Honoring the exceptional achievements of Ambassador Richard Holbrooke and recognizing the significant contributions he has made to United States national security, humanitarian causes, and peaceful resolutions of international conflict.

Mr. President, today the Senate has been asked to concur with our colleagues in the House and approve a resolution honoring our friend and a great public servant, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, who passed away on Monday.

We remember Richard not just as one of America's most distinguished and accomplished statesmen, but as a man who--from Vietnam to his last mission in Afghanistan--really was a warrior for peace. It is fitting that we honor him by approving this resolution.

Richard was an incredible combination of the best qualities of the human spirit--a serious thinker who embraced relentless action; a tough-as-nails negotiator who commanded an enormous and infectious sense of humor; and perhaps above all, a diplomat who knew firsthand just how difficult and frustrating engagement could be, but in his life's legacy reminded all of us just how much engagement could accomplish.

Richard's passing is almost incomprehensible, not just because it was so sudden, but because I cannot imagine Richard Holbrooke in anything but a state of perpetual motion. He was always working. Always hard- charging in the best sense of the word--he had an immense presence--and a brilliance matched only by his perseverance and

his passion. He once complained that the bureaucracy in Washington all too often saw suffering around the world as an abstraction. He took Hannah Arendt's famous phrase and flipped it around, saying that sometimes our biggest battles were against the ``evils of banality.''

Well, Richard waged--and won--his share of battles against banality and inertia. He was always a man on a mission, the toughest mission, and that mission was waging peace through never-quit diplomacy--and Richard's life's work saved more lives in more places than we can measure. He simply got up every day knowing that--even in difficult circumstances where history's verdict is yet to be handed down--every ounce of energy and every drop of sweat held the promise of making things better for people.

Yes, Richard had an outsized personality, and it was one that he himself could joke about, even relish. He earned the nickname ``The Bulldozer'' for a reason. But Richard did not push people away. He drew people to him. He was incredibly appreciative of those who worked with him and was unfailingly loyal to them. I remember last January, when Richard came to the Foreign Relations Committee to testify on the war in Afghanistan, he stopped the hearing to introduce his top staff--some 16 people. More than just colleagues, they were his partners. He knew their families and he knew the names of their children. At the State Department he didn't just create an office for Afghanistan and Pakistan, he built a family.

His staff returned his affection and loyalty many times over. Foggy Bottom is filled with men and women inspired and mentored by Richard. Ever since Richard fell ill last Friday morning, dozens of friends and family and staff gathered in the lobby of George Washington Hospital to show their support and wait for news of his condition. When I stopped by on Sunday night, I couldn't help but be moved by the love and the concern. And when news of his passing spread, people began spontaneously gathering at the hospital. And then--something that Richard would have understood and appreciated--they went out together and shared stories about him.

It was impossible to know Richard and not come away with ``Holbrooke stories.'' Certainly I have my share. Our public careers were intertwined in so many ways, from Vietnam to my Presidential campaign to the conflict in Afghanistan. There were long conference calls, impromptu policy debates when we found ourselves on the same shuttle to LaGuardia, stories shared about our children and lessons learned about being modern Dads, and wonderful wine-filled dinners where we came up with brilliant plans for peace that didn't always seem so brilliant--if they were remembered at all--in the light of day. Richard always made it fun because it is a pleasure to be in the company of someone who loved the job they were doing for the country they loved. And make no mistake--just shy of 70, with a back-breaking schedule--Richard Holbrooke loved what he was doing.

And so, wherever chaos and violence threatened American interests and human lives for nearly a half century, wherever there was a need for courage and insight, Richard Holbrooke showed up for duty. He spent his formative years as a young Foreign Service officer in Vietnam, where he worked in the Mekong Delta and then on the staffs of two American ambassadors, Maxwell Taylor and Henry Cabot Lodge. Given the storied expanse of his career, people sometimes forget that Richard wrote a volume of the ``Pentagon Papers,'' the seminal work that helped turn the course of the Vietnam war. And as with all of us who served in Vietnam, Richard's experience there informed his every judgment, and left him with the conviction that time spent working even against long odds to see that peace and diplomacy prevailed over war and violence, was time well-invested for the most powerful of nations and the most determined of diplomats.

