January 12, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S285 

entire career, the error should not disqualify 

him. Eric Holder should be confirmed as Attorney General. 

That statement of support is from 

James Comey, a Republican, and the 

chief prosecutor of Marc Rich who was 

entrusted with major responsibilities 

in the Department of Justice under 

President Bush. He is a man who knows 

that Department very well. 

Mr. Comey’s opinion is also shared by 

Larry Thompson, another prominent 

Republican who served for several 

years as Deputy Attorney General 

under President Bush. Mr. THOMPSON

had this to say about Eric Holder and 

the Rich pardon: 

There’s no way you can have a high-profile 

job in Washington like the deputy attorney 

general without attracting some kind of controversy. That matter has been fully investigated, and it should be put behind him. 

Let me also read the statement of another high-profile Republican, Ed Rogers, who served in two Republican 

White Houses. Mr. Rogers said: 

Under the Constitution, the President’s authority to pardon is unlimited. There was no 

deceit or malfeasance by Holder. Everyone 

knows this was Bill Clinton’s initiative. Eric 

Holder is innocent. 

Then he added: 

the Rich pardon is no bar to Eric Holder 

being an effective Attorney General—even 

though we Republicans and some in the 

media will enjoy rehashing it. 

You can question Eric Holder’s judgment in the Marc Rich case, but you 

can’t question his integrity, his independence, and his character. 

A few days ago the Senate Judiciary 

Committee received a letter of support 

for Eric Holder from 10 prominent Republican lawyers, including former Attorney General William Barr and 

former chief counsel to Senator ARLEN

SPECTER of Pennsylvania, Michael 

O’Neill. This is what the letter said: 

Due to his character and experience, Eric 

today enjoys the endorsement of literally 

thousands of law enforcement officials from 

across the country, including NAPO (the National Association of Police Organizations), 

NDAA (National District Attorneys Association), PERF (Police Executive Research 

Forum), NSA (National Sheriffs’ Association), NAAUSA (National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys), and NOBLE (National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives). . . . As former federal 

prosecutors and senior officials of the Department of Justice we are profoundly aware 

of the challenges that the Department and 

the country are facing. Eric Holder is the 

right man at the right time to protect our 

citizens in the critical years ahead. 

It is worth noting that Eric Holder 

also has the public support of former 

FBI Director Louie Freeh, as well as 

the National Fraternal Order of Police, 

which is the world’s largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers. 

One final point: Eric Holder is a historic selection. If confirmed, he would 

be the first African-American Attorney 

General in our Nation’s history. When I 

was growing up, there were laws in 

some States that prevented African 

Americans from drinking out of the 

same water fountains as Whites, attending the same schools, and using 

the same restrooms, restaurants, swimming pools, and other public accommodations. It is one more measure of 

how far America has come that we now 

have a chance to confirm a distinguished African American to be the top 

law enforcement officer in America. 

After 8 years of the Justice Department trampling the Constitution and 

often putting politics over principle, 

we now have a chance to confirm a 

nominee with strong bipartisan support who can restore the Justice Department to its rightful role as the protector of our laws and renew America’s 

faith in our system of justice. 

This week, before the Senate Judiciary Committee, on which the Presiding 

Officer also serves—we will have an opportunity to ask questions of Mr. Holder. I will be asking him many of the 

same questions I have asked of former 

Senator Ashcroft, Mr. Gonzales, and 

Mr. Mukasey. 

The answers, I am sure, will be significantly different, showing that we 

are about to launch a significant 

change in America, a change which the 

American people voted for overwhelmingly in November and a change that 

will be carried forward in a very positive way at the Department of Justice 

by Eric Holder as our next Attorney 

General. 

I yield the floor. 

f 

TRIBUTE TO MITCH MCCONNELL 

Mr. HATCH. Mr. President. I rise 

today to honor my good friend MITCH

MCCONNELL, the Senate minority leader whose strong leadership, sterling example and wise counsel have earned 

him an honored position within the 

ranks of the extraordinary public servants who now serve or have served in 

the U.S. Senate. 

Senator MCCONNELL is the second 

Kentuckian to lead his party in the 

U.S. Senate, the first being Senator 

Alben Barkley, who led Senate Democrats from 1937 to 1949. MITCH is now 

the longest-serving Republican Senator 

in Kentucky history, eclipsing the previous record held by the legendary Senator John Sherman Cooper. 

