Floor Statements

Madam President, I take the opportunity today to congratulate the class of 2009 at George Washington Community High School in Indianapolis, IN. This class has achieved the notable result of having all 89 spring and summer graduates accepted to college--a rare feat for any high school in America. Many of these students will be the first members of their families to attend college. Only about 5 percent of the adults in the surrounding community have attended college.

I am especially proud of what the students, teachers, and families of Washington High School are achieving because the school and community have played a big role in my early career and in the life of my family. My grandfather, Thomas L. Green, lived on the West Side of Indianapolis near Washington High School. Although he had only a fifth-grade education, he established Thomas L. Green and Company, a food machinery manufacturing firm, in a factory near the high school.

When I returned to Indianapolis in 1960 after my Navy service, I joined my brother, Thomas R. Lugar, in managing the food machinery business. Many of our employees and interns came from the neighborhood surrounding George Washington High School. Thanks to the leadership of Principal Cloyd Julian and others, we joined the George Washington Business club, through which we met frequently with the students and teachers.

In late 1963, a delegation from the West Side came to my office at the factory to encourage me to run for the Indianapolis Board of School Commissioners. They felt that schools on the West Side were being neglected, and they wanted to ensure that the perspective of our community was heard. I accepted their challenge and won a seat on the board in May of 1964. This responsibility deepened my involvement in the affairs of George Washington and other schools in our neighborhood.

I was elected mayor of Indianapolis in 1967 and continued to stay closely involved with the school. During this period, George Washington had developed a legendary basketball program that was followed closely on the West Side. The school won the Indiana High School Basketball State Championship in 1965 and 1969. We attended every tournament game and any pep rallies. It was wonderful to see the high school as a leader politically, academically, and athletically.

I take a moment to recount this cherished history because George Washington is a prime example of how a school can succeed through the hard work of its students and teachers, the support of the community, and the expectation of achievement. These students have dedicated themselves to setting an example for their younger siblings and the classes that will follow them at George Washington. The teachers never stop preaching about the advantages of going to college and never let the students assume that their education ends with high school. And parents have supported these students, even if the experience of college is a new one for their families.

The most fundamental element of American competitiveness and progress is the quality of education that our children receive. We must make sure that all of our young people are educated 100 percent of them. We cannot afford to be satisfied with less. George Washington High School clearly has embraced this challenge.

I am privileged to recognize this marvelous school and the students who are graduating and going to college, for this signal achievement. It is clear that the students at George Washington have the vision and inspiration to move ahead, which is so important to their lives but also to the success of our great country. I look forward to following their achievements and supporting their dreams in the years ahead.

Below is a complete list of the remarkable George Washington High School Class of 2009:

Edgardo Aboytes, Megan Adams, Armando Alejo, Mauricio

Arreola, Salvador Arteaga, Jose Arteaga, Louis Aumann, Imelda

Benitez-Vasquez, Sarah Boles, Devon Brogan, Dawn Caffery,

Sebastiana Campos, Aloric Carson, Ariel Casillas, Katherine

Cook, Erik Cook, Cheris Drotz-Smith, Joyce East, Luis

Escatel, Petra Felder.

Edith Flores, Anthony Fuller, Manuel Gil, Dorthea Glenn,

Noe Gonzalez, John Graves, Christopher Hall, Katey Hicks,

Kaela Hunt, Kathryn Hunter, Tiffany Ingalls, Alma Jimenez,

Dujuan Johnson, Cleveland Johnson, Charles Lile, James Locke,

Adelmer Lopez, Rubi Lopez, Daniel Luckett, Karina Magallanes.

Jessica Martinez, Joshua Masters, Angela McClure, Ashley

McClure, Patrick McDonald, Frederick McKnight, Keith

McLemore, Adem Meftah, Shantina Moore, Fernando Mora, James

Morris, Felicia Moy, Nohemi Ocampo, Rick Owens, Andrew

Parsley, Julian Peters, Kiara Ragland, Miguel Ramirez, Tisha

Ramirez, Daniel Rangel.

