Floor Statements

Thank you very much, Congressman Davis, and thank you for bringing this opportunity to the fore for us to sing the praises of the great Governor of Texas, Ann Richards. I am proud to join you today, Mr. Davis, in honor of Ann Richards, a true pioneer and one of Texas' great daughters.

Ann Richards expanded the realm of what is possible for women. As she loved to say: ``A woman's place is in the dome.'' She is certainly smiling down on us today. As more women than ever rise to elective office, we owe a great debt to Ann Richards for helping to blaze the trail.

So important was she to the women in Congress who serve here now, as part of my swearing-in festivities, I had a tea honoring Ann Richards in which we reviewed a film of her life in which her beautiful granddaughter, Lily, made a presentation about her grandmother, from which we all drew strength and inspiration about this woman, a true, true pioneer. Ann Richards will be remembered for her devastating wit and gigantic heart, which led her to make real and lasting improvements for all Americans.

From health care, to education, to opening the doors of government to all, Ann Richards was one of our Nation's most fierce champions for expanding opportunity. Just as Ann was an advocate for all of America's children, she was particularly proud of her own. Ann's daughter Cecile Richards was an essential member of my team when I became leader and has since become President of Planned Parenthood of America. I know Ann was equally proud of her three children, Daniel, Clark and Ellen, and her eight grandchildren, I mentioned Lily. She was proud of all of them.

I hope it is a comfort to her entire family that so many people here in the Congress, indeed in the country, remember Ann with great enthusiasm and are grateful for her leadership. She has been gone a number of months now, but it is a loss that we sorely feel. It is a memory that we greatly cherish of a great woman, a leader in our country, and a person.

As I say to all of us in Congress or in elective office, all of us owe Ann Richards a great debt of gratitude. She is the gold standard for statesmanship, man or woman. Again, we are especially proud of the leadership she provided as a woman leader in our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 74 which has been introduced by my colleague from California, Congressman Mike Thompson, and co-sponsored by Democratic and Republican Members alike.

H. Con. Res. 74 encourages additional support for research into the prevention and treatment of the neurological condition hydrocephalus. It is a chronic medical condition that, like other conditions affecting a relatively small number of people, receives inadequate attention and resources, which delays research that could achieve great breakthroughs. Passage of H. Con. Res. 74 will demonstrate the support of the Congress for aggressive research to find improved methods for detecting and treating hydrocephalus not only among children, but within the increasingly large number to adults who are affected by late onset of the condition.

I am especially proud that the Hydrocephalus Association is headquartered in my congressional district in San Francisco, and that the couple whose pioneering efforts have encouraged and supported so many people with hydrocephalus and their families are San Franciscans-- Emily and Russell Fudge, as is the Association's Executive Director, Dory Kranz.

Under their leadership, together with the board composed of leading physicians and researchers, parents and people with hydrocephalus, the Hydrocephalus Association has raised public awareness of this condition and the enormous impact it has on over one million Americans. Because of the medical advances and the advocacy efforts promoted by the Association, most of these children and adults are able to lead full and productive lives and make enormous contributions to our society.

These successes have inadvertently complicated the efforts to advance research, diagnosis and treatment. The typical surgical treatment--the insertion of a shunt to carry away excessive cerebral fluid from the brain--was developed over 50 years ago. Because shunting has alleviated many of the more grave aspects of pre-shunt hydrocephalus, many believe it represents a cure. But it does not. Shunt surgery and the frequent repairs, which are well known to those with hydrocephalus and their families, are not only serious operations, but cost a billion dollars a year, much of which might well be averted with development of advanced treatment strategies.

Promoting additional research through increased federal support is the goal of this resolution. Those advances will benefit not only those with hydrocephalus, but will help to reduce excessive costs in our health care system, and allow hundreds of thousands of people with hydrocephalus to live even fuller lives freed from the anxieties and costs associated with shunt failure and related complications.

Seven of the institutes of the National Institutes of Health-- including the Office of Rare Diseases--sponsored a major national conference in September 2005 on ``Hydrocephalus: Myths, New Facts, Clear Directions'' which has encouraged aggressive action in the areas of research and treatment. Now it is time for the Congress to join the campaign to expand our understanding of the causes and modernize the treatment of hydrocephalus. I call upon my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 74 to encourage our nation's leading medical institutions and researchers to expand their focus on achieving breakthrough research in the diagnosis and treatment of hydrocephalus.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his exceptional leadership in the national security of our country.

My colleagues, for 3 days and nights, more than 350 Members of Congress have come to the floor to speak their conscience about the war in Iraq and the President's escalation proposal. I commend my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for the tenor, for the most part, and the substance of their remarks.

There is one proposition on which we can all agree: Our troops have performed excellently in Iraq. They have done everything asked of them. And as the resolution states, Congress and the American people will continue to support and protect the members of the United States Armed Forces who are serving or who have served bravely and honorably in Iraq. We owe our troops a debt of gratitude for their patriotism, for their courage, and for the sacrifices they are willing to make.

As a sign of our respect for them, particularly those who have lost their lives in the war, and for their families, I request that we observe a moment of silence.

Thank you.

We owe our troops a course of action in Iraq that is worthy of their sacrifice. Today, we set the stage for a new direction on Iraq by passing a resolution with fewer than 100 words which supports our troops and disapproves of the President's escalation proposal. Instead, Democrats have proposed a different course of action to the President.