Today, Senator MCCONNELL has been 

serving as a U.S. Senator for almost a 

quarter century. During that time, 

four U.S. Presidents, scores of colleagues, and several crises have come 

and gone, but MITCH has carried on 

with courage, boldness and steadfastness. He has weathered the most turbulent political seas and has always been 

a calming influence on his Senate colleagues while at the helm. 

Few would have predicted that Senator MCCONNELL would have such staying power when he was first elected to 

the Senate in 1984 by a razor-thin margin—less than half a percentage point. 

But political pundits and prognosticators often only skim the surface or 

state the obvious and give short shrift 

to the characteristics that matter 

most in the making of an outstanding 

leader. 

In other words, they didn’t really 

know MITCH MCCONNELL. They didn’t 

know about how he overcame polio at 

age 2, undergoing an intensive therapy 

regimen at the Roosevelt Warm 

Springs Institute for Rehabilitation 

and obeying doctors’ orders not to 

walk or run for 2 years. That took determination, and MITCH showed that 

early on. 

Senator MCCONNELL’s service to his 

State and Nation is as varied as it is 

impressive. After serving as a student 

body president and graduating with 

honors at the University of Louisville 

College of Arts and Sciences in 1964, he 

went on to law school at the University 

of Kentucky, where he was elected 

president of the Student Bar Association and earned a law degree. 

He followed that by working as an intern for Senator John Sherman Cooper 

and as a chief legislative assistant to 

Senator Marlow Cook, which provided 

him with invaluable experience in 

Washington, DC. Other stints followed: 

He was deputy attorney general under 

President Gerald R. Ford and a county 

judge-executive in Kentucky until he 

was sworn in as a U.S. Senator on Jan. 

3, 1985. 

In whatever position Senator MCCONNELL has served, he has unfailingly 

served with distinction. I have had the 

good fortune of working with MITCH for 

years, dating back to his election as a 

freshman Senator, when he became the 

first Republican to win a statewide 

race in Kentucky since 1968. In fact, 

MITCH was the only Republican in the 

Nation in 1984 to defeat a Democrat incumbent. 

To his considerable credit, MITCH has 

been defying the odds ever since. For 

example, during his tenure as chairman 

of the National Republican Senatorial 

Committee during the late 1990s and 

early 2000s, the Republicans controlled 

the Senate—in large part due to his 

leadership. 

MITCH MCCONNELL is a conservative’s 

conservative who gets high marks from 

the American Conservative Union and 

all who know him. Moreover, he is a 

scholar and able defender of the Constitution and this great country. Knowing just how deadly terrorists can be, 

he is deadly serious about protecting 

America. He also is an outspoken advocate of the first amendment and a tremendous parliamentary tactician. 

When MITCH MCCONNELL talks, people 

listen and pay heed—almost always 

with excellent results. 

As good a Senator as MITCH is, he is 

an even better man—one who places 

principals above partisanship. His love 

for his State and our Nation is second 

to none. He also is loyal, honest and 

unflappable, which explains why he is 

held in such high esteem by his Senate 

colleagues on both sides of the aisle. 

MITCH is a devoted family man. He is 

the proud father of three beautiful 

daughters and the loving husband of 

outgoing U.S. Secretary of Labor 

Elaine Chao. And he is utterly devoted 

to the people of Kentucky he so ably 


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S286 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE January 12, 2009 

represents and honors with his stellar 

service. 

At this time, I wish my colleague and 

dear friend success, health and happiness as he continues his leadership and 

service in the 111th Congress. I am 

grateful for the opportunity I have had 

to work with him over the years and 

look forward to continuing to serve together in tackling the tremendous 

challenges confronting our great Nation. 

I honor him and his wife Elaine for 

their service and sacrifices and ask for 

God’s blessings on them both. both. 

Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, this is 

a day for all Kentuckians and Americans to celebrate the man I proudly 

call my best friend in the Senate. 

Today we mark an historic occasion 

for the Commonwealth of Kentucky 

and the Senate, as my colleague, my 

friend, and my party’s leader, MITCH

MCCONNELL, becomes the longest serving Senator in Kentucky history. 

Back in 1984, when MITCH first won 

election to this Chamber by just over 

5,000 out of over 1.2 million votes cast, 

some may have doubted that the Jefferson County judge executive and 

newly-elected Senator would go on to 

become the leader and statesman he is 

today. But some of us had little doubt. 

It was easy to tell MITCH was special 

from the beginning. In 1984, he was the 

only Republican challenger in the 

country to defeat a Democratic incumbent in a Senate race. In Kentucky he 

was also the first Republican to win a 

statewide race since 1968. 