He was a pragmatist devoted to principle. He believed that the United States could help people around the world at the same time as we defended our interests. Richard once wrote about a meeting he attended in the Situation Room in 1979, when he was Assistant Secretary for East Asia and the Pacific. The South China Sea was being flooded with tens of thousands of refugees from Vietnam. They were fleeing the regime there, looking for safe haven somewhere else. But most of them were not making it. Instead, they were drowning.

The Seventh Fleet was nearby and could divert to rescue them. But there were those in our government who did not want the Navy to be distracted from its other missions. And besides, what would we do with the refugees? And wouldn't our actions just encourage more people to set sail in rickety boats in an attempt to find freedom? Back and forth the debate went. Ultimately, Vice President Mondale made the decision: America would not stand idly by while people drowned. Richard wrote this: ``At this time and distance it may be hard to conceive that the decision, so clearly right, was almost not made. There are people who are alive today because of Mondale's decision; of very few actions by a government official can such a thing be said.''

Well, we can certainly say that--and more--of Richard Holbrooke. Earlier this week, we marked the 15th anniversary of what was perhaps his greatest legacy. On December 14, 1995, the Dayton Peace Accords brought an end to a 3\1/2\ year war in Bosnia that had claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions. It is a war that would have inflicted far more misery if Richard had not tirelessly shuttled between the Serbs and the Croats and the Bosnians. He laid the groundwork for the peace talks. And then, over 20 days, he charmed, he cajoled, and ultimately he convinced the three principal leaders to end a war. In the years since, ``Dayton'' has become a byword for the kind of aggressive diplomacy that Richard practiced. At Dayton, Richard Holbrooke brought himself and the Nation he represented great honor.

We loved that energy, we loved that resolve--that is who Richard was, and he died giving everything he had to one last difficult mission for the country he loved. It is almost a bittersweet bookend that a career of public service that began trying to save a war gone wrong, now ends with a valiant effort to keep another war from going wrong. Over the last 2 years, he and I worked closely together on our policy in Afghanistan and Pakistan. His honesty could be bracing, and I loved that about him. He was always solution-seeking--and always so committed to the mission that he never hesitated to leverage the skills of those around him because it was success he sought, not spotlights.

Through this resolution, we acknowledge his extraordinary public service and we extend our heartfelt sympathy to his family, especially his extraordinary wife Kati; Richard's two sons, David and Anthony; his stepchildren Elizabeth and Chris Jennings; and his daughter-in-law Sarah. We are reminded how much richer all of our lives have been thanks to the intelligence, humor, and warmth that Richard brought to every day of his life. And we mourn your loss with you.

I will miss working with Richard Holbrooke. And I will remember something he said last year about his enduring faith in America despite the many trials we now face. He said, ``I still believe in the possibility of the United States . . . persevering against any challenge.'' It is difficult to imagine wrestling with the challenges of Afghanistan and Pakistan without him, but we are all sustained by the decades-long example Richard set making the possibility of American perseverance more of a reality. And for that our Nation will always be grateful.

Madam Speaker, I missed the following votes from Friday, December 17 through Wednesday, December 22, 2010. I would have voted ``yes'' on the following votes:

Friday:

H.J. Res. 105--Making Further Continuing Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2011 (Representative Obey--Appropriations) (Voice vote)

1. H. Res. 1377--Honoring the accomplishments of Norman Yoshio Mineta (Representative Honda--House Administration)

2. Senate Amendment to H.R. 1107--To enact certain laws relating to public contracts as title 41, United States Code, ``Public Contracts'' (Representative Conyers--Judiciary)

3. Senate Amendment to H.R. 628--To establish a pilot program in certain United States district courts to encourage enhancement of expertise in patent cases among district judges (Representative Issa-- Judiciary)

4. H. Res. 1733--Recognizing Mark Twain as one of America's most famous literary icons on the 175th anniversary of his birth and the 100th anniversary of his death (Representative Snyder--Oversight and Government Reform)

5. H. Res. 1621--Recognizing the 100th anniversary of the historic founding of Catholic Charities USA (Representative Holt--Oversight and Government Reform)