Matthew Reeves, Jeffery Riley, Tiffany Riley, Brittney

Ritchie, Marcos Rivera, Marvin Rodriguez, Maria Rodriguez,

Fernando Rojas, Marcus Ross, Emanuel Ruiz, Loniqua Smith,

Erica Snyder, Gregorio Soto, Brittany Spears, Jason Stark-

Jines, DeVaughn Stokes.

India Tinsley, Samantha Turner, Maria Valdez, Kenneth

Valentine, Cassandra Vest, Sherry Whitescarver, Brandy

Whitescarver, Victoria Wilcox, Calvin Williams, Rodshied

Williams, William Wilson, Cassandra Wilson, Jose

Zelaya.

Mr. President, I wish today to take the opportunity to express my congratulations to the winners of the 2008-2009 Dick Lugar/Indiana Farm Bureau/Farm Bureau Insurance Companies Youth Essay Contest.

In 1985, I joined with the Indiana Farm Bureau to sponsor an essay contest for 8th grade students in my home State. The purpose of this contest is to encourage young Hoosiers to recognize and appreciate the importance of Indiana agriculture in their lives and subsequently craft an essay responding to the assigned theme. The theme chosen for this year was ``Working Our Way to Energy Independence.''

Along with my friends at the Indiana Farm Bureau and Farm Bureau Insurance Companies, I am pleased with the annual response to this contest and the quality of the essays received over the years. I applaud each of this year's participants on their thoughtful work and wish, especially, to highlight the submissions of the 2008-2009 contest winners--Lynnette Whitsitt of Huntingburg, IN, and Brandon Wells of Evansville, IN. I submit for the Record the complete text of Lynnette's and Brandon's respective essays. I am pleased, also, to include the names of the many district and county winners of the contest.

The winning essays are as follows:

Untitled

(By Lynnette Whitsitt)

Could you imagine a world where you flip on a light switch

or press power on the TV and nothing happens? This will be

our planet in the foreseeable future if we don't do anything

about it. Many people believe that the future isn't their

problem and that it's scientists' dilemma to solve, but it's

not. If we don't do something about this energy crisis now,

Earth will pay for it dearly in the future. We Hoosiers

should do what we can, and contribute our available resources

to produce renewable sources of power for our country.

Without it, a global disaster is imminent.

Many alternate fuel sources need crops to manufacture

them--especially corn and soybeans. Corn produces ethanol,

while Biodiesel is made from soybeans. Portions of farmers'

crops are sold to manufacturers that produce these energy

sources. Organic waste materials, know as biomass, can now be

broken down to become biogas. The waste materials used vary

from crop remains to animal manure. Biogas can be transformed

into diverse forms of energy, but of the renewable energy

sources that generate electricity, biomass is most abundant.

The conversion of waste materials to biogas is a purely

organic procedure in which microorganisms break wastes down

into methane. Hoosier farmers could also utilize farmland for

wind farms, which will not only provide the farms with energy

but also income from spare energy sold to power companies.

While wind turbines would occupy land, it could still be used

for its main intention, agriculture.

Farmers have been hugely affected by the energy crisis and

can be part of the solution. By helping to make biodiesel,

ethanol, biogas, and wind power Indiana farmers will greatly

affect the future of energy. This major energy change will

revolutionize rural towns, Indiana, and our nation as a

whole.

Mr. President, I am pleased and honored to join our chairman, John Kerry, in introducing the Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act of 2009. Then-Senator Joe Biden and I originally introduced this legislation in July 2008. I have been especially pleased to continue the bipartisan effort on this bill with Senator Kerry.

Senators Biden and Kerry and I have worked closely over the past year with the State Department, USAID, the Defense Department, and the National Security Council to craft this legislation.

On March 27 of this year, President Obama announced a comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan. In his speech he called on Congress ``to pass a bipartisan bill cosponsored by John Kerry and Richard Lugar that authorizes $1.5 billion in direct support to the Pakistani people every year over the next 5 years--resources that will build schools, roads, and hospitals, and strengthen Pakistan's democracy.''

