon at a lunch--is a tradition of 
giving and hospitality which we find built in to Danny Akaka. We are 
going to miss him.


                                Jim Webb

  To the Presiding Officer--I said a few words on the floor before--we 
thank you for your service. You did an extraordinary job here. There 
aren't many one-termers who make a mark in the Senate and on the 
Nation. You did it.
  I can remember--I thought it was a little bold of you, maybe even 
more--when you came in and said: I want to rewrite the GI bill, and you 
did it and it was exceptional. You have helped thousands of men and 
women who have served in our military come back to America and be 
welcomed and be productive parts of our future.
  In so many ways, I wish to thank Senator Jim Webb, our Presiding 
Officer, for being an important and viable part of the Senate. I know 
you will continue to serve our Nation in many different capacities in 
the future, and I am sure they will be equally exceptional.

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