6. H. Res. 1767--Commending the Wisconsin Badger football team for an outstanding season and 2011 Rose Bowl bid (Representative Baldwin-- Education and Labor)

7. H. Con. Res. 335--Honoring the exceptional achievements of Ambassador Richard Holbrooke and recognizing the monumental contributions he has made to United States national security, humanitarian causes, and peaceful resolutions of international conflict (Representative Lowey--Foreign Affairs)

8. S. 3874--Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act (Senator Boxer-- Energy and Commerce)

9. H.R. 6533--To implement the recommendations of the Federal Communications Commission report to the Congress regarding low-power FM service (Representative Doyle--Energy and Commerce)

10. H.R. 6523--Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 (Representative Skelton--Armed Services)

11. H.R. 2142--Government Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Performance Improvement Act of 2009 (Representative Cuellar--Oversight and Government Reform)

12. H.R. 5510--Aiding Those Facing Foreclosure Act of 2010 (Representative Kaptur--Financial Services)

Tuesday:

Motion to Concur in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 5116--America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (Representative Gordon--Science and Technology)(228-130)

Motion to Concur in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 2142--Government Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Performance Improvement Act (Representative Cuellar--Oversight and Government Reform) (216-139)

Motion to Concur in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 2751--FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (Representatives Waxman/Dingell--Energy and Commerce) (215-144)

Motion to Concur in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 3082--Making Further Continuing Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2011 (Representative Obey-- Appropriations) (193-165)

1. S. 3592--A bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 100 Commerce Drive in Tyrone, Georgia, as the ``First Lieutenant Robert Wilson Collins Post Office Building'' (Senator Chambliss--Oversight and Government Reform)

2. Senate Amendment to H.R. 81--Shark Conservation Act (Representative Bordallo--Natural Resources)

3. Senate Amendment to H.R. 5809--Diesel Emissions Reduction Act of 2010 (Representative Inslee--Energy and Commerce)

4. H.R. 6540--To require the Secretary of Defense, in awarding a contract for the KC-X Aerial Refueling Aircraft Program, to consider any unfair competitive advantage that an offeror may possess (Representative Inslee--Armed Services)

5. H.R. 6547--To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require criminal background checks for school employees (Representative George Miller--Education and Labor)

6. S. 118--Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Act (Senator Kohl--Financial Services)

7. S. 1481--Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act (Senator Menendez--Financial Services)

8. S. 3243--Anti-Border Corruption Act of 2010 (Senator Pryor/ Representative Shuler--Homeland Security)

9. S. 2925--Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act of 2010 (Senator Wyden--Judiciary)

10. Senate Amendment to H.R. 4748--Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy Act of 2010 (Representative Owens--Judiciary)

11. Senate Amendment to H.R. 1746--Pre-Disaster Mitigation Act of 2009 (Representative Oberstar--Transportation and Infrastructure)

Wednesday:

Motion to Concur in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 847--James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act (Representative Maloney--Energy and Commerce)(206-60)

Bills Adopted By Unanimous Consent (13):

1. Senate Amendment to H.R. 6523--Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 (Representative Skelton--Armed Services)

2. S. 3481--Amending the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to clarify Federal responsibility for stormwater pollution (Senator Cardin--Transportation and Infrastructure)

3. House Amendment to S. 372--Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act (Senator Akaka--Oversight and Government Reform)

4. H. Res. 1461--Supporting Olympic Day on June 23, 2010, and congratulating Team USA and World Fit participants (Representative Langevin--Oversight and Government Reform)

5. S. 4036--A bill to clarify the National Credit Union Administration authority to make stabilization fund expenditures without borrowing from the Treasury (Senator Dodd--Financial Services)

6. S. Con. Res. 67--A concurrent resolution celebrating 130 years of United States-Romanian diplomatic relations, congratulating the Romanian people on their achievements as a great nation, and reaffirming the deep bonds of trust and values between the United States and Romania, a trusted and most valued ally (Senator Voinovich-- Foreign Affairs)

7. Senate Amendment to H.R. 6560--Removal Clarification Act of 2010 (Representative Hank Johnson--Judiciary)

8. H. Res. 1779--Honoring the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Riders (Representative John Lewis (GA)--Judiciary)