Over and over again we have suggested a different plan.

One year ago, Senator Harry Reid and I stood with House and Senate Democrats to propose our agenda for real security, to project our power and our values, to protect the American people. Consistent with our real security agenda, Democrats have sent the President four letters, starting in July, and the most recent one the end of January, urging him to adopt a strategy for success, containing these elements: change of mission, redeployment of troops, building a political consensus, engaging in diplomacy, reform of reconstruction and a refocus in the war on terror.

In terms of changing the mission, U.S. forces in Iraq must be transitioned from combat to training of Iraqi forces, real counterterrorism activities, force protection and logistics. A shift in mission will allow the number of U.S. troops in Iraq to be reduced, diminishing their presence in the daily lives of Iraqis and minimizing the chance of these troops being caught in the crossfire between rival Iraqi factions. Ending the emphasis on a combat mission will allow the phased redeployment of our forces from Iraq beginning within the next 4 to 6 months.

Declining troop levels will require fewer bases, and none of them will need to be permanent, consistent with legislation introduced and passed by this House by Congresswoman Barbara Lee and also introduced by Congressman David Price.

A smaller military presence in Iraq will also relieve some of the strain on

our troops, their families, and our military equipment. Success in Iraq requires more than military force, and that really is what this debate is about today.

General Peter Chiarelli, a three-star General, until recently the Commander of the Multinational Corps Iraq, observed in December, and I quote, ``We need to get out of thinking that this is solely a military conflict where we must simply apply more U.S. or coalition or Iraqi forces against an enemy that we can destroy. All our Nation's strengths--diplomatic, economic, political--must be leveraged to help the Iraqis find their way through this process.''

Unfortunately, there has been no sustained and effective effort to engage Iraq's neighbors diplomatically. Iraq's neighbors have the greatest stake in Iraq's stability and the role it will play in the region. Leaders of those countries are best able to help Iraqi leaders improve security by reducing ethnic tensions. To this end, an international contact group should be established to support a political settlement in Iraq and preserve Iraq's sovereignty.

Senator Reid and I also wrote to the President that an international conference should be convened to broaden support for the reconstruction effort that is essential if Iraqis are going to be put to work building their country's future.

On the subject of reconstruction, there has been little effective reconstruction in Iraq because of mismanagement and disappearances of funds. That is why we propose that, in order for the reconstruction of Iraq to attract international support, it must be conducted according to practices which are honest, transparent, and accountable.

Reconstruction must be guided by the kind of process set forth in legislation introduced by Congressman Patrick Murphy and the Blue Dog Coalition. The United States should take the lead on accountability in reconstruction. Politically, there has been no sustained and effective effort to engage rival Iraqi factions.

The U.S. must insist that Iraqi leaders make the political compromises needed for a broad-based and sustainable political settlement that will produce an inclusive political system in Iraq. A good beginning would be to press Iraqi leaders to amend the Constitution to achieve a fair sharing of power and resources. That was promised at the time of the referendum over 1 year ago.

The resulting political consensus will allow Iraqi security forces to challenge the militias on behalf of the nation and to disarm them.

Proponents of the President's escalation are equating the war on terror to the war in Iraq. As our esteemed chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Congressman Ike Skelton of Missouri, a great patriot, has observed, ``Two conflicts. Two wars. And the two should not be confused. There are those who attempt to fuzz the two conflicts together as `the war on terror,' but the wars are truly separate and distinct,'' Chairman Skelton stated.

The war in Iraq continues to detract from our ability to fight against the war on international terrorism effectively. We need to finish the job started more than 5 years ago in Afghanistan against al Qaeda and the Taliban and address other conditions around the world in which the appeal of terrorism breeds.

The longer it takes us to resolve the situation in Iraq, the longer resources and attention will continue to be diverted from the war on terrorism. Our ability to respond to the escalating conflict in Afghanistan and other potential crises in the world is constrained severely by the deterioration in military readiness to levels not seen since the Vietnam era.

There we have the six elements that we talked about: change of mission, redeployment of troops, building of political consensus, engaging in diplomacy, reform of reconstruction, and a refocus on the war on terror. By placing so much emphasis, instead, on dealing with the problems in Iraq militarily and not enough emphasis on sustained political and diplomatic engagements, the President's escalation plan repeats past mistakes.

The stakes in Iraq are too high to recycle proposals that have little prospect for success. The bipartisan resolution today may be nonbinding, but it will send a strong message to the President. We here in Congress are committed to protecting and supporting our troops.

The passage of this legislation will signal a change in direction in Iraq that will end the fighting and bring our troops home safely and soon. Our troops are working together to secure our Nation, and we in this House must work together to secure our Nation as well and to do so in a way that honors their sacrifice.

I urge my colleagues to support our troops and a new direction in Iraq by voting ``aye'' on the bipartisan Skelton-Lantos-Jones resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and having this Special Order to honor the life and service of our colleague Congressman Norwood.

It is with great sadness that we received the news first of his illness and then of his passing. We had hoped to have an occasion such as this before he died so he could hear the praise of his colleagues on the floor. I know that many conveyed their good wishes to him personally.