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ADM Mike Mullen and CENTCOM Commander David Petraeus repeatedly advocated expanding foreign assistance to Pakistan as an essential element of our national security. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton both have testified that strengthening democracy and countering terrorism in Pakistan go hand in hand. Secretary Clinton said at a Senate Appropriations Committee meeting last week:

As President Obama has consistently maintained, success in

Afghanistan depends on success in Pakistan. We have seen how

difficult it is for the government there to make progress,

and the Taliban continues to make inroads. Counterinsurgency

training is critical. But of equal importance are diplomacy

and development to provide economic stability and diminish

the conditions that feed extremism. This is the intent of the

comprehensive strategy laid out by Senator Kerry and Senator

Lugar, which President Obama has endorsed.

I take the time to detail administration backing for this bill and its concepts because any U.S. policy related to Pakistan will require the cooperation and active support of both the executive and legislative branches of our Government. It also will require that policy toward Pakistan be closely integrated with United States efforts throughout the region.

I do not regard the Kerry-Lugar bill as a congressionally driven initiative in which we are bargaining for support of the administration; rather, Senator Kerry and I are trying to play a constructive role in facilitating a consensus position between branches that will undergird a rational approach to the region with the best chance of success. With this in mind, it is vital that the administration's message on Pakistan be clear and consistent. The administration also must continue to actively consult with Congress on elements of strategy, not just lobby us for funds.

The United States has an intense strategic interest in Pakistan and the surrounding region. The U.S. National Intelligence Estimate last year painted a bleak picture of the converging crises in Pakistan. A growing al-Qaida sanctuary, an expanding Taliban insurgency, political brinksmanship, and a failing economy are intensifying the turmoil and violence in that country. These circumstances are a threat to Pakistan, the region, and the United States of America.

We should make clear to the people of Pakistan that our interests are focused on democracy, pluralism, stability, and the fight against terrorism. These are values supported by a large majority of Pakistani people. If Pakistan is to break its debilitating cycle of instability, it will need to achieve progress on fighting corruption, delivering government services, and promoting broad-based economic growth. The international community and the United States should support reforms that contribute to the strengthening of Pakistani civilian institutions.

This legislation marks an important step toward those goals. While our bill envisions sustained economic and political cooperation with Pakistan, it is not a blank check. It expects that the military institutions in Pakistan will turn their attention to the extremist dangers within Pakistan's borders. The bill subjects our security assistance to a certification that the Pakistani Government is using the money for its intended purpose--namely, to combat the Taliban and al-Qaida. The bill also calls for tangible progress in governance, including an independent judiciary, greater accountability by the central government, respect for human rights, and civilian control of the levers of power, including the military and the intelligence agencies.

In providing substantial resources to enhance a strategic partnership with Pakistan, our bill contains provisions to help ensure that this money is spent effectively and efficiently. The bill stipulates that the administration must provide Congress with a comprehensive assistance strategy before additional assistance is made available. This strategy is expected to detail clear objectives, enumerate projects the administration intends to implement, and identify criteria that the administration will use to measure the effectiveness of our assistance.

Once money begins to flow, the administration must report every 6 months on how the money is spent and what impact it is having. In addition, the bill provides that before the administration spends more than half of the $1.5 billion authorized in any fiscal year, it must certify that the assistance provided to that date is making substantial progress toward the principal objectives contained in the administration's strategy report. We also have asked the Government Accountability Office to review annually the administration's progress on stated goals. To ensure that sufficient resources will be available to oversee our program in Pakistan, we authorize $20 million each year for audits and program reviews by the inspectors general of the State Department, USAID, and other relevant agencies.

I look forward to working with the administration of President Obama and with congressional colleagues on a policy toward Pakistan that builds our relationship with that nation and protects vital interests of the United States.

Again, I thank Senator Kerry for his partnership and leadership on this bill.

Mr. President, I am pleased and honored to join our chairman, John Kerry, in introducing the Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act of 2009. Then-Senator Joe Biden and I originally introduced this legislation in July 2008. I have been especially pleased to continue the bipartisan effort on this bill with Senator Kerry.

Senators Biden and Kerry and I have worked closely over the past year with the State Department, USAID, the Defense Department, and the National Security Council to craft this legislation.