9. Senate Amendment to H.R. 5901--Real Estate Jobs and Investment Act of 2010 (Representative Joe Crowley--Ways & Means)

10. H. Res. 1783--Technical Correction to H. Res. 1757 (Representative Brady (PA)--House Administration)

11. S. 4058--Helping Heroes Keep Their Homes Act of 2010 (Senator Kerry--Veterans' Affairs)

12. S. 3903--To authorize leases of up to 99 years for lands held in trust for Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo (Senator Udall--Natural Resources)

13. Senate Amendment to H.R. 6517--To extend trade adjustment assistance and certain trade preference programs, to amend the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to modify temporarily certain rates of duty, and for other purposes (Representative Levin-- Ways and Means)

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, I was extremely saddened to hear about the death of Ambassador Richard Holbrooke. He was a great leader and a dedicated representative of peace and democracy throughout the world. I extend my deepest condolences to Ambassador Holbrooke's family, his wife Kati Marton, his brother, Andrew, and his children, David, Anthony, Christopher and Elizabeth.

Ambassador Holbrooke has had a tremendous career with the United States State Department, which began with a response to President Kennedy's call to service for government work in the early 1960s. Ambassador Holbrooke was undoubtedly a public servant ever since his graduation from Brown University in 1962, when he joined the Foreign Service and was sent to Vietnam. At the young age of 24, Richard Holbrooke, an expert on Vietnam issues, was appointed to a team of Vietnam experts, the Phoenix Program, under President Lyndon B. Johnson. Ambassador Holbrooke has always been a champion of peace and democracy, and this began at a young age with a profound dedication to the United States' international diplomacy efforts.

Since beginning his career in foreign policy at such a young age, Ambassador Holbrooke was always at the forefront of international political issues, whether it was as a public servant at the 1968 Paris Peace Talks, Director of the Peace Corps in Morocco, or as a the editor of Foreign Policy magazine. Ambassador Holbrooke will always be an archetype of United States diplomacy, and his resume only serves to demonstrate how he has been consequential to diplomacy in some of our generation's most tumultuous events.

Ambassador Holbrooke never relented in his efforts to expand his efforts to pursue U.S. interests of diplomacy and democracy internationally. In 1977, under President Carter, Richard Holbrooke was Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. As the youngest person to have been appointed to that position, Ambassador Holbrooke oversaw the normalization of relations with China in 1978, and the warming of the cold war during his tenure. His diplomatic achievements do not culminate with the establishment of diplomatic relations with China--instead they continued, and arguably exceeded anyone's expectations.

When President Clinton took office in 1993, Mr. Holbrooke returned to work for the United States Government with the State Department. His first appointment was as the U.S. Ambassador to Germany, where he participated in the founding of the American Academy in Berlin as a cultural exchange center.

In 1994, he returned to Washington after being appointed by President Clinton to be the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs, where he was the lead negotiator in the Balkan Wars. He was strategic in establishing a lasting peace at the Dayton talks that undoubtedly saved thousands of lives. The 1995 Dayton peace accords ended the war in Bosnia--but it required an agreement by the three warring factions, the Serbs, the Croats, and the Bosnian Muslims. Holbrooke's role in this is lasting; he ended the 3-year war, and helped develop the framework for dividing Bosnia into two entities, one of the Bosnian Serbs and another of the Croatians and Muslims. Ambassador Holbrooke is a hero of U.S. diplomacy, and undoubtedly had tremendous importance in facilitating peace, in whatever form, in Bosnia.

After playing a key role in the Dayton Peace Talks, President Bill Clinton named Mr. Holbrooke as the representative of the United States to the United Nations. Holbrooke's time as the United Nations Ambassador was highlighted in his addressing the problems of global HIV/AIDS. He advocated to United Nation peacekeepers that it was their responsibility to help prevent HIV/AIDS and invited Vice President Al Gore to speak before the Security Council to highlight the growing epidemic. Ambassador Holbrooke warned that the medical section of the peacekeeping department has been under-staffed and suggested that all peacekeepers include the cost of AIDS tests in the budget of future missions. Mr. Holbrooke has been a strong advocate for HIV/AIDS issues having worked with the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS and the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) during his time as United Nations Ambassador to the United States. During his tenure, Ambassador Holbrooke invited members of the CBC to visit the U.N. Ambassador Holbrooke demonstrated his drive to securing international health and peace, in his lifetime of dedication to diplomatic efforts.