He left us in a very dignified way. He decided that he would be, as he lived, surrounded by his family at home so that he could die in peace.

Congressman Norwood, as we all know, as our minority leader mentioned, he had his own particular style, plain spoken, very eloquent, and he was a passionate public servant. He served our country and his own community in Vietnam in service to our country and in the Congress of the United States.

Again, in this Congress he did his best to serve his constituents, his conscience, and his country.

Again, he faced the end of his life and his sickness with great bravery and dignity.

Our thoughts and prayers, I have conveyed to his wife Gloria, but I say again on this floor that our thoughts and prayers are with Gloria and his two sons, Charles and Carlton, and his four grandchildren. I know that I can speak for all Members of Congress when we convey our sympathy to them. I hope that it is a comfort to them that so many people mourn their loss and are praying for them at this sad time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman for yielding and the solemnity with which he introduced this debate.

My colleagues, in a few weeks the war in Iraq will enter its fifth year, causing thousands of deaths, tens of thousands of casualties, costing hundreds of billions of dollars, and damaging the standing of the United States in the international community. And there is no end in sight.

The American people have lost faith in President Bush's course of action in Iraq, and they are demanding a new direction.

On January 10, President Bush proposed deploying more than 20,000 additional combat troops to Iraq. This week we will debate his escalation.

In doing so, we must be mindful of the sacrifices our military personnel are being asked to make in this war and the toll it is taking on them, on their families, and on our veterans. Each one of us must determine, in a

manner worthy of their sacrifice, whether the President's proposal will make America safer, make our military stronger, and make the region more stable.

As this debate begins, let us be clear on one fundamental principle: we all support the troops.

In this bipartisan resolution that is before us today, it clearly states: ``Congress and the American people will continue to support and protect the members of the United States Armed Forces who are serving or who have served bravely and honorably in Iraq.'' We honor the service of our troops by asking the difficult questions about this war. As Republican Senator Robert Taft of Ohio said 2 weeks after Pearl Harbor: ``Criticism in a time of war is essential to the maintenance of any democratic government.''

And just 10 days ago, President Bush told House Democrats: ``I welcome debate in a time of war . . . I do not believe that if you don't happen to agree with me, you don't share the same sense of patriotism I do,'' the President said.

In the spirit of responsibility to our troops and the patriotism we all share, let us consider whether the President's escalation proposal will lessen the violence in Iraq and bring our troops home safely and soon.

From the standpoint of the military, the President's plan must be evaluated for its prospects for success. It is based on a judgment that the way out of Iraq lies in sending more troops in. Our experience in Iraq has proven just the opposite. Four previous troop escalations have resulted in escalating levels of violence.

And as with any military action, the President's plan must also be evaluated on the additional burdens it will place on our troops and military families who have already sacrificed so much, the impact it will have on the already dangerous state of our military readiness.

Our military has done everything they have been asked to do, and they have performed excellently. But in order to succeed in Iraq, there must be diplomatic and political initiatives.

There has been no sustained and effective effort to engage Iraq's neighbors diplomatically, and there has been no sustained and effective effort to engage Iraqi factions politically. The Iraqi Government has failed to honor promises made last year when the constitution was adopted by failing to propose amendments to include all sectors of Iraq in the civic life of the country. As a result, today we are confronted by little political accommodation, hardening sectarian divisions, ethnic cleansing by neighborhoods, and waves of refugees burdening neighboring countries.

After the Members of this body, this House of Representatives, have fully debated the President's escalation proposal, we will have a straight up-or-down vote. In a few days, and in fewer than 100 words, we will take our country in a new direction on Iraq. A vote of disapproval will set the stage for additional Iraq legislation which will be coming to the House floor.

Friday's vote will signal whether the House has heard the American people: no more blank checks for President Bush on Iraq. Our taxpayer dollars must go to protect our troops, to keep our promises to our veterans, and to provide for the safety of the American people.

In light of the facts, President Bush's escalation proposal will not make America safer, will not make our military stronger, and will not make the region more stable; and it will not have my support.

I urge my colleagues to support our troops and vote ``aye'' on the bipartisan Skelton-Lantos-Jones resolution before us today

Mr. Speaker, to live up to the principles on which this great nation was founded, we must stand for freedom for all Americans, in wartime and in times of peace.

On February 19, 1942, Executive Order 9066 was signed, ushering in one of the darkest periods in our nation's history. During World War II, more than 120,000 Americans of Japanese descent were removed from their homes and placed in internment camps. Under baseless fears of Japanese Americans disloyalty, families were ripped apart and entire communities uprooted.

History has shown that this action, as well as restrictions on Americans of German and Italian ancestry, was not only wrong, but also indefensible. The National Day of Remembrance is an opportunity to learn from the lessons of our past as we work for a better future. I join Representatives Honda, Becerra, Wu, Scott, Abercrombie, Matsui, Bordallo, Hirono, and many of our colleagues for a National Day of Remembrance on February 19.

In these difficult times of war, as we face the threat of terrorism, the lessons of that dark chapter are especially relevant today. As we protect and defend the American people, we must protect and defend the Constitution and the civil liberties that define our democracy.

I join my colleagues, especially the Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, who fight for justice and equality every day, to ensure that history is never repeated again.