MITCH went on to prove that his initial victory was not just luck. Some of 

my friends may not know what a 

prominent role MITCH has played in 

Kentucky’s political history. He has 

helped to build the thriving two-party 

political system that Kentucky has 

today. 

MITCH worked with the focused determination that is his trademark here in 

the Senate and aggressively recruited 

Republican candidates at every level 

throughout the State. He made his case 

to the people of Kentucky, explaining 

his philosophy and his mission. 

As a Republican, he was certainly 

swimming upstream at first. But over 

time, the people responded. 

Twenty-four years later, he remains 

as popular as ever back home. Last November, Kentuckians elected him to a 

record fifth term and awarded him 

nearly 1 million votes the most ever 

won by a Kentuckian in a statewide 

race. 

And why shouldn’t Kentucky continue to send MITCH MCCONNELL to our 

Nation’s Capital to fight for them? 

Look at all he has accomplished on 

their behalf. 

No. 1 on the list is his effort to pass 

the tobacco buyout one of the most significant events in the agricultural history of Kentucky. I can’t stress enough 

that the tobacco buyout, passed in 2004, 

has helped the livelihoods of tens of 

thousands of Kentucky tobacco farmers, their families, and the many towns 

and communities in which they lived. 

The tobacco buyout will inject $2.5 billion into Kentucky over 10 years to tobacco quota holders and growers, allowing them to transition to other 

crops, continue the farming way of life, 

and provide for their families. After 

many obstacles and years of frustration, I was proud to work closely with 

MITCH on this effort to sign the buyout 

into law. Many thought it couldn’t be 

done. But we knew it could. 

Then there are the millions of Kentuckians who have benefited from 

MITCH’s work to strengthen higher education. I know firsthand his dedication 

to Kentucky’s universities. He understands that by improving them, we not 

only help students but entire communities by developing jobs and building a 

better workforce. 

During his time in the Senate, he has 

secured over $320 million for research 

and infrastructure in Kentucky’s universities. And I know he is not finished 

yet, as that remains one of his highest 

priorities. 

All of us on this side of the aisle recognized MITCH’s ability, and we have 

unanimously chosen him to be the Republican leader. 

Leading the Senate is like herding 

cats. Senators are not the kind of people who are easily led. We are all used 

to leading ourselves. 

It takes a special kind of man to lead 

all these class-president types, to balance the different personalities and 

issues that can come out of our conference. It takes vision and clarity to 

be able to define our principles and our 

mission, to codify them in a way that 

every Member can get on board, and to 

communicate them to our colleagues 

and the country. And it takes considerable wisdom to maneuver past the 

many legislative obstacles and parliamentary land mines that lay in wait 

in the Senate. MITCH MCCONNELL is the 

right man for the job, and I am proud 

of him as he continues to lead our 

party in the Senate. 

And Kentucky is proud of him, too, 

as only the second Kentuckian in history and the first in over half a century to become a Senate floor leader. 

In that role, he is able to do even more 

for Kentucky. 

MITCH has graced this Senate with 

his leadership, commitment to principle, and his trademark determination 

for 24 years now 8,775 days, to be exact. 

He is now Kentucky’s longest serving 

Senator. 

On a personal note, I want to say 

that I couldn’t ask for a better partner 

in my work to improve our State. Mary 

and I will always be thankful for his 

friendship and that of his wife, our 

great Secretary of Labor, Elaine Chao. 

Kentuckians could not have a better 

Senator fighting on their behalf. Our 

State is lucky to have him, and so is 

this Senate. I congratulate him on 

reaching this very significant milestone. 

Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise to 

join my colleagues in celebrating this 

remarkable achievement of our dear 

friend, the senior Senator from Kentucky and the minority leader of the 

Senate, Senator MCCONNELL. And I 

apologize that I wasn’t able to join the 

rest of my colleagues in their tribute 

earlier. 

Twenty-four years is a long time in 

politics and in the case of my friend 

from Kentucky, it is historic. 

But as someone who sits at the desk 

his father did before him—who treasures this institution—I know there is a 

difference between the length of our 

service and the quality of our service. 

And let there be no doubt that 

throughout his two-and-a-half decades 

here, Senator MCCONNELL has tirelessly dedicated himself to the latter. 

My friend and I may not agree on everything. But we both realize the extraordinary privilege and opportunity 

this is. 

When this institution works, it works 

because of people like MITCH MCCONNELL. 

Having served with him for the past 

24 years and during our time at the 

Rules Committee, I had the privilege of 

seeing my colleague’s remarkable talent very closely. 

