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MORE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THIS
INSTITUTION THAT HE REVERES AND
THAT RESPECTS HIM SO E ENORMOUSLY.
THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT.
MR. PRESIDENT?
THE
SENATOR FROM ILLINOIS.
FIRST I WANT TO
THANK SENATOR KERRY, CHAIRMAN OF
THE SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS
COMMITTEE FOR COMING TO THE
SENATE FLOOR AND SPEAKING ABOUT
OUR MUTUAL FRIEND, COLLEAGUE NOR
*** LUGAR, WHO SERVES AS THE
RANKING REPUBLICAN ON THAT
COMMITTEE.
SENATE FRN FOREIGN RELATIONS
I AM A NEW COME HER TO THAT
COMMITTEE BUT I AM NOT A
NEWCOMER TO MY KNOWLEDGE OF ***
LUGAR.
16 YEARS AGO HE WAS WELL-KNOWN
THROUGHOUT THE MID-WEST FOR HIS
SERVICE AS MAYOR OF INDIANAPOLIS
WHERE HE COMBINED AND MADE MORE
EFFICIENT LOCAL UNITS OF
GOVERNMENT AND I THINK THE
OF INDIANAPOLIS IS
ATTRIBUTED TO THOSE EARLY STEPS
BY *** LUGAR.
LORETTA, MY WIFE AND I, CAME TO
SNOW *** AND HIS WIFE THROUGH
AN INSTITUTE.
I THINK WE NEED TO ENCOURAGE
WHERE MEMBERS COME TOGETHER TO
DISCUSS FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES.
*** LUGAR WAS THERE AND ALWAYS
A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR WHEN IT CAME
TO ISSUES OF IMPORTANCE.
BEFORE I ARRIVED IN THE 123459
WHEN YOU WERE STILL HERE,
SENATOR KERRY, HE TEAMED UP WITH
SENATOR SAM NUNN TO DEAL WITH AN
ISSUE THAT RELATED LITERALLY TO
THE PEACE AND SECURITY OF THE
WORLD.
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN AS THE SOVIET
UNION CRUMBLED TO ALL OF THOSE
NUCLEAR WEAPONS?
WOULD THEY FALL INTO THE WRONG
DISREPAIR?
HANDS, WOULD THEY FUEL INTO
AND WHAT COULD WE DO ABOUT IT?
SAM NUNN AND *** LUGAR STEPPED
UP AND SAID WE'RE GOING 0 WORK
TOGETHER ON A BIPARTISAN BASIS
TO DEAL WITH THAT.
TIME APPEARED TIME AGAIN
THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER, ***
LUGAR HAS REALLY FOCUSED ON
ISSUES OF STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE
TO THE UNITED STATES.
AND I CAN'T AGREE WITH SENATOR
KERRY MORE, HE LOOKED FOR A
BIPARTISAN APPROACH TO SO MANY
THINGS.
WE ALWAYS KNEW THAT YOU WEREN'T
GOING TO PUSH OVER ANYTHING HAD WHEN
IT CAME TO *** LUGAR.
HE WOULD ALWAYS LISTEN AND HE
WAS ALWAYS, ALWAYS A GENTLEMAN.
ALWAYS.
NIGHT.
WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT LAST
ONCE YOU'VE BEEN IN THIS CHAMBER
FOR A FEW YEAR, YOU REFLEX ON
THE LIONS OF THE SENATE WHO HAVE
COME AND GONE, SOME BECAUSE OF
THE DECISION IN THE ELECTORATE,
SOME BECAUSE OF THE PASSAGE OF
TIME AND THEN FATEFUL DECISIONS.
WE THINK BACK ON SOME OF THESE
GREAT PEOPLE, JOHN CHAFEE --
JOHN CHAFEE AND *** LUGAR WERE
SOUL MATES IN TERMS OF THEIR
VIEW ON THE REPUBLICAN SIDE OF
THE AISLE ABOUT HOW YOU WORK
ACROSS THE AISLE TO GET THINGS
***.
OUR MUTUAL FRIEND AND YOUR CLOSE
PERSONAL FRIEND, SENATOR
KENNEDY.
SENATOR KENNEDY'S SUCCESS HAS
ALWAYS REACHED ACROSS THE AISLE.
AND SOMETIMES TO THE FRUSTRATION
OF THOSE ON THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE
WHO SAID, WE'VE GOT ENOUGH
VOTES, TED.
WE DON'T HAVE DO THIS.
HE WOULD REACH ACROSS.
BOB BYRD WHO USED TO SIT RIGHT
NEXT TO WHERE SENATOR KERRY IS
SITTING NOW, YOU TWHAI WILL THE
SENATE BE LIKE WITHOUT THESE
GREAT LIONS?
IT WILL GO ON.
EXAMPLE?
WILL WE HAVE LEARNED FROM THEIR
WILL WE TAKE THEIR LIFE AND
CAREER AND BUILD ON IT TO MAKE
THIS A BETTER SNRAIS OR OR ARE WE
GOING TO SUCCUMB TO MAKING THIS
PLACE MORE PARTISAN, MORE
HIGH-BOUND, MORE DEDICATED TO
OBSTRUCTION THAN MOVING FORWARD?