Mr. Speaker, this week the State of California and indeed the Nation has lost a great leader. Leo McCarthy was a statesman, he was a great champion for justice, and he was a dear friend and purposeful mentor to me. As speaker of the California State House and Lieutenant Governor, Leo McCarthy promoted a values-based agenda to educate our children, grow our economy and protect our environment.

After he left office as the head of the Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good at the University of San Francisco, Mr. McCarthy taught children and students about promoting justice according to the highest ethical standard. He was brilliant, he was principled and committed to the future.

I am proud to have called Leo a friend for more than 30 years. He encouraged me not only to support candidates and be involved in the political process, but he was the main force in encouraging me to run for office in the first place in my own right.

Again, he was my friend and mentor, but he was that to so many people in California. Many who serve in this Congress today were mentored by Leo McCarthy, going back many years.

As recently as Saturday night when I spoke to Leo, he was optimistic about the future. He said, ``My morale is high. I am surrounded by my children and my grandchildren,'' and of course his wife, whom he adored, Jackie. ``They are with me, and I am not getting better as quickly as I would like, but I am happy.''

My husband, Paul, and I and indeed our entire family, extend our deepest sympathy and condolences to many who loved Leo, especially his wife, Jackie, who he adored, and his children, Sharon, Conna, Adam and Niall.

I also want to recognize our former mayor of San Francisco, Art Agnos, who was a dear friend of Leo and a great comfort to him in his last months. I know Congresswoman Eshoo and I were regular visitors to Leo McCarthy's bed side, and he followed the proceedings of Congress with great interest right up until the last day.

I hope it is a comfort to his family, as I said, whom he adored, that so many people are praying for them at this sad time and that are mourning his loss.

I just wanted to make our colleagues aware of the loss of Leo McCarthy, a great person, a great friend, a great American. He served our country in the military, he served our country in the legislature. He served our country by teaching our young people. He will be sorely missed.

Madam Speaker, a little over a week ago our country suffered a great loss with the passing of Father Robert Drinan. He was a great man. He was a great humanitarian. He was a priest and he was a Member of Congress.

When asked to talk about Father Drinan, it is impossible not to speak in the superlative in every case. And also the words that I would like to use are to quote a great man, Father Drinan himself.

At his funeral, which I had the privilege to eulogize Father Drinan, I said that when Saint Francis of Assisi, who is the patron saint of my City of San Francisco, when St. Francis of Assisi was asked what a person had to do to lead a good and virtual life, he said, Saint Francis did, ``Preach the gospel. Sometimes use words.''

Father Robert Drinan preached the gospel, sometimes from the pulpit, sometimes from the floor of this House for 10 years as a Member of Congress, and sometimes from the classroom at the Georgetown University School of Law. But he always preached the gospel through the power of his example.

Father Drinan lived and legislated according to an expansive view of the gospel, believing that it had something to teach us about the whole range of public policy, from war and peace to poverty and justice, to how we treat our children and our parents. It was because of his faith that he was one of our great champions for human rights. He believed that there was a spark of divinity in every person, and he acted upon that belief. But he did so selflessly.

When the Soviet dissident Anatoly Sharansky was freed after 8 years in a Siberian labor camp, it was because of years of advocacy by many. Yet, at a reception welcoming him to the United States that was held in this Capitol, Sharansky, surrounded by supporters and admirers, looked to the back so he could find and thank the man who was his major champion, Father Drinan. That was Father Drinan, eager to help, slow to accept credit.

I was particularly honored that earlier, it was the beginning of January actually, Father Drinan celebrated a mass at my alma matter, Trinity College, before I was sworn in as Speaker. He said that mass in honor of the children of Darfur and Katrina. And he prayed there that ``the needs of every child are the needs of Jesus Christ himself.'' Those were Father Drinan's words.

He challenged us by saying, ``Imagine what the world would think of the United States if the health and welfare of children everywhere became the top objective of America's foreign policy! It could happen, and it could happen soon, he said, if enough people cared.''

He continued, ``Let us reexamine our convictions, our commitments and our courage.'' He emphasized courage. ``Our convictions and our commitments are clear and certain to us. But do we have the courage to carry them out,'' he asked? ``God has great hopes for what this great Nation will do in the near future. We are here to ask for the courage to carry out God's hopes and aspirations.''

He inspired us with those words, and as he led us in prayer that day, Father Drinan said, ``We learn things in prayer that we otherwise would never know.''

That day in church at his funeral, and since then, we are praying for the courage of Father Drinan. That may have been Father Drinan's last sermon from the pulpit, but afterwards, he sent me a letter asking that I place that sermon in the Congressional Record. And I commend to all of you his call for ``peaceful revolution'' to all who read our Record. He quoted John F. Kennedy, who said that we could make that possible with our actions.

These words join the many courageous words Father Drinan said on this House floor. He came to Congress to oppose the war in Vietnam. They join his powerful words on the day, last May, when Congress had the privilege of honoring him with the Congressional Distinguished Service Award. He received that award, along with our former Ambassador to the Vatican and our former colleague in this House, Ambassador and Congresswoman Lindy Boggs.

In his service, it was repeated during the communion service, ``Where there is charity there is Christ. Where there is charity there is God.'' Ubi caritas Deus ibi est. And on that day, in the Capitol, when we honored the two of them, charity was present and so was God's goodwill.