On March 27 of this year, President Obama announced a comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan. In his speech he called on Congress ``to pass a bipartisan bill cosponsored by John Kerry and Richard Lugar that authorizes $1.5 billion in direct support to the Pakistani people every year over the next 5 years--resources that will build schools, roads, and hospitals, and strengthen Pakistan's democracy.''

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ADM Mike Mullen and CENTCOM Commander David Petraeus repeatedly advocated expanding foreign assistance to Pakistan as an essential element of our national security. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton both have testified that strengthening democracy and countering terrorism in Pakistan go hand in hand. Secretary Clinton said at a Senate Appropriations Committee meeting last week:

As President Obama has consistently maintained, success in

Afghanistan depends on success in Pakistan. We have seen how

difficult it is for the government there to make progress,

and the Taliban continues to make inroads. Counterinsurgency

training is critical. But of equal importance are diplomacy

and development to provide economic stability and diminish

the conditions that feed extremism. This is the intent of the

comprehensive strategy laid out by Senator Kerry and Senator

Lugar, which President Obama has endorsed.

I take the time to detail administration backing for this bill and its concepts because any U.S. policy related to Pakistan will require the cooperation and active support of both the executive and legislative branches of our Government. It also will require that policy toward Pakistan be closely integrated with United States efforts throughout the region.

I do not regard the Kerry-Lugar bill as a congressionally driven initiative in which we are bargaining for support of the administration; rather, Senator Kerry and I are trying to play a constructive role in facilitating a consensus position between branches that will undergird a rational approach to the region with the best chance of success. With this in mind, it is vital that the administration's message on Pakistan be clear and consistent. The administration also must continue to actively consult with Congress on elements of strategy, not just lobby us for funds.

The United States has an intense strategic interest in Pakistan and the surrounding region. The U.S. National Intelligence Estimate last year painted a bleak picture of the converging crises in Pakistan. A growing al-Qaida sanctuary, an expanding Taliban insurgency, political brinksmanship, and a failing economy are intensifying the turmoil and violence in that country. These circumstances are a threat to Pakistan, the region, and the United States of America.

We should make clear to the people of Pakistan that our interests are focused on democracy, pluralism, stability, and the fight against terrorism. These are values supported by a large majority of Pakistani people. If Pakistan is to break its debilitating cycle of instability, it will need to achieve progress on fighting corruption, delivering government services, and promoting broad-based economic growth. The international community and the United States should support reforms that contribute to the strengthening of Pakistani civilian institutions.

This legislation marks an important step toward those goals. While our bill envisions sustained economic and political cooperation with Pakistan, it is not a blank check. It expects that the military institutions in Pakistan will turn their attention to the extremist dangers within Pakistan's borders. The bill subjects our security assistance to a certification that the Pakistani Government is using the money for its intended purpose--namely, to combat the Taliban and al-Qaida. The bill also calls for tangible progress in governance, including an independent judiciary, greater accountability by the central government, respect for human rights, and civilian control of the levers of power, including the military and the intelligence agencies.

In providing substantial resources to enhance a strategic partnership with Pakistan, our bill contains provisions to help ensure that this money is spent effectively and efficiently. The bill stipulates that the administration must provide Congress with a comprehensive assistance strategy before additional assistance is made available. This strategy is expected to detail clear objectives, enumerate projects the administration intends to implement, and identify criteria that the administration will use to measure the effectiveness of our assistance.

Once money begins to flow, the administration must report every 6 months on how the money is spent and what impact it is having. In addition, the bill provides that before the administration spends more than half of the $1.5 billion authorized in any fiscal year, it must certify that the assistance provided to that date is making substantial progress toward the principal objectives contained in the administration's strategy report. We also have asked the Government Accountability Office to review annually the administration's progress on stated goals. To ensure that sufficient resources will be available to oversee our program in Pakistan, we authorize $20 million each year for audits and program reviews by the inspectors general of the State Department, USAID, and other relevant agencies.

I look forward to working with the administration of President Obama and with congressional colleagues on a policy toward Pakistan that builds our relationship with that nation and protects vital interests of the United States.

