E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 111 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION SENATE—Wednesday, November 18, 2009 The Senate met at 9:30 a.m. and was RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY Since coming to the Senate in 1959, called to order by the Honorable TOM LEADER Senator BYRD has cast more than 18,500 UDALL, a Senator from the State of The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- votes. No one else, past or present, New Mexico. pore. The majority leader is recog- even comes close. He is the only Sen- nized. ator who has ever been elected to nine PRAYER full terms in this body. He has presided The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- f over both the shortest session in Sen- fered the following prayer: SCHEDULE ate history—not even one second Let us pray. long—and presided for the longest con- Eternal God, the Lord of life, we love Mr. REID. Mr. President, following leader remarks, the Senate will be in a tinuous period—more than 21 hours. No You but not enough. We look to You one has ever served on a Senate Com- but depend too often on our own period of morning business. Senator ROCKEFELLER will then be recognized mittee longer than Senator BYRD. Just strength. We listen for You but make a days after being sworn in, he joined the lot of noise ourselves at the same time. for as much time as he may consume. Appropriation Committee he would We try to understand, as long as it Following his remarks, there will be an later chair. He has held the most lead- doesn’t change us more than we desire. additional 2 hours of morning business. Today, draw our Senators closer to The majority will control the first ership positions in Senate history, and You. Empower our lawmakers to be- hour and the Republicans will control continues to serve as our President Pro come what You desire them to be. Give the next hour. Tempore. them Your continual guidance so that Following morning business, the Sen- And just moments ago, when this they will console the downhearted and ate will resume postcloture debate on body was gaveled into session, Senator provide deliverance to those held cap- the nomination of David Hamilton to BYRD realized one more unparalleled tive by evil. Help our lawmakers to be U.S. circuit judge for the Seventh accomplishment: he has just become hear Your invitation to move to a Circuit. the longest-serving Member of Con- higher level of ethical fitness. The postcloture debate time expires gress in U.S. history. We pray in Your strong Name. Amen. about 11 p.m. tonight. It is my hope Every day since January 3, 1953—that f that time will not be necessary because is 56 years, 10 months and 16 days— West Virginians have been proud to be PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE it is basically wasted Senate time. Yesterday, we were able to reach an presented in Washington, by ROBERT The Honorable TOM UDALL led the agreement to consider S. 1963, the BYRD. Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus He began his service in the House the I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the Health Services Act of 2009 upon dis- same day Alaska became our 49th United States of America, and to the Repub- position of the Hamilton nomination. State, and was months into his Senate lic for which it stands, one nation under God, service when Hawaii became our 50th. indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Senators should expect votes in rela- tion to the Coburn amendment and Senator BYRD has served in this Na- f passage of the bill. tion’s Congress for more than a quarter APPOINTMENT OF ACTING f of the time it has existed. And he has PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE served in Congress longer than more CONGRATULATING SENATOR The PRESIDING OFFICER. The than a quarter of today’s sitting Sen- ROBERT BYRD clerk will please read a communication ators—and the President of the United to the Senate from the President pro Mr. REID. Mr. President, when base- States—have been alive. That doesn’t tempore (Mr. BYRD). ball legend Lou Gehrig retired after even count one Senator who was born The legislative clerk read the fol- playing 2,130 consecutive games, every just days after his first election to rep- lowing letter: expert drew the same conclusion: This resent West Virginia’s Sixth Congres- U.S. SENATE, record will never be broken. Of course, sional District, and a second who was PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, they were wrong. born just weeks after that. Washington, DC, November 18, 2009. Throughout history, forecasters have A dozen men have called the Oval Of- To the Senate: sentenced themselves to ridicule for fice his own while Senator BYRD has Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, prematurely assuming a skyscraper’s called the Capitol building his office. of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby height would never be topped, for He twice won every single one of appoint the Honorable TOM UDALL, a Senator from the State of New Mexico, to perform promising an invention’s ingenuity West Virginia’s 55 counties. And the duties of the Chair. would never be outdone, or for con- throughout one of the longest political ROBERT C. BYRD, tending an athletic feat would never be careers in history, no one ever has de- President pro tempore. surpassed. feated ROBERT BYRD in a single elec- Mr. UDALL of New Mexico thereupon Even so, I am willing to risk pre- tion. assumed the chair as Acting President dicting that many of Senator ROBERT But though each one of those cam- pro tempore. BYRD’s records will never be matched. paigns—after each of the 12 times he ● This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a member of the Senate on the floor. 27903 VerDate Mar 15 2010 14:29 Jun 21, 2012 Jkt 079102 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 0685 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR09\S18NO9.000 S18NO9 erowe on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with BOUND RECORD 27904 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 155, Pt. 21 November 18, 2009 has taken an oath to represent the peo- except that there wouldn’t be any Carl Hayden was known to many as the ple of West Virginia—on every single votes that day. But then he looked up ‘‘Silent Senator.’’ That probably isn’t a one of the 20,774 days he has served—he to the gallery, and he saw one of his phrase many would use to describe has never taken the privilege for grant- granddaughters up there with some of Senator BYRD. But what they both ed. her classmates, and he thought it share is an undying love of this great As a former leader of both the major- might be a good idea if they had some- country of ours and of the U.S. Con- ity and the minority caucuses in the thing to talk about when they got back gress. So I would like to join my col- Senate, he knows better than most to school. leagues, my fellow Americans, the peo- that legislation is the art of com- So, quite extemporaneously and ple of West Virginia, and the Byrd fam- promise. It is telling that the man who quite by happenstance, he delivered a ily in celebrating this historic occa- has served here longer than any other speech to an empty Chamber on the sion. Senator BYRD, congratulations. American has come to the conclusion history of the Senate. A week went by, f and the same thing happened again. that we must work together as part- GUANTANAMO ners, not partisans, for the good of our Senator BYRD came to the floor to country—and, of course, the State of make some brief statement about the Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, this West Virginia. floor business. He looked up to the gal- morning, the Attorney General will ap- He has seen partisanship and biparti- lery, and he saw another one of his pear before the Senate Judiciary Com- sanship; war and peace; recession and granddaughters. Of course he couldn’t mittee for an oversight hearing. recovery; and his perspective is invalu- give a history lesson to one and not to Among other matters, he will be asked able to the way we carry ourselves as another. So he gave another history questions about the Administration’s U.S. Senators. lesson. recent decision to voluntarily bring terrorist detainees from Guantanamo Senator BYRD’s legislative accom- Well, 7 years and about 2 million plishments are many, and he continues words later, he stopped giving those Bay, Cuba, into the United States, in- to accumulate them. And while those history lessons. And now we will al- cluding for purposes of civilian trial. I, myself, have questions for the At- accomplishments fortify his incom- ways have them. And we are grateful torney General. for that, and for this man. ROBERT parable legacy, he is perhaps best The administration justifies sending BYRD once said that what is sometimes known in this Chamber as the foremost Kahlid Sheik Mohammed and his fel- considered to be the result of genius is guardian of the Senate’s complex rules, low 9/11 plotters to civilian court, while more the result of persistence, perse- procedures and customs. prosecuting other foreign terrorists in He has not concerned himself with verance, and hard work. To be a good military commissions because, it says, such precision as a pastime or a mere Senator, he said, one has to work at it.