His work never ceased, and it continued with President Obama. Under the Obama administration, Ambassador Holbrooke was appointed Special Envoy to Pakistan and to Afghanistan--a region that contains the United States' greatest national security concerns. Just as his responsibility unfolded in the Balkans, his responsibility in Pakistan and Afghanistan posed a major challenge that would not have an easy solution. As we all know, the problems in Afghanistan and Pakistan are multidimensional and are problems that could not be solved overnight. Ambassador Holbrooke knew this, yet he commendably took on the role, and worked courageously and diplomatically in a densely complicated region.

Ambassador Holbrooke was the intermediary between Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United States. Ambassador Holbrooke was fighting, diplomatically, to stabilize the often unpredictable and always fluctuating region. The fight continues to be multifaceted, and Ambassador Holbrooke dealt with fragile economies, containing corruption within governments and elections, destabilizing the Taliban resurgency, a rampant narcotics trade, the presence of Al Qaeda, and maintaining peace and security, all while promoting United States diplomatic efforts. Representing the United States, Ambassador Holbrooke worked to promote economic development in Pakistan through the Kerry Lugar Berman Bill, and worked with the Afghani government and administration to reduce U.S. combat troops and to forge a lasting peace in the region.

He is an example to us all, his life was foreign policy, his dedication was to the United States, and his motivation was diplomacy. Ambassador Holbrooke will always be regarded as a true American diplomat, one who strived for international peace throughout his entire career, of nearly 50 years, as a public servant.

We lost a great American peacemaker this week. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke gave his life to the cause of peace. His work over the years speaks for itself, but most importantly, the call that he accepted on behalf of Americans to serve in Afghanistan and Pakistan will resonate for decades. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke was my friend and will never be forgotten.

Madam Speaker, before I begin my tribute to my dear friends that are leaving, I want to make mention again of a dear friend that we lost this week, and that is the Honorable Richard Holbrooke, who served this Nation ably and who was given tribute today by H. Con. Res. 335, as amended.

Just a brief word about Ambassador Holbrooke as I begin to talk about the outstanding Members that I wish to pay tribute to. I'm reminded not only of his courage, the magnitude of his physical size, the love that he had for his family, the love that he had for the Nation, and the admiration that he received from around the world, but I'm reminded of his tenure at the United Nations. He did something that was equal to moving the Earth. He brought peace between two giants: one, the Vice President of the United States, who in fact came to speak about HIV/ AIDS, and he drew also to that very issue with the then-chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Chairman Jesse Helms. He thought that was a great accomplishment--and we did too. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus went to the United Nations at that time. So I am rising to acknowledge Ambassador Holbrooke and will join with my other colleagues who honored him earlier today.

But I have the great, if you will, honor of honoring wonderful, stellar organizations that are coming to pay tribute to a number of members of the Congressional Black Caucus. And I say ``organizations'' because I know that sororities, fraternities, the NAACP, women's organizations, so many would want to say thank-you to the following members:

First, my dear sister, Ambassador Diane Watson. I always call her ``Ambassador.'' And that she is. She carried herself in a framework of peace; of wanting to bring people together; of challenging our consciousness, and doing it with integrity, honesty, and courageousness. Let me thank her for the work that she did in honoring Dr. Dorothy Height and thank her for the work she did in helping to carry forth the vision of C. Delores Tucker. And now, because of my sister Diane Watson and myself and the late Congresswoman Millender- McDonald, I can say that we have the Sojourner Truth statue in the United States Congress, which will always be remembered by this great work.

And her sister, the Honorable Carolyn Kilpatrick, who took up the Sojourner Truth movement, she's the second African American woman to be appointed to the Appropriations Committee. I can tell you Carolyn Kilpatrick never wavered from investing in people and ensuring that people had resources that came from the taxpayers' dollars. My hat is off to the former Congresswoman and chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Might I thank a colleague on the Judiciary Committee, Congressman Artur Davis. Yes, a former U.S. Attorney, but a vigorous speaker and a progeny of the civil rights movement. He was in fact the beneficiary of the civil rights movement and carried it in dignity by becoming a U.S. Attorney in the district that covered Alabama. We thank him for his work on the Ways and Means Committee, and we thank him for his service on the Judiciary Committee, and wish him well.