Again, I thank Senator Kerry for his partnership and leadership on this bill.

Mr. President, today I rise to introduce the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Improvement Act of 2009.

The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction remains the number one national security threat facing the United States and the international community. Our success in responding to this threat depends on cooperation with other nations and on maintaining a basic consensus on non-proliferation principles. The Nunn-Lugar Program has become the primary tool through which the U.S. works to safely destroy nuclear, chemical, and biological warfare capacity. Through Nunn-Lugar, the U.S. has eliminated more nuclear weapons than the combined arsenals of the United Kingdom, France, and China. When the Soviet Union dissolved Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus emerged as the third, fourth and eighth largest nuclear weapons powers in the world. Today they are nuclear weapons free.

I am delighted that President Obama made the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program such a high profile issue during his campaign. In 2005, then-Senator Obama and I traveled to Russia to see the Nunn- Lugar Program in action. We visited the Russian nuclear warhead storage facility at Saratov and the mobile missile dismantlement facility near Perm. This experience gives him a unique vantage point to take important steps to revitalize and expand the program.

The Nunn-Lugar Program has accumulated an impressive list of accomplishments. To date it has deactivated 7,504 strategic nuclear warheads, 742 intercontinental ballistic missiles, ICBMs, destroyed, 496 ICBM silos eliminated, 143 ICBM mobile launchers destroyed, 633 submarine launched ballistic missiles, SLBMs, eliminated, 476 SLBM launchers eliminated, 31 nuclear submarines capable of launching ballistic missiles destroyed, 155 bomber eliminated, 906 nuclear air- to-surface missiles, ASMs, destroyed, 194 nuclear test tunnels eliminated, 422 nuclear weapons transport train shipments secured, upgraded security at 24 nuclear weapons storage sites, and built and equipped 16 biological monitoring stations.

While originally focused on the states of the former Soviet Union,

Nunn-Lugar has also produced results outside of Russia. The program eliminated a formerly secret chemical weapons stockpile in Albania. Other governments, such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Congo, the Philippines, and Indonesia are now inquiring about Nunn-Lugar assistance with dangerous weapons and materials.

Mr. President, last month the National Academy of Sciences, NAS, released a report on the future of the Nunn-Lugar Program. It provided a critically important set of recommendations that should guide the Obama Administration's efforts to expand the Nunn-Lugar Program around the world.

The report was required by the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act to recommend ways to strengthen and expand the Defense Department's Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction program. The report argues persuasively that the Nunn-Lugar Program should be expanded geographically, updated in form and function and supported as an active tool of foreign policy. Over the last 16 years Nunn-Lugar has been focused heavily on the destruction and dismantlement of massive Soviet weapons systems and the facilities that developed them. In the future, the program will be asked to address much more complex and diverse security threats. The changing security environment means that the magnitude of projects focused on former Soviet weapons threats are likely to be the exception and not the norm. As a result, the NAS report argues that the program must be less cumbersome and bureaucratic so it can be more agile, flexible, and responsive to ensure timely contributions across a larger number of countries. It concludes by saying ``that expanding the nation's [Nunn-Lugar] cooperative threat reduction programs beyond the former Soviet Union, as proposed by Congress, would enhance U.S. national security and global stability.'' The report argues that Nunn-Lugar ``should be expanded geographically, updated in form and function . . . and supported as an active tool of foreign policy by engaged leadership from the White House and the relevant cabinet secretaries.''

Specifically, the NAS Report recommends that the Pentagon take the following steps: Remove any remaining geographic limitations on the program and streamline contracting procedures. Request from Congress limited ``notwithstanding authority'' to give Nunn-Lugar the flexibility it needs for future engagements in unexpected locations. Request that Congress exempt the Nunn-Lugar Program from the Miscellaneous Receipts Act to enable the program to accept funds from foreign countries and to co-mingle those with program funds to accomplish nonproliferation and disarmament goals. Review the legal and policy underpinnings of the Nunn-Lugar Program because many are cumbersome, dated, limiting, and often diminish value and hinder success. In addition to supporting traditional arms control and nonproliferation goals, Nunn-Lugar should be used to advance other multilateral instruments such as the Proliferation Security Initiative and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540. While the Nunn- Lugar Program grew through the 1990s there was little corresponding growth in the size of the staff that guided policy--the office must be expanded. Engage broader military components, including the Unified Combatant Commands, to ensure full coordination and effective implementation of Nunn-Lugar.