They also, Father Drinan's words that we have submitted to the Congressional Record, join the words he shared with his students. He was a priest, he was a politician, he was an American patriot who loved our Constitution and fought for our civil liberties, and he loved his students as a teacher.

When he left here because Pope John Paul II, when he became Pope said he had to choose between being a priest and being a Member of Congress, he said, ``I am a priest forever,'' and he left the Congress.

His successor, I know, is a source of great hope to the people in his district. Congressman Barney Frank will be leading the special order in honor of Father Drinan shortly.

But as a teacher, as I say, he loved his students, his law students. And just before graduation of one class, Bob Hickmont told me this, who was one of his students, Father Drinan offered advice to a group of Georgetown law students. He said, ``As I look out at all of you, with your new and expensive law school educations, I would urge you to go forth into society not as mere legal tradesmen, but as moral architects. Design, create and build a better and more equitable society and use your skills to help those who are otherwise not being served.''

Father Drinan, this statement and others of your statement are entered into the Congressional Record. Again, those words, with those of your 10 years in Congress, will serve as an inspiration for all who follow the proceedings of Congress and all who ever knew you.

Again, to his family, the Drinan family, to Helen and all of the family, his sister-in-law, Helen, I hope it is a comfort to them that so many people mourn their loss and are praying for them at this sad time. And I extend my deepest sympathy to his family.

Madam Speaker, I request that the remarks of a former Member of this body, Father Robert Drinan, at a Mass at Trinity University prior to my swearing-in as Speaker, be included in the Congressional Record.

Remarks of Robert F. Drinan, S.J., Professor, Georgetown University Law Center, at a Mass Honoring Speaker-Elect Nancy Pelosi at the Chapel of

Trinity University in Washington, DC--Wednesday, January 3, 2007

Today is a new epiphany for all us, for our country and for

the world.

Epiphany brought the three Magi to worship the new born

child. We are here to venerate that child and to pledge that

the message of this infant Jesus will be followed in our

country and throughout the universe.

This is a new and wonderful moment for all of us.

The new Congress has 16 percent women and for the first

time the Speaker is a mother.

We re-pledge our lives to the love of children. In this

regard the Holy See has shown us the way. In 1981 the Vatican

was the fifth nation of the Earth to ratify the United

Nations Covenant on the Rights of the Child. That magnificent

treaty has now been ratified by all of the 192 nations in the

world--except Somalia and, we say it with shame, the United

States.

The children protected by the U.N. Covenant now number some

three billion--almost one-half of the 6.4 billion in the

world. Today we re-pledge ours elves to pray and work for

those children. We must continue to be shocked that 31,000 of

those children will die today and every day--from diseases

and malnutrition that are clearly preventable.

Imagine what the world would think of the United States if

the health and welfare of children everywhere became the top

objective of America's foreign policy! It could happen--and

it could happen soon--if enough people cared.

Today at this moving and unforgettable Mass we gather to

pray, to reflect and once again to commit our lives to

carrying out the faith we have that the needs of every child

are the needs of Jesus Christ himself. The tragedies of the

children of Darfur and the victims of Katrina have made us

feel guilty for the neglect of the young people in these

nations. That guilt has to be developed so that the United

States and other developed countries will use their resources

to help the 800 million people in the world who are

chronically malnourished. We must also remember the 100

million children who are not enrolled in any school--and that

70 percent of these children are girls. In addition, children

are still being injured by land mines placed by the United

States in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Vietnam, Kuwait and

elsewhere.

We have come to this beautiful place to pray for our new

leaders and for ourselves. We are ashamed that we have been

so careless and thoughtless about the rights of children. We

cannot forget Christ's personal love of children and his

affirmation that ``whatsoever you do for the least of my

brethren you do for me''

We are increasingly aware that the world--especially the 48

Islamic nations--have the deepest doubts about the intentions

and activities of the United States. They know that the

United States has less than five percent of the world's total

population but consumes 40 percent of its resources.

We pledge again before the Blessed Sacrament that we will

deepen our love for all children. It is depressing to realize

that only 18 percent of America's children are registered in

Head Start and that an appalling number do not graduate from

high school. We are aware at this holy place of the weakness

of our faith and the fragility of our love.

Let us reexamine our convictions, our commitments and our

courage. Our convictions and our commitments are clear and

certain to us. But do we have the courage to carry them out?

God has great hopes for what this nation will do in the

near future. We are here to ask for the courage to carry out

God's hopes and aspirations.

Let us not disappoint our Redeemer.

We learn things in prayer that we otherwise would never

know. Let us pray now and always.

If a plane crashed this afternoon at Dulles with 310

children aboard the whole world would cry and cry and cry.

But a tragedy like that happens 100 times each day--3l,000

children every day--needlessly--die because the heedlessness

of all of us. President Kennedy once said that those who

``make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution

inevitable.'' We pray here today and ask God's help in our

ardent desires to ``make peaceful revolution possible.''

Madam Speaker, with deep sadness, I rise to pay my respects to one of San Francisco's most beloved and admired community leaders. Naomi Thomas Gray died peacefully on December 29 at Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco after a lifetime of service to our City and our Nation.

