[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 17] [Senate] [Pages 22350-22351] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]RETIRING SENATORS Mr. HAGEL. Mr. President, I have listened carefully to our colleague from Ohio, spending his few minutes in the Senate talking about brave men and women who serve our country. It is the mark of our colleague from Ohio, the kind of person he is--not just the kind of Senator he is--that he would come to the floor of the Senate in his last few days as a Member of this institution and focus on others, focus on those who have given the ultimate for their families, for our country and for our future. It shows us, once again, that Senator DeWine is the consummate Senator. I am here this afternoon to recognize and thank and pay tribute to our colleagues who will be leaving the Senate. They are a varied group. Again, I can think of no finer example of this group of public servants than one of Senator DeWine's last speeches in the Senate to recognize others. I thank you, Senator DeWine, for your service. As we recognize, it is a distinct privilege and high honor to serve our country. It is a distinct privilege and high honor to serve our country in any capacity, and certainly none higher than in uniform. But it is especially important we recognize those who have given years of their lives, sacrificing their families, their own time, to help make a better world for all of us. I know of no capacity in which we serve our country that has given those who have had this rare opportunity to serve in the Senate anything more noble than trying to shape a better world from this Senate. These individuals who will leave the Senate, some on their own terms, some on the terms of the election, but, nonetheless, in their own specific way have contributed a great deal to this country. I take a few minutes to recognize each. I start with our colleague, your dear friend, former lieutenant governor, the senior Senator from Ohio. I need not tell the distinguished Presiding Officer what Senator DeWine has meant to his State and to this country. I had the privilege of serving on the Intelligence Committee with Senator DeWine for 4 years. I have teamed up with Senator DeWine over the years on many legislative matters. I don't know of an individual who cares more, contributes more, to what they believe, than Senator DeWine. His years of service in the House, the Senate, and as lieutenant governor are to be recognized. We should thank him and tell him that we will miss him and we will especially miss a friend. Senator Paul Sarbanes, the longest serving Senator in Maryland, serving five terms in the Senate, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1970. I first got acquainted with Senator Sarbanes not as a Senator but as a young staff member, chief of staff to a congressman from Nebraska, John McCollister, who also had been elected to the House in 1970. I have had the privilege of serving on two committees for the last 10 years with Senator Sarbanes--on the Foreign Relations Committee and the Committee on Banking. His courtesies to me, his sharp, defined intellect, his ability to dissect problems and focus on a resolution, will be greatly missed in this institution. We wish the Sarbaneses continued success and a little rest. Senator Jim Jeffords, from Vermont. Not many former chief justices of their State have served in this Senate. He is one. Senator Jeffords, in his long, distinguished service to our country, served as Chief Justice of the [[Page 22351]] Vermont Supreme Court, served in the House of Representatives, and then served here in the Senate. He served our country in the U.S. Navy. Jim Jeffords' life has been about service. I had an opportunity to get acquainted particularly with Senator Jeffords and work closely with him on the Individuals with Disability Education Act, IDEA. There has been no one in this Senate over the last 25 years more committed to education for our young people than Jim Jeffords. We will miss Jim Jeffords. Senator Conrad Burns. The best thing we can say about Senator Burns is he married a girl from Nebraska. His wife Phyllis is from North Platte. Senator Burns represents some of the best the West has to offer. He will be the longest serving Republican Senator in Montana history. His background is varied: distinguished entrepreneur, broadcaster, and that which he is most proud of, a U.S. marine. I have had the honor of working with Senator Burns on a number of bills and occasions, many related to agriculture and the cattle industry. For Senator Burns' service to our country, we thank him. We will miss him. Senator Rick Santorum one of the leaders of the majority in the Senate the last few years, from Pennsylvania, came to the Senate in 1994 and helped shape a different agenda. He believed fervently in the power of the institution to change the world and felt deeply about issues. I served on the Committee on Banking with Senator Santorum for many years and came to respect the junior Senator from Pennsylvania. I have a high regard for his ability to work through the big issues. For service to our country, both the House and the Senate, thank you, Senator Santorum. We will miss you. Senator Linc Chafee. Senator Chafee comes from a long line of public servants from the State of Rhode Island. The name ``Chafee'' is a famous name in this institution. His father John Chafee was one of the great Senators in this Senate in the 20th century. Linc picked up where his father left off. I had the opportunity to serve with Senator Chafee on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. We sat next to each other for many years. He had a keen ability to cut through the fog, the nonsense, the superficial, the obsequious, and get to the real issues. We will miss that ability. We will miss that laser. I am sorry to see Senator Chafee leave. He will continue to serve his country in many areas as he has done before his service in the Senate. Senator George Allen. We will miss footballs. Many of my colleagues received footballs. He was a quarterback for the Cavaliers at the University of Virginia and he could throw almost as well as even a Nebraska quarterback. Senator Allen, for a very young man, has a very distinguished record of public service, serving as the Governor of the great State of Virginia, serving in the House of Representatives, serving in the U.S. Senate. I served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with Senator Allen for many years, and I will miss his ability to say it clearly and plainly. And his leadership position within the Republican majority, which he served so ably, will be missed. Senator Mark Dayton from Minnesota, a neighbor. I served on two committees with Senator Dayton, the Rules Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee. He is a unique individual who served in many ways, beginning with his service to Senator and then Vice President Walter Mondale. Senator Dayton has a rich history and understanding of this institution and his State. We will miss Senator Dayton's character, his ability to also cross party aisles and help resolve the issues of our day. Senator Jim Talent from Missouri has had 14 years of service in the House and Senate. I worked very closely with Senator Talent on his bill, the Combat Methamphetamine Act. I believe it is one of the most significant, relevant, important bills to pass the 109th Congress. He, too, will be missed. No one worked harder than Jim Talent for the interests of his State. He understands agriculture, he understands energy like very few in his State. He began his service to his country and to the State of Missouri at the age of 28, when he was elected to the House of Representatives. We will continue to hear more from Jim Talent. I conclude my recognition of our colleagues who will be leaving us at the end of this Congress by recognizing our leader, Senator Bill Frist, from Tennessee. Senator Frist has been referred to, as we all are, in many ways and in many terms. ``Renaissance man'' has been one of those terms that have described Bill Frist. This is a unique individual. This is a man whose life has much been about serving others. For his leadership in the Senate during a very difficult time, this body owes him a great deal of thanks and gratitude. He will go on to continue to do significant things with his ability, his talent, his life, and we wish him well. We will miss him. We will miss his ability to, in an always steady way, help reach a consensus. Mr. President, in conclusion, it is not easy to put one's self on the firing line and offer one's self as a candidate for any office. It takes a certain amount of courage and, I suspect, a little dose of insanity. But nonetheless individuals who believe deeply enough to commit themselves to a cause greater than their own self-interests need to be recognized. Having nothing to do with me or you or any one individual, but it is the essence of our country, it is the very fabric of our democracy that makes it all work and probably gives rise to, more than any one reason, why we have been such a successful nation for over 200 years--because people from all walks of life, in every community, in every State, offer themselves for office. Whether it is a mayor, a Governor, city councilman, county official, a sheriff, these individuals deserve recognition. We all make mistakes. That is who we are. But in the end, it is not unlike what Teddy Roosevelt once referred to in his magnificent quote about the man in the arena. And it is the man and the woman in the arena who change our lives. It makes a better world that shapes history, that defines our destiny. And for these individuals who will no longer have that opportunity to serve our country in the Senate, we wish them well, we thank them, and we tell them we are proud of them and their families and wish them Godspeed. Mr. President, I thank you for the time and yield the floor. ____________________