The majority of these items do not require legislation but rather simple Executive Branch management actions and improvements. As a result, I have written to Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Michele Flournoy, and the new WMD Coordinator at the White House, Gary Samore, urging them to adopt these important recommendations. But the granting of limited notwithstanding authority for the Nunn-Lugar Program and its exemption from the Miscellaneous Receipts Act does require Congressional authorization. The bill I am introducing today is focused on accomplishing this task.

One of the most striking points made by the report's authors was that the Nunn-Lugar Program has suffered from a lack of leadership. It states that ``since 1995, the level of leadership in DoD has been downgraded from a high priority program managed by a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cooperative Threat Reduction, and Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, to a CTR Policy Office under a Director for the CTR Program.'' An even more stark contrast is the time and diplomacy that former Secretaries Perry and Cohen committed to visiting project sites and engaging foreign capitals when compared to their successors. I am confident this is a trend that can be reversed quickly by the Obama administration with proper leadership. Under Secretary Flournoy, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, and Secretary Gates should make visiting Nunn-Lugar sites a high priority and offer their personal diplomacy to assisting the program in meetings its goals.

The Nunn-Lugar Program has made critically important contributions to US national security through the elimination of strategic weapons systems and platforms arrayed against us. Even as the threat changes, I am confident that it will continue to serve US interests with the right leadership and direction. I commend the members of the NAS committee for an insightful and invigorating set of recommendations. I ask my colleagues here in the Senate to support this legislation and I am hopeful that the Obama administration will use the report's recommendations as a resource as they move to expand the program.

In sum, we must take every measure possible in addressing threats posed by weapons of mass destruction. We must eliminate those conditions that restrict us or delay our ability to act. The US has the technical expertise and the diplomatic standing to dramatically benefit international security. American leaders must ensure that we have the political will and the resources to implement programs devoted to these ends.

Mr. President, today I rise to introduce the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Improvement Act of 2009.

The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction remains the number one national security threat facing the United States and the international community. Our success in responding to this threat depends on cooperation with other nations and on maintaining a basic consensus on non-proliferation principles. The Nunn-Lugar Program has become the primary tool through which the U.S. works to safely destroy nuclear, chemical, and biological warfare capacity. Through Nunn-Lugar, the U.S. has eliminated more nuclear weapons than the combined arsenals of the United Kingdom, France, and China. When the Soviet Union dissolved Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus emerged as the third, fourth and eighth largest nuclear weapons powers in the world. Today they are nuclear weapons free.

I am delighted that President Obama made the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program such a high profile issue during his campaign. In 2005, then-Senator Obama and I traveled to Russia to see the Nunn- Lugar Program in action. We visited the Russian nuclear warhead storage facility at Saratov and the mobile missile dismantlement facility near Perm. This experience gives him a unique vantage point to take important steps to revitalize and expand the program.

The Nunn-Lugar Program has accumulated an impressive list of accomplishments. To date it has deactivated 7,504 strategic nuclear warheads, 742 intercontinental ballistic missiles, ICBMs, destroyed, 496 ICBM silos eliminated, 143 ICBM mobile launchers destroyed, 633 submarine launched ballistic missiles, SLBMs, eliminated, 476 SLBM launchers eliminated, 31 nuclear submarines capable of launching ballistic missiles destroyed, 155 bomber eliminated, 906 nuclear air- to-surface missiles, ASMs, destroyed, 194 nuclear test tunnels eliminated, 422 nuclear weapons transport train shipments secured, upgraded security at 24 nuclear weapons storage sites, and built and equipped 16 biological monitoring stations.

While originally focused on the states of the former Soviet Union,

Nunn-Lugar has also produced results outside of Russia. The program eliminated a formerly secret chemical weapons stockpile in Albania. Other governments, such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Congo, the Philippines, and Indonesia are now inquiring about Nunn-Lugar assistance with dangerous weapons and materials.

