Congressional Record—Senate S11004
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S11004 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 4, 2007 together to get some work done. The left in the Senate. He shares that dis- It was a wonderful opportunity work- clock is ticking. It is getting late. But tinction with DANNY AKAKA, DANNY ing in that office, working together. it is not too late. There is no better INOUYE, FRANK LAUTENBERG, and TED There were countless long days, many time to shift course than now. STEVENS. very long nights. You learn a lot about The political path has been perhaps JOHN WARNER went to college on the a person when things get tough, when most in evidence on many of the Iraq GI bill. Then he entered the University the rubber meets the road. But I have votes we have had. More of the same of Virginia law school. But when the to tell you, in our case, when anything will only delay the cooperative work Korean war broke out, JOHN WARNER, was a little bit difficult, we did not we need to create a policy aimed at with his intense sense of patriotism, ever get personal, did not get upset, did protecting America’s vital long- and interrupted law school to fight for his not ever attribute ulterior motives to short-term security interests in the country again. This time he served as anybody; we decided we were going to Persian Gulf and Iraq. an officer in the Marine Corps. figure out how to get it done. A good first step away from the polit- After returning from Korea, JOHN As I said earlier, there was a certain ical path would be to get the Defense WARNER finished law school, clerked on chemistry that came together with all appropriations bill to the floor of the the court of appeals, worked as an as- six of us working together, my staff, Senate in the next week or two and get sistant U.S. attorney and worked as a his staff, their staffs, and the six of us funding to our forces in the field. Ap- lawyer in private practice. He returned all together. It was wonderful. propriations should be an urgent pri- to public service in 1969 as Under Sec- I think I learned a lot from watching ority for us, as Democrats insisted retary of the Navy. Then, in 1972, he JOHN WARNER and John Chafee, too, for when they were in the minority. Re- succeeded our former colleague, John that matter. They were two of the publicans are ready to start fresh, to Chafee, as Secretary of the Navy. He same. They both served as marines, begin again, in order to get many im- represented the Defense Department at and they both were Secretaries of the portant and necessary things accom- the Law of the Sea talks in Geneva. Navy. But JOHN WARNER was a person plished in the coming days and weeks. In the Senate, JOHN WARNER has who listens. He sat there and listened; We will call on our friends on the other served as chairman of the Rules Com- I had a point; John Chafee had a point. side to do the same. mittee. He has served as chairman and In other negotiations I have been in The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- ranking member of the Armed Services where JOHN WARNER has been there, pore. The senior Senator from Mon- Committee. He has come to be known JOHN WARNER is going to listen. JOHN tana. as one of the Congress’s most influen- WARNER will listen and say: ‘‘Okay, that is interesting. Let’s see how we f tial voices on matters of national de- fense. can make that work.’’ I might say also TRIBUTE TO SENATOR WARNER But I have come to know JOHN WAR- he is a very skilled statesman in that Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, last Fri- NER on the Environment and Public he cut to the core of matters pretty day the senior Senator from Virginia Works Committee. JOHN WARNER and I quickly. announced that he would not seek re- have worked together on that com- Not a lot of fuss or muss, never got election to the Senate. I speak today, mittee for more than 20 years. I joined wrapped around the axle in details, when things kind of got off tangent in therefore, in tribute to Senator JOHN the committee in 1981 and JOHN joined the wrong direction, but got to the WARNER. in 1987. There, for most of that time, core of the matter. He came to the core I have known JOHN WARNER for near- both of us have worked together as ly 30 years. In 1978, the people of Mon- chairman and ranking minority mem- of the matter. He would sum it all up in a very wonderful, sort of statesman- tana and Virginia sent us both to the ber of one subcommittee or another. Senate for the first time. I thank the We worked together on transpor- like, solid way, as only JOHN can. We people of Montana and Virginia for giv- tation bills. Those are the bills with all sat there saying, ‘‘Yes, that is about ing me the opportunity to serve with such colorful names as ISTEA, TEA–21, it. That is right.’’ That is kind of what JOHN said. ‘‘That is probably right. We JOHN WARNER. The election of 1978 SAFET–LU. For a while, we were will go on from there.’’ I learned a lot brought 20 new Senators to the Senate. chairman and ranking minority mem- from JOHN WARNER. I hope I can use From that class, many Senators moved ber of the Transportation and Infra- that in later years. on to other pursuits: Bill Armstrong, structure Subcommittee. We worked Both leaders spoke about how JOHN David Boren, Rudy Boschwitz, Bill on at least four renewals of the Water WARNER is not partisan, and it is true. Bradley, Bill Cohen, David Duren- Resources Development Act. I hope, frankly, that as we finish this I remember fondly working closely berger, Gordon Humphrey, Roger Jep- year and next year, a lot of us remem- with JOHN on the transportation legis- sen, Nancy Landon Kassebaum, Larry ber the tone and the style with which Pressler, David Pryor, Alan Simpson, lation in 1997 and 1998, TEA–21. We JOHN WARNER conducts himself. Donald Stewart. worked with our late colleague, John It is also very important to mention From that class, three have gone to Chafee. The three of us were a wonder- JOHN WARNER spoke up courageously in their final rest. We all recall the mem- ful team. You will not believe the the State of Virginia; he did not sup- ory of colleagues now departed: Jim chemistry with which the three of us port his party’s nominee for the Sen- Exon, Howell Heflin, Paul Tsongas. worked together. We decided early on ate. That was a gutsy thing to do, but May their memories serve as a bless- we would stick together as a team: he did it in a very civil way, not in a ing. JOHN WARNER, basically the Southern negative way, not in a partisan way. He From that class, four remain in the donor States; John Chafee, basically spoke his mind about what was right. Senate: THAD COCHRAN, CARL LEVIN, the New England States; and I, rep- It was very courageous and also the this Senator, and JOHN WARNER. resenting in some sense the Western tone made his message and his belief As a young man, JOHN WARNER donee States. We represented the three that much more important because fought forest fires in Montana. Very major components who put together people saw he was not personal, people often when I am talking to JOHN, he re- the Transportation bill. saw he meant it, people saw he was calls those times in Montana. His eyes We stuck together. We worked to- courageous and he was doing what he brighten up. He very much reminisces gether. I mean we worked together. thought was the right thing to do. about how much he enjoyed spending There is a lot of talk about we needing The same is true with respect to Sen- time in the State. Whether it was less partisanship around here. I have to ator WARNER’s decision about the war fighting fires or whether it was around tell you, JOHN WARNER, John Chafee in Iraq. It is not the party line, JOHN’s Bozeman, MT, it comes to him very and I, we sat down and worked things statements. He is saying what he clearly when he talks about Montana out. We had a terrific staff working for thinks is right. He is saying what he in his early years. us, JOHN, myself, and John Chafee. We thinks is the right thing to do. It is not At the age of 17, JOHN WARNER joined were all together in John Chafee’s of- partisan. It is courageous and said in a the Navy to fight in World War II, part fice, sometimes in JOHN WARNER’s of- very civil tone. of the ‘‘greatest generation.’’ JOHN fice, deciding what was best on how to That is why people have called him a WARNER is one of five World War II vets get a highway bill together. consensus builder. It is why people VerDate Mar 15 2010 21:17 Mar 13, 2014 Jkt 081600 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\2007SENATE\S04SE7.REC S04SE7 mmaher on DSKCGSP4G1 with SOCIALSECURITY September 4, 2007 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S11005 often say he has a potential for bipar- Joined by their colleagues, they and school.