I KNOW THAT *** LUGAR IN THE
REMAINING MONTHS WILL BE AN
EXTRAORDINARY SERVANT OF THE
NATION.
PEOPLE OF INDIANA AND THE
I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING HIM
HERE BACK ON THE SENATE FLOOR
TERM.
WORKING FOR THE REMAINDER OF HIS
BUT IT IS A LOSS.
HE'S LEAVING.
IT IS A LOSS TO THE SENATE THAT
AND IT IS A SAD DAY ON BOTH
SIDES OF THE AISLE THAT ***
LUGAR WON'T BE PART OF THE
FUTURE OF THE SENATE IN PERSON.
BUT HE CAN ADD
TO THE SENATE AND WHAT IT CAN
BRING.
I'D LIKE TO SPEAK ABOUT ANOTHER
REPUBLICAN SENATOR WHILE I HAVE
THE FLOOR.
MY COLLEAGUE, MARK KIRK.
SOME OF YOU HAVE SEEN THE VIDEO.
MARK HAD A STROKE IN JANUARY.
HE WROTE ABOUT IT IN THIS
MORNING'S CHICAGO TRIBUNE.
52 YEARS OF AGE, THE PICTURE OF
HEALTH, A NAVY RESERVE OFFICER,
A UNITED STATES SENATOR FROM
ILLINOIS, ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN
OUR STATE, GOING BACK AND FORTH
COUNTY TO COUNTY, CITY TO CITY.
WE WORKED TOGETHER ON SO MANY
THINGS, AND THEN ON THAT FATEFUL
DAY HE WAS STRICKEN.
AND WITH THE STROKE, SUFFERED
SOME VERY SERIOUS DAMAGE.
I WAS A LITTLE BIT DISTURBED
WHEN HIS PHYSICIAN-SURGEON CAME
EXPECT.
OUT AND SAID HERE'S WHAT WE CAN
I'M NOT GOING TO GO THROUGH THE
GRAPHIC DETAILS, BUT THEY WERE
SOBERING TO THINK HE WOULD BE
LIMITED IN ANY WAY BY THE
STROKE.
I WAS UPSET BECAUSE I THOUGHT HE
DOESN'T KNOW MARK KIRK.
THAT ISN'T GOING TO HAPPEN.
MARK IS GOING TO FIGHT BACK.
HE IS GOING TO BE BACK.
AND HE IS GOING TO DEFY THE ODDS
IN TERMS OF STROKE VICTIMS.
YESTERDAY HE RELEASED A VIDEO.
IT IS INSPIRING, AND I HOPE THAT
EVERYONE GETS A CHANCE TO SEE
IT.
I'M SURE IT'S READILY AVAILABLE.
SHOWING HIM GOING THROUGH REHAB.
SHOWING THE EFFORTS THAT HE'S
MAKING TO COME BACK TO THE
UNITED STATES SENATE.
MARK CALLED ME EARLIER THIS
WEEK.
WE'VE TALKED ON THE PHONE A
COUPLE TIMES SINCE HIS STROKE.
HE'S BEEN ACTIVELY ENGAGED
MENTALLY IN EVERYTHING THAT
WE'VE DONE SINCE THE STROKE
OCCURRED.
BUT EVERY DAY HE TELLS ME THAT
HE SPENDS ON A TREADMILL.
YOU KNOW, MILES AND MILES OF
WALKING ON A TREADMILL SO HE'LL
BE ABLE TO COME BACK.
I TOLD HIM WE'RE ON A DIFFERENT
TREADMILL HERE.
I'M SURE HE WANTS TO GET BACK ON
IT WITH US IN THE UNITED STATES
SENATE.
BUT HE WILL BE BACK, AND HE SAID
OUGHT TO REMEMBER.
SOMETHING THAT I THINK WE ALL
HE SAID HE ASKED HIS STAFF TO
COUNT THE STEPS FROM WHERE HE
PARK OUTSIDE THE SENATE
CHAMBER UP TO THE SENATE
CHAMBER.
THEY COUNTED THE STEPS, AND THEY
TOLD HIM 45 STEPS.
AND HE'D BE BACK IN THE SENATE.
AND HE SAID THE DAY IS GOING TO
COME -- AND I'M SURE IT WILL BE
SOON -- WHEN HE WILL WALK THOSE
STEPS.
AND THERE WILL BE MANY, MYSELF
INCLUDED, FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE
AISLE CHEERING HIS RETURN TO THE
UNITED STATES SENATE.
SO FOR MARK, HIS FAMILY, HIS
DOCTORS, MEDICAL STAFF AND ALL,
THANK YOU FOR THIS BATTLE.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS, ON
BEHALF OF OUR STATE.
RETURN.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR EARLY
MARK AND I HAVE A JOINT TOWN
MEETING, REPUBLICAN AND
DEMOCRAT, EVERY THURSDAY
MORNING.
AND THE PEOPLE SIT THERE
POLITELY WHEN WE DISCUSS ISSUES
AND LOVE IT WHAOE DISAGREE
BECAUSE WE DO IT WITHOUT GETTING
ANGRY WITH ONE ANOTHER.
SOON NOT ONLY WITH