Everyone in this Chamber knows how 

difficult the moment was after the 

Presidential election in 2000. The country was terribly divided along partisan 

lines and feelings in this institution 

were raw. 

As chair and ranking member of 

Rules, the responsibility fell to Senator MCCONNELL and me to count the 

electoral votes—typically a ceremonial 

duty but one fraught with tension in 

the wake of the closest Presidential 

election in American history. 

We would soon oversee together 

President Bush’s first inaugural as 

well. 

That we were able to get back to 

business in such short order was a tribute to MITCH MCCONNELL’s temperament and commitment to this institution. 

And there was some very important 

business to be done—not the least of 

which was reforming our nation’s voting laws to ensure there wouldn’t be a 

repeat of Florida ever again. Together, 

and over a series of months, he and I 

wrote the Helping America Vote Act. 

It was a difficult, delicate process— 

but the hard work paid off. 

Civil rights hero JOHN LEWIS called 

HAVA the most important voting 

rights law since the Voting Rights Act 

passed in 1965. In part because of Senator MCCONNELL’s commitment to 

working together—to working through 

difficult issues instead of setting them 

aside—today Americans have more 

confidence in their right to vote privately and independently. 

We also managed the McCain-Feingold bill to reform our campaign finance laws on the floor of the Senate— 

another challenge that took considerable effort on the part of Democrats 

and Republicans to work together. To 

set aside those differences and focus on 

what was at stake. 


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Senator MCCONNELL did not support 

the McCain-Feingold bill in the end. 

But he was passionate about there 

being a fair process. 

As another Kentucky son once said, 

Justice Louis Brandeis, ‘‘We are not 

won by arguments that we can analyze, 

but by tone and temper—by the manner, which is the man himself.’’ 

To me, that is MITCH MCCONNELL—a 

conservative to the marrow but someone who has never forgotten why we 

come here: 

To make a difference. 

So I congratulate my colleague and 

his family for reaching this remarkable 

milestone. May you continue to expand 

on it for many years to come. Thank 

you. 

f 

CONCLUSION OF MORNING 

BUSINESS 

The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. 

CARDIN). Morning business is closed. 

f 

DESIGNATING CERTAIN LAND 

COMPONENTS OF THE NATIONAL 

WILDERNESS PRESERVATION 

SYSTEM—MOTION TO PROCEED 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under 

the previous order, the Senate will resume the motion to proceed to S. 22, 

which the clerk will report. 

The assistant legislative clerk read 

as follows: 

A bill (S. 22) to designate certain land as 

components of the National Wilderness Preservation System, to authorize certain programs and activities in the Department of 

the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, and for other purposes. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Pennsylvania is recognized. 

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I ask 

unanimous consent to speak for up to 

10 minutes. I have conferred with the 

Senator from Oklahoma, Mr. COBURN, 

who was scheduled to speak first. That 

is satisfactory with him. I further ask 

unanimous consent that Senator 

COBURN be recognized at the conclusion 

of my remarks. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without 

objection, it is so ordered. 

The Senator from Pennsylvania is 

recognized. 

REPORT ON FOREIGN TRAVEL

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I have 

sought recognition to speak briefly 

about foreign travel which I undertook 

over the past recess, focusing principally on the Mideast and on Europe. 

My group arrived in Jerusalem on 

December 26, late in the evening on 

Friday. The next day, the hostilities 

arose in Gaza. I had an occasion to discuss this matter with a number of officials in Israel and also with Prime Minister Fayyad of the Palestinian Authority. 

As is well known from the news reports, the Israeli action was taken in 

response to shelling by Hamas on Israel 

over a protracted period of time. 

Israel’s action was legal under international law, Article 51 of the United 

Nations charter which expressly recognizes the right of self-defense under circumstances where a nation is attacked. 

And that was the factual matter there. 

In speaking to Israeli President Peres 

and Israeli Prime Minister Olmert, the 

point was made that Israel was taking 

this action only as a last resort to protect Israeli citizens. 

It is highly significant that the Palestinian Authority, which has had its 

differences with Hamas, has backed the 

Israeli position. We had a discussion 

with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Fayyad, who said that the Palestinian Authority was convinced that 

Israel had acted properly and that the 

Palestinian Authority would do what it 

could to maintain quiet within the Palestinian Authority’s jurisdiction in the 

face of any demonstrations which 

might occur. 

It is worth noting that Egypt has 

backed the Israeli action, noting the 

aggressive stand taken by Hamas, and 

Saudi Arabia, too, has noted Hamas’s 

inappropriate conduct. 