Mr. President, last month the National Academy of Sciences, NAS, released a report on the future of the Nunn-Lugar Program. It provided a critically important set of recommendations that should guide the Obama Administration's efforts to expand the Nunn-Lugar Program around the world.

The report was required by the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act to recommend ways to strengthen and expand the Defense Department's Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction program. The report argues persuasively that the Nunn-Lugar Program should be expanded geographically, updated in form and function and supported as an active tool of foreign policy. Over the last 16 years Nunn-Lugar has been focused heavily on the destruction and dismantlement of massive Soviet weapons systems and the facilities that developed them. In the future, the program will be asked to address much more complex and diverse security threats. The changing security environment means that the magnitude of projects focused on former Soviet weapons threats are likely to be the exception and not the norm. As a result, the NAS report argues that the program must be less cumbersome and bureaucratic so it can be more agile, flexible, and responsive to ensure timely contributions across a larger number of countries. It concludes by saying ``that expanding the nation's [Nunn-Lugar] cooperative threat reduction programs beyond the former Soviet Union, as proposed by Congress, would enhance U.S. national security and global stability.'' The report argues that Nunn-Lugar ``should be expanded geographically, updated in form and function . . . and supported as an active tool of foreign policy by engaged leadership from the White House and the relevant cabinet secretaries.''

Specifically, the NAS Report recommends that the Pentagon take the following steps: Remove any remaining geographic limitations on the program and streamline contracting procedures. Request from Congress limited ``notwithstanding authority'' to give Nunn-Lugar the flexibility it needs for future engagements in unexpected locations. Request that Congress exempt the Nunn-Lugar Program from the Miscellaneous Receipts Act to enable the program to accept funds from foreign countries and to co-mingle those with program funds to accomplish nonproliferation and disarmament goals. Review the legal and policy underpinnings of the Nunn-Lugar Program because many are cumbersome, dated, limiting, and often diminish value and hinder success. In addition to supporting traditional arms control and nonproliferation goals, Nunn-Lugar should be used to advance other multilateral instruments such as the Proliferation Security Initiative and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540. While the Nunn- Lugar Program grew through the 1990s there was little corresponding growth in the size of the staff that guided policy--the office must be expanded. Engage broader military components, including the Unified Combatant Commands, to ensure full coordination and effective implementation of Nunn-Lugar.

The majority of these items do not require legislation but rather simple Executive Branch management actions and improvements. As a result, I have written to Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Michele Flournoy, and the new WMD Coordinator at the White House, Gary Samore, urging them to adopt these important recommendations. But the granting of limited notwithstanding authority for the Nunn-Lugar Program and its exemption from the Miscellaneous Receipts Act does require Congressional authorization. The bill I am introducing today is focused on accomplishing this task.

One of the most striking points made by the report's authors was that the Nunn-Lugar Program has suffered from a lack of leadership. It states that ``since 1995, the level of leadership in DoD has been downgraded from a high priority program managed by a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cooperative Threat Reduction, and Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, to a CTR Policy Office under a Director for the CTR Program.'' An even more stark contrast is the time and diplomacy that former Secretaries Perry and Cohen committed to visiting project sites and engaging foreign capitals when compared to their successors. I am confident this is a trend that can be reversed quickly by the Obama administration with proper leadership. Under Secretary Flournoy, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, and Secretary Gates should make visiting Nunn-Lugar sites a high priority and offer their personal diplomacy to assisting the program in meetings its goals.

The Nunn-Lugar Program has made critically important contributions to US national security through the elimination of strategic weapons systems and platforms arrayed against us. Even as the threat changes, I am confident that it will continue to serve US interests with the right leadership and direction. I commend the members of the NAS committee for an insightful and invigorating set of recommendations. I ask my colleagues here in the Senate to support this legislation and I am hopeful that the Obama administration will use the report's recommendations as a resource as they move to expand the program.

