[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 5955]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      THANKING AMERICAN DIPLOMATS

  Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise today to take a moment to honor 
the American diplomats who serve our country. Specifically, I want to 
thank the American diplomats who have been on the front lines working 
for America throughout the Iran nuclear P5+1 negotiations. They address 
so many vital issues on a daily basis, some of which we hear about in 
the news but many of which never reach the headlines.
  The Corker-Cardin bill is now on the floor, addressing the role of 
Congress in a final deal with Iran. I hope there will be deliberative, 
thorough debate around this important issue. I want to put aside the 
partisan bellowing and grandstanding, some of which has regrettably 
stooped to impugn our diplomats, and rather take a moment to recognize 
our diplomats for their efforts to find peaceful solutions to the 
Iranian nuclear menace that threatens the world.
  For 2 years, America's diplomats have labored quietly, with no 
aspiration for personal accolade, to represent our Nation's best 
interests and build the foundation for a possible P5+1 agreement with 
Iran. The United States has had little contact with Iran since 1979, 
but their shrewdness and duplicity at the negotiating table is well 
known. It has been a huge task with no certainty of outcome. There have 
been innumerable hurdles. There have been many setbacks, and there will 
be more. But our diplomats have stayed steady, focused on the task at 
hand.
  Diplomacy is about understanding strategic motivations, applying fact 
and science to argument, and maintaining an unwavering commitment to 
American values and interests throughout complex talks with an 
untrustworthy and difficult foe. America's diplomats have done so with 
focus and integrity.
  During the negotiations, American diplomats have also been supported 
and informed by a tremendous cadre of American experts: scientists, 
intelligence professionals, civilian experts, members of the military 
and academics. This process has been a collective effort that has drawn 
on the country's best and brightest.
  There was once a time when politics ended at the water's edge, but in 
recent years we have seen the erosion of that principle and, instead, a 
rise in the practice of subsuming the interests of the country to 
tactical political objectives. The leadership of our diplomats is 
critical and needed now more than ever, and I want them to know--we 
value and appreciate you. Regardless of what you might think of the 
talks in the first place, the dedication of America's diplomats has 
made us all proud. For that, I thank them.

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