We visited in Vienna with Ambassador Schulte and discussed at some 

length the International Atomic Energy Agency efforts to conduct inspections on what is going on in Iran with 

respect to any efforts by Iran to create 

a nuclear weapon. 

A year ago, I had an opportunity to 

meet with IAEA Director Mohamed 

ElBaradei. He was out of town when we 

were there. I had a conversation with 

him by telephone on the issue of the efforts by the IAEA to conduct the inspections and that at the moment Iran 

is not cooperating and, further, international action needs to be taken to be 

sure Iran does meet its obligations 

under international agreements and 

that there are adequate safeguards to 

prevent Iran from developing a nuclear 

weapon. 

When we were in Syria, Iran’s activities on that subject were discussed 

with Syrian President Bashar al-Asad. 

On the Iranian subject, President Asad 

urged that action be taken to try to 

get the inspections, and that would be 

a more productive line than challenging whatever rights Iran had asserted. 

In our discussions with President 

Asad, the subject of a potential IsraelSyria peace treaty was discussed. The 

Syrians have made it plain that they 

are interested in a return of the Golan 

Heights. Only Israel can decide for 

itself whether it is willing to give up 

the Golan with respect to whatever 

strategic advantage the Golan may 

have. Obviously, it is a different world 

strategically today than it was in 1967 

when Israel captured the Golan 

Heights. 

It is my view that there could be substantial advantages for Israel in terms 

of Syrian concessions in a number of 

directions to leave Lebanon as a sovereign nation without efforts to destabilize Lebanon but withdrawing any 

Syrian support from Hezbollah and also 

from Hamas. When we discussed with 

President Asad the issue of Hezbollah 

and Hamas, he said if the Palestinian 

issue could be resolved, those other 

matters would fall into place. 

There is also the potential advantage 

of trying to move Syria away from the 

influence of Iran. That is not an easy 

matter. But if there were to be an 

Israeli-Syrian peace treaty—and I 

think that can happen only with the 

participation of the United States—the 

prospect would be present of improving 

that situation of trying to separate 

Syria from Iran. 

In Brussels, we had a meeting with 

General Craddock, who is the NATO 

commander there. We discussed a variety of subjects, as described in a more 

extensive report that I will ask to have 

printed in the RECORD. 

With respect to our discussions with 

General Craddock, the key point was 

the issue of what is going on in Afghanistan. General Craddock made the 

point that there cannot be a military 

victory in Afghanistan but the military can be successful in securing the 

situation, that there will have to be 

improvements in the Afghanistan Government in dealing with the people of 

Afghanistan. General Craddock commented that he thought it would be a 

protracted period of time where we 

would have to have substantial NATO 

forces, in addition to those provided by 

the United States, to find a resolution 

of the issues in Afghanistan. 

I was accompanied on my trip by my 

legislative director, Chris Bradish, my 

military escort, Phil Skuta, and by Dr. 

Ronald Smith, all of whom did an excellent job. A very comprehensive trip 

report has been prepared by Mr. 

Bradish. I ask unanimous consent to 

have printed in the RECORD, as if stated 

in full on the floor, the trip report. 

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the 

RECORD, as follows: 

REPORT ON FOREIGN TRAVEL

Mr. President, as is my custom, when I return from foreign travel, I file a report with 

the Senate. 

From December 25, 2008 to January 5, 2009, 

I traveled to the United Kingdom, Israel, 

Syria, Austria, Belgium, Norway, and Iceland. I was accompanied by my wife, Joan, 

my Legislative Director, Chris Bradish, my 

military escort, Phil Skuta, Colonel, USMC, 

and Dr. Ronald Smith, Captain, USN. 

ISRAEL

I departed the United States on December 

25th and made a brief stop in London en 

route to Israel. We arrived in Israel on the 

evening of December 26th. This was my 

twenty-sixth visit to Israel since joining the 

Senate in 1981. Almost exactly a year after 

my previous visit to Israel, the domestic political landscape had changed significantly. 

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert tendered his 

resignation on September 21, 2008, and general elections are set for February 10, 2009. 

One of the major questions being posed to 

the major parties is how best to approach 

the peace process. 

A 6-month truce between Israel and Hamas 

ended on December 19, 2008. United Nations 

data showed that fewer rockets were fired at 

Israeli towns in the initial few months following the onset of the truce on June 19, 

2008. The New York Times reported on December 19 that, ‘‘more than 300 rockets were 


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