The Honorable Kendrick Meek is to all of us like a brother. We loved his mother, Carrie. And we saw in him those traits as he worked hard in the 30-somethings in the first couple of years when he was in the Congress, trying to get us back in the majority, but more importantly, speaking to the people.

He ran a fantastic open, wide, welcoming race for the United States Senate. His great days are before him. His wonderful wife and children were a fixture around this place, and we pay tribute to him because of the passion and sacrifice he made for Haitians in his area and for the many people that he represented.

So, Madam Speaker, let me say to you, sadness falls because we will be losing to great things Members like Congresswoman Diane Watson, Congresswoman Carolyn Kilpatrick, Congressman Artur Davis, and Congressman Kendrick Meek. As my dear sister, Congresswoman Diane Watson, is

on the floor of the House, I will tell you that is indicative of her work; that she was here for us in the morning, here for us late at night. And so I have no doubt that she will be carrying forth the torch in California, as all the others will be doing. Having just hosted the Attorney General from California, Ms. Harris, I know that you will be a great comfort and nurturer to her.

I thank the chairman for yielding and I commend him and Ranking Member, soon-to-be Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen for giving us this opportunity to address the resolution presented by our chairwoman, Congresswoman Nita Lowey, who chairs the Foreign Ops subcommittee.

All of you on Foreign Affairs and on Foreign Ops in appropriations know full well the magnitude of the leader that Richard Holbrooke was. As I address some personal remarks about him, I want to say how significant it was that he understood the important role that Congress plays in our foreign policy, whether it was as the Ambassador to the United Nations, whether it was in his work forging a peace agreement, the Dayton Accords, or whether it was in his role now as Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

He would come to Capitol Hill bringing his tremendous and brilliant mind, his great intellect, his boundless energy, and his sense of humor. He had a tenacity about him that was unsurpassed. His determination was palpable. You could see it in the air. When he addressed an issue, you knew that a solution would be found and he, indeed, worked very, very hard in all that he did; but he also brought, as I say, a brilliant, great intellect.

With the passing of Ambassador Holbrooke, our country has lost a brilliant and respected diplomat. We have--but his life and his legacy will continue to affect our search for peace in the world, resolution of conflict, improving relationships among countries, having a values based American foreign policy.

He was a strong fighter for peace throughout the world and an advocate for American values at the United Nations. He will be long remembered, again, for forging the agreement among bitter rivals to end 3 years of bloody sectarian war in the former Yugoslavia. Now that peace is in the region, it is hard to remember how bitter that fight was, one forever, that went on for a long time.

I just want to say this aside, just to tell you the magnitude of the task that

he had. When Adolf Hitler was asked how he learned the power of hatred, he said he learned it by watching the Balkans, people who had come to Vienna, settled there in some ghettos, and he saw how they interacted among themselves in a very, very bitter way. That gives you a flavor for the attitudes of people in the region.

They came to the table in Dayton. Richard Holbrooke understood, he put himself in the shoes of each of these rivals, and was able to forge an agreement. It was quite historic. Again, the force of his determination was key to securing peace, restoring hope, and saving lives. It was really monumental. It is thought that his work in the Balkans saved thousands of lives.

Today, as the resolution states, Congress recognizes him for the monumental contributions he has made to United States national security, humanitarian causes, and peaceful resolutions of international conflict.

Again, all of us who have worked with him admired his great intellect and tenacity to resolve conflict. When we got news of his passing, which was shocking to all of us, we immediately flew a flag over the Capitol that evening in his name. How appropriate--this great patriot-- how appropriate that there would be a flag flying in his name over the Capitol of the United States. I think that is a tremendous, tremendous tribute.

I hope it is a comfort to Kati, our dear friend--many of us are personal friends of the Holbrookes--to his children, to their children and to the many who loved him that so many people in our country and throughout the world mourn their loss with a deep, deep sadness and that we are praying for them at this sad time.