Born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Naomi earned a Master of Science Degree in Social Services at Indiana University. She moved to New York to work for Planned Parenthood as a field organizer, quickly rising to Vice President for Field Services. For two decades, she crisscrossed America developing community education and organizing programs for Planned Parenthood. She lived among migrant workers where she taught family planning. She forged links with black communities in the rural South by winning over Baptist preachers. She served as a consultant to family planning programs around the globe.

Upon retirement in 1972, she turned her knowledge and might to San Francisco, where she became a champion of the African American and health communities.

Naomi served as a consultant to numerous family planning and health organizations. She founded and served two terms on San Francisco's Health Commission, where she worked to increase access to health care for our City's most vulnerable and disadvantaged residents and she strengthened the affirmative action programs at the San Francisco Department of Health. She warned of the danger of HIV/AIDS to the black community and founded the Black Coalition on AIDS and the African American AIDS Leadership Group.

She was an intrepid champion of the African American community. As founder and president of the Institute for Urban Affairs, she focused on issues of concern to African American children and families. As Executive Director of the Sojourner Truth Foster Family Service Agency, she advocated for and mentored children in the foster care system. She was President of the Black Leadership Forum, member of the Black Chamber of Commerce, and Chair of the Mayor's Task Force on Public Housing and the Mayor's Task Force on Children, Youth and Their Families.

An advocate for excellence in education, Naomi Gray founded the Twenty-First Century Academic School and co-founded the African American Education Leadership Group.

She received awards and commendations too numerous to list. For 30 years, I have been blessed with her support, advice, and friendship. It is an honor to stand before the House to celebrate the life of San Francisco's beloved Naomi Gray.

I hope it is a comfort to her loving nieces, nephews, and other extended family that so many people are mourning her loss and praying for them at this time.

Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a longtime San Francisco community leader and friend, Joe Lacey, wno died on December 30, 2006.

Joseph Patrick Lacey's family moved to San Francisco in 1921. As a scholar athlete, Joe attended St. Ignatius High School and the University of Santa Clara on a football scholarship, playing in two Sugar Bowls. In 1940, Joe won the Pacific Coast Heavyweight Boxing Championship. In 194I, Joe played on an All Star Football team in Hawaii where he met his beloved wife of 55 years, Katharine Faye Dooling.

He served our Nation with distinction in the Navy on the USS Yarnall DD 541 in World War II participating in several Pacific battles, including Tarawa, Saipan, Guam, Iwo Jima and Okinawa, and again in the Korean War, serving on the USS Walker.

After the war, Joe began the next chapter of his life, starting a successful homebuilding company whose work includes thousands of homes in the San Francisco and Sacramento areas. Later in life, he taught special education in the Watsonville, Newark and San Francisco County school districts.

Joe was a life-long volunteer, dedicated to children and our city's most vulnerable residents. He was active in youth sports and a champion of San Francisco's homeless and elderly populations. He served on the boards of several non-profit organizations in San Francisco for more than 25 years, including Old St. Mary's Housing Committee, Catholic Charities, Senior Action Network, Planning for Elders and TURN.

Joe was well known in the halls of San Francisco city government buildings, representing nonprofit organizations. Mayor Willie Brown appointed Joe as a commissioner on the San Francisco Commission on Aging, where he proudly served until his death.

With great appreciation for his extraordinary work and service to our city and our Nation, I extend my deepest sympathy to his large and loving family. He will long be remembered by countless individuals whose lives he touched. He was a great friend to the people of San Francisco, and we are diminished by his passing.

Madam Speaker, since 1983, the U.S. Congress and the German Bundestag and Bundesrat have conducted an annual exchange program for staff members from both countries. The program gives professional staff the opportunity to observe and learn about each other's political institutions and interact on issues of mutual interest.

A staff delegation from the U.S. Congress will be selected to visit Germany from April 20 to 29 of this year. During this 2-week exchange, the delegation will attend meetings with Bundestag/Bundesrat members, Bundestag and Bundesrat party staff members, and representatives of numerous political, business, academic, and media agencies. Participants also will be hosted by a Bundestag member during a district visit.

A comparable delegation of German staff members will visit the United States for 2 weeks July 14 to 22. They will attend similar meetings here in Washington and visit the districts of Members of Congress. The U.S. delegation is expected to facilitate these meetings.

The Congress-Bundestag/Bundesrat Exchange is highly regarded in Germany and the United States, and is one of several exchange programs sponsored by public and private institutions in the United States and Germany to foster better understanding of the politics and

policies of both countries. This exchange is funded by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The U.S. delegation should consist of experienced and accomplished Hill staff who can contribute to the success of the exchange on both sides of the Atlantic. The Bundestag reciprocates by sending senior staff professionals to the United States.

Applicants should have a demonstrable interest in events in Europe. Applicants need not be working in the field of foreign affairs, although such a background can be helpful. The composite U.S. delegation should exhibit a range of expertise in issues of mutual concern to the United States and Germany such as, but not limited to, trade, security, the environment, economic development, health care, and other social policy issues. This year's delegation should be familiar with transatlantic relations within the context of recent world events.

In addition, U.S. participants are expected to help plan and implement the program for the Bundestag/Bundesrat staff members when they visit the United States. Participants are expected to assist in planning topical meetings in Washington, and are encouraged to host one or two staffers in their Member's district in July, or to arrange for such a visit to another Member's district.

Participants are selected by a committee composed of personnel from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the Department of State and past participants of the exchange.

Members of the House and Senate who would like a member of their staff to apply for participation in this year's program should direct them to submit a resume and cover letter in which they state their qualifications, the contributions they can make to a successful program and some assurances of their ability to participate during the time stated.

Applications may be sent to the Office of Interparliamentary Affairs, HB-28, the Capitol, by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, February 21, 2007.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and applaud him, Mr. Davis of Illinois, and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Davis), for bringing this resolution to the floor to honor a great man, and I rise today to join them in paying tribute to the life and leadership of President Gerald Ford.

I would like to also recognize Mrs. Betty Ford and the wonderful children, Michael, Jack, Steven, and Susan, who with their love and support helped to make President Ford's leadership possible; but they made a contribution in their own right.

Betty Ford really changed the way people in America talked about their health and the challenges in their lives. Every family in America respects her, every family in America is in her debt for, again, changing how people speak about their physical and other challenges. Mrs. Ford, we all give you our condolences and our respect and admiration for your leadership as well.

Having also served as House minority leader, as President Ford did, I have

great respect for the fair and reliable leadership that President Ford displayed throughout his service in the House. He was effective and respected on both sides of the aisle. He recognized that however much we may disagree on political questions, we serve the people of the Nation, the great institution, the House of Representatives.

He later became President, and another President, Thomas Jefferson, said: ``Every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle.'' Gerald Ford knew that. Gerald Ford followed that. He assumed office during one of the greatest times of challenge for our Nation and provided the American people with the steady leadership and optimism that was his signature.

The outpouring of emotion and affection displayed by the American people last week and the week before reminds us that they desire the kind of leadership President Ford embodied. In this hour, we need and pray for President Ford's character, courage, and civility to affect us. He healed the country when it needed healing. This is another time, another war, and another trial of our American will, imagination, and spirit. I ask our colleagues, let us honor his memory not just in eulogy but in dialogue and trust across the aisle.

Once again, our condolences to the family. I hope it is a comfort to the Ford family that so many people mourn their loss and are praying for them at this time.

Thank you, Leader Boehner. Thank you, my colleagues. Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speakers.

I accept this gavel in the spirit of partnership, not partisanship, and I look forward to working with you, Mr. Boehner, and the Republicans in the Congress for the good of the American people.

After giving this gavel away in the last two Congresses, I am glad someone else has the honor today.

In this House, we may be different parties, but we serve one country, and our pride and our prayers are united behind our men and women in uniform. They are working together to protect the American people; and in this Congress, we must work together to build a future worthy of their sacrifice.

In this hour, we need and pray for the character, courage, and civility of a former Member of this House, President Ford. He healed the country when it needed healing. This is another time, another war, and another trial of American will, imagination, and spirit. Let us honor his memory not just in eulogy, but in dialogue and trust across the aisle.

I want to join Leader Boehner in expressing our condolences and our appreciation to Mrs. Ford and to the entire Ford family for their decades of leadership and service to our country.

With today's convening of the 110th Congress, we begin anew. I congratulate all Members of Congress on your election. I especially want to congratulate our new Members of Congress. Let's hear it for our new Members.

The genius of our Founders was that every 2 years, new Members would bring to this House their spirit of renewal and hope for the American people. This Congress is reinvigorated, new Members, by your optimism and your idealism and your commitment to our country. Let us acknowledge your families whose support have made your leadership possible today.

Each of us brings to this Congress our shared values, our commitment to the Constitution, and our personal experience. My path to Congress and to the speakership began in Baltimore where my father was the mayor. I was raised in a large family that was devoutly Catholic, deeply patriotic, very proud of our Italian-American heritage, and staunchly Democratic. My parents taught us that public service was a noble calling, and that we had a responsibility to help those in need.

My parents worked on the side of the angels, and now they are with them.

But I am so happy that my brother, Tommy D'Alesandro, who was also a mayor of Baltimore, is here leading the D'Alesandro family from Baltimore today. He is sitting right up there with Tony Bennett.

Forty-three years ago, Paul Pelosi and I were married. We raised our five children in San Francisco where Paul was born and raised. I want to thank Paul and our five children, Nancy Corrine, Christine, Jacqueline, Paul, Jr., and Alexandra, and our magnificent grandchildren, for their love, for their support, and the confidence they gave me to go from the kitchen to the Congress.

And I thank my constituents in San Francisco and to the State of California for the privilege of representing them in Congress. St. Francis of Assisi is our city's patron saint, and his prayer of St. Francis is our city's anthem: Lord, make me a channel of thy peace; where there is darkness may we bring light, where there is hatred may we bring love, and where there is despair, may we bring hope.

Hope, that is what America is about. And it is in that spirit that I serve in the Congress of the United States.

And today, I thank my colleagues. By electing me Speaker, you have brought us closer to the ideal of equality that is America's heritage and America's hope.

This is a historic moment, and I thank the leader for acknowledging it. Thank you, Mr. Boehner. It is a historic moment for the Congress, and it is a historic moment for the women of America.

It is a moment for which we have waited for over 200 years. Never losing faith, we waited through the many years of struggle to achieve our rights. But women were not just waiting;

women were working. Never losing faith, we worked to redeem the promise of America that all men and women are created equal. For our daughters and our granddaughters, today we have broken the marble ceiling. For our daughters and our granddaughters, the sky is the limit. Anything is possible for them.

The election of 2006 was a call to change, not merely to change the control of Congress, but for a new direction for our country. Nowhere were the American people more clear about the need for a new direction than in the war in Iraq.

The American people rejected an open-ended obligation to a war without end. Shortly, President Bush will address the Nation on the subject of Iraq. It is the responsibility of the President to articulate a new plan for Iraq that makes it clear to the Iraqis that they must defend their own streets and their own security, a plan that promotes stability in the region and a plan that allows us to responsibly redeploy our troops.

Let us work together to be the Congress that rebuilds our military to meet the national security challenges of the 21st century.

Let us be the Congress that strongly honors our responsibility to protect the American people from terrorism.

Let us be the Congress that never forgets our commitment to our veterans and our first responders, always honoring them as the heroes that they are.

The American people also spoke clearly for a new direction here at home. They desire a new vision, a new America built on the values that have made our country great.

Our Founders envisioned a new America driven by optimism, opportunity, and courage. So confident were they in the America that they were advancing that they put on the seal, the great seal of the United States: ``Novus ordo seclorum,'' a new order for the centuries. Centuries; they spoke of the centuries. They envisioned America as a just and good place, as a fair and efficient society, as a source of hope and opportunity for all.

This vision has sustained us for over 200 years, and it accounts for what is best in our great Nation: liberty, opportunity, and justice.

Now it is our responsibility to carry forth that vision of a new America into the 21st century. A new America that seizes the future and forges 21st-century solutions through discovery, creativity, and innovation, sustaining our economic leadership and ensuring our national security. A new America with a vibrant and strengthened middle class for whom college is affordable, health care is accessible, and retirement reliable. A new America that declares our energy independence, promotes domestic sources of renewable energy, and combats climate change. A new America that is strong, secure, and a respected leader among the community of nations.

And the American people told us they expected us to work together for fiscal responsibility, with the highest ethical standards and with civility and bipartisanship.

After years of historic deficits, this 110th Congress will commit itself to a higher standard: pay-as-you-go, no new deficit spending. Our new America will provide unlimited opportunity for future generations, not burden them with mountains of debt.

In order to achieve our new America for the 21st century, we must return this House to the American people. So our first order of business is passing the toughest congressional ethics reform in history. This new Congress doesn't have 2 years or 200 days. Let us join together in the first 100 hours to make this Congress the most honest and open Congress in history. 100 hours.

This openness requires respect for every voice in the Congress. As Thomas Jefferson said, ``Every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle.'' My colleagues elected me to be Speaker of the House, the entire House. Respectful of the vision of our Founders, the expectation of our people, and the great challenges that we face, we have an obligation to reach beyond partisanship to work for all Americans.

Let us stand together to move our country forward, seeking common ground for the common good. We have made history; now let us make progress for the American people.

May God bless our work, and may God bless America.

Before we move forward, because there are so many children here and so many of them asked me if they could touch the gavel, I wanted to invite as many of them who wanted to come forward to come join me up here. I know my own grandchildren will.

Let's hear it for the children. We're here for the children. For these children, our children, and for all of America's children, the House will come to order.

I am now ready to take the oath of office from the Dean of the Congress of the United States, Mr. Dingell. In acknowledging him, I also want to acknowledge Speaker Foley who has been with us as well.

Mr. DINGELL then administered the oath of office to Ms. Pelosi of California, as follows:

Do you solemnly swear that you will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that you take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that you will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which you are about to enter, so help you God.

(Applause, the Members rising.)

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to salute Dennis Hastert, Speaker Dennis Hastert, the longest serving Republican Speaker in history.

And long may that record stand.

This record is a testament to Dennis Hastert's leadership within the Republican Conference, in this Congress and in this country.

But Dennis's public service began long ago. He spent 16 years as a teacher and a coach at Yorkville High School in Illinois, and that is the best kind of public service, shaping the minds of our young people. Then he went into politics, and after 6 years in the Illinois State House, he came to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1986. In 1999, Dennis Hastert's colleagues elected him Speaker of the House, the third highest official in the United States of America.

While we have often, from time to time, disagreed on issues, we agree on the importance of public service, the kind of public service that has been the hallmark of Speaker Hastert's career, whether in the classroom or in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I know I speak for many people in this room and across the country when I thank you for one thing in particular: Rosa Parks made history a long time ago and changed America. She also made history when she was the first African American woman to lie in state in the Capitol of the United States. That honor would not have been possible without your leadership, and we are very, very grateful.

I, too, want to join the Speaker in acknowledging the Hastert family, Jean and Ethan and Joshua, and the entire family for sharing Dennis with us. We know the sacrifices are great, and I want to acknowledge them as well.

My colleagues in Congress, we hold the title of ``Honorable'' because we serve in Congress. We hold the title of ``Honorable'' by virtue of our office. Dennis Hastert holds it by virtue of his character. I salute him for service to our Nation and look forward to many more opportunities. Happily, he is staying with us for us all to work together.

In your remarks, Mr. Speaker, you referenced that very sad evening when we joined together on the steps of the Capitol and sang ``God Bless America.'' Among God's many blessings to this country, to America, is the service and leadership of Speaker Dennis Hastert.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.