In sum, we must take every measure possible in addressing threats posed by weapons of mass destruction. We must eliminate those conditions that restrict us or delay our ability to act. The US has the technical expertise and the diplomatic standing to dramatically benefit international security. American leaders must ensure that we have the political will and the resources to implement programs devoted to these ends.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Madam President, I rise in support of the nomination of Christopher Hill to be Ambassador to Iraq. During his 32-year career, he has led three embassies and served as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. In that position, he was the Bush administration's point man at the six party talks on North Korea. As Assistant Secretary, Chris Hill demonstrated outstanding diplomatic and managerial skills in dealing with one of our most difficult foreign policy challenges. His innovative approach contributed to successes, including the ongoing disablement of the Yongbyon nuclear complex in the presence of American monitors, the re-entry into North Korea of IAEA officials, and the potential transition of the six party process into a forum for broader multilateral engagement in Northeast Asia.

North Korea remains an inscrutable regime with unpredictable motivations. Any suggestion that the North Korea nuclear issue lends itself to obvious solutions or the application of a

standard diplomatic playbook is off the mark. Ambassador Hill had to apply both imagination and persistence in moving this complex process forward in five foreign capitals.

Now President Obama has tapped him to address another of the most important foreign policy challenges confronting the United States. In my judgment, it would take extraordinary circumstances for the Senate to deny the President his choice of an Ambassador to carry out his directives in Iraq, especially given that the President will be judged meticulously on what happens there.

Ambassador Hill has unique experience in managing the type of regional diplomatic effort that is likely to be required at this stage of Iraq's development. Iraq's success will increasingly depend on regional factors involving the activities of both friends and adversaries. We must seek to reassure allies and send adversaries the clear message that the United States remains committed to regional stability and has no intention of leaving a vacuum in Iraq that could be exploited.

Prime Minister Maliki's outreach to Sunnis has already reduced tensions among Iraq's Sunni neighbors. Leaders from Turkey, Jordan, Syria, and virtually all of the Gulf States, including Kuwait, have paid high-level visits and appointed ambassadors, indicating acceptance of the Shia-run government.

Across the region, and internationally, the incentive structure for involvement in Iraq is fundamentally different than it was 2 years ago. Coupled with the drawdown, the time is right to expand our engagements, solidify regional security gains, and cultivate more robust regional and international cooperation in Iraq. Ideally, this cooperation would include regular and wide-ranging talks with neighboring states on broader issues of regional security. One of the purposes of these talks must be to avoid surprise and miscalculation in the region that could ignite further conflict.

Through the confluence of many factors, Iraq is showing positive trend lines. American casualties are at their lowest mark since the conflict began 6 years ago. The Iraqi government held successful elections last month, and those provincial councils are convening, electing chairmen, and beginning to set their agendas.

But progress in Iraq remains vulnerable to political rivalry, outside interference, and the slow pace of economic reconstruction. Government institutions at all levels remain underdeveloped, inefficient, and subject to corruption. The economy, which grew at a rate of 3.5 percent in the first two quarters of 2008, has slipped as oil prices have dropped. Oil production rates are flat, and reduced revenues may slow the efforts of Iraq's government to make necessary infrastructure investments. Unemployment and underemployment remain high. Because of these and other conditions, Ambassador Crocker and General Odierno have described Iraq's progress as fragile and reversible. It is important to get our next Ambassador in place as quickly as possible.

I have appreciated Ambassador Hill's accessibility to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In addition to nine appearances before the committee in the last 5 years, he has always been willing to meet with us privately about developments on the Korean Peninsula or elsewhere in East Asia.

I also appreciate his willingness to accept this difficult post, especially after several years of an unrelenting diplomatic activity. I am hopeful that the Senate will move forward on his nomination. I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I am pleased to have this opportunity to recognize a hallmark event taking place this year in Indianapolis, IN--the 20th anniversary of the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art.

The museum's facility first opened its doors on June 24, 1989, and was one of the first cultural institutions to take residence in White River State Park, which has in turn become a vibrant hub of recreational and cultural activities in Indianapolis and greater central Indiana. A popular attraction since its opening, the Eiteljorg Museum continues to thrive. Recently, in 2005, