Pete V. Domenici

Mr. President, I rise now because I look around and I don't think there is any Senator left on the floor who has served longer than I with him. He has had his 40; I have had my 36.

Senator, I just want to say this to you. The Constitution of the United States said that there will be a difference between the Senate and the House. They said the way to get a constitution is to make sure they provide that individually the States would be adequately represented. And they said: We will make sure of that by creating a U.S. Senate where two Senators represent the State.

My friend, I want to say to you, obviously I have traveled a little bit different path in my 36 years, but many times the paths have crossed--you and this Senator. I do want to say that, more than anyone else, you have taught me the meaning of representing my State. You are unabashed about that. That caused me on many occasions to think about what I was doing and whether I was representing my State correctly, to the full extent of my ability, and whether I did that with gusto, knowing that we needed things. For we are comparable in that we are a very poor State. We are among the last that came in, and we have many of the same problems you have.

It has truly been a luxury of my life to work with you, to see how you got things done, and, from time to time, to be able to help you because you asked--you were unabashed in that regard too--to help your State. You would ask any of us to join you in your cause, and most of us did that willingly.

But, Senator, I wish to say just a word to the people of your State.

We know Ted Stevens as a Senator representing you people. A big event has occurred in the life of Ted Stevens that you people of Alaska quite properly have been involved in. But none of us who have worked with him could let this day pass with anyone not knowing--whether they be in Alaska, a Native of Alaska or resident of Alaska or a Native, true Native--all of you must know of the high respect and great esteem in which we hold your Senator. We are most grateful that you sent him here for 40 years. For some of us, it ends too abruptly, but every ride seems to have an end.

All I hope is, with what you have left in your life, that you will feel this day is a special one, when Senators have put their hearts out here on the Senate floor to tell you who you were to them, what you meant to them. I hope I have done my share in my few moments. Nobody will know how many times we have talked and met, how many times you and I have shared personal things and gone on with our own business, but we were certain to mention our personal problems along with it, things we wanted to share as men. I thank you for every bit of that.

To the extent that some of our prayers and the prayers of some of our relatives whom I asked personally to pray for you--I hope it has had some good. I hope when you were down, you were lifted a bit. I hope that today you are going to be lifted more so that you can stand what is ahead of you with a high head and come out of it with more of the successes of your life right out in front of you for you to feel and touch, as those hard issues still remain.

Thank you for your friendship.

Mr. President, today I pay tribute to the outstanding achievements of Dr. Xiaoming Tian. For many years, Dr. Tian has been recognized as a leading practitioner of Chinese medicine, acupuncture and alternative medicine in the United States. I am very pleased that Dr. Tian's recognition was extended worldwide when he received the prestigious World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, WFCMS, world award for distinguished physician earlier this year.

This award is the highest honor the WFCMS can bestow, and it is only presented to a handful of physicians each year. This year, only 10 clinical physicians worldwide were honored and Dr. Tian received the distinction of the only recipient in the United States.

The World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Beijing. Currently, the federation is chaired by Dr. She Jing, Vice-Minister of Health and Director of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of the People's Republic of China. The WFCMS includes 174 Chinese medical associations from 55 countries and is the highest global organization of Chinese medicine.

In honoring Dr. Tian, the WFCMS reports, ``Dr. Xiaoming Tian's great contributions include many different areas such as clinical medicine, research, new Chinese herbal medicine development, education and health care policy. Dr. Tian is highly respected by medical professionals and patients in the United States.''

As the WFCMS noted, in May of 1991 Dr. Tian established the first Chinese acupuncture clinic at the National Institute of Health, NIH, Clinical Center. This clinic represented the first time that the NIH had formally recognized acupuncture as a routine treatment and had developed a procedure code for it. Dr. Tian became the first clinical consultant on acupuncture within NIH's medical staff.

In addition to his work at NIH, Dr. Tian has taken part in a variety of different research endeavors including an intramural study on the efforts of using acupuncture to treat cancer patients from 1992-1993 and an appointment by President Clinton as one of 20 members of the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy set up to report on policy changes that would ensure the potential benefits of complementary and alternative medicine from 2000-2002.

More recently, as a co-investigator, Dr. Tian participated in a Georgetown University Medical Center study of using acupuncture to treat fibromyalgia. The study, conducted under the auspices of an NIH grant, was a pioneer study in rheumatism research. Dr. Tian has also served as an adjunct professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and Rheumatology at Georgetown University Medical School. He has been the Director of the Wildwood Acupuncture Center and Academy of Acupuncture and Clinical Medicine since 1986 and, with Professor Shangaing Chen, Dr. Tian established an osteoporosis and osteoarthritis research center at Beijing Medical University in China. Finally, in 2006, Dr. Tian was appointed to a four-year term on the Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine Editorial Board of the National Cancer Institute's Physician Data Query, PDQ, system, the comprehensive cancer database.

It is fitting that we pay tribute to the achievements of Dr. Xioming Tian, who has done so much to help patients with his groundbreaking research and treatment in the emerging field of complementary and alternative medicine. I congratulate Dr. Tian on his distinguished award and ask that he continue his fine work.

Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to Dr. James Tegnelia who will be retiring from his position as the Director of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, DTRA, in February 2009 and returning to New Mexico.

The DTRA is charged with safeguarding the United States and its allies from the threat of weapons of mass destruction, WMD, and consists of a 2,000 member team. Dr. Tegnelia has been the Director of this prestigious Agency since February of 2005 and has been an integral part of its many accomplishments.

Prior to his appointment as the Director of the DTRA, Dr. Tegnelia was the vice president, Department of Defense Programs, at Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque, NM, starting in 1998. He has been involved in defense-related fields since 1971 and has a long and distinguished career in championing innovative causes. From increasing the DTRA's efforts in science and technology investment in nuclear detection, nuclear forensics and advanced energetic capabilities, to working on the global stage in the international effort to counter WMD--in part through the establishment of regional and global nonproliferation partnerships--Dr. Tegnelia has been a true leader in protecting our great Nation.

In addition to his leadership in securing our country and its allies from the threat of WMD, Dr. Tegnelia has worked to strengthen the capabilities of the DTRA, transforming the Agency into a combat support-focused, technically agile and operationally relevant organization.

Dr. Tegnelia has been a great asset to the DTRA and to the protection of our Nation. My wife Nancy and I wish Dr. Tegnelia and his family the best in his retirement and subsequent return to our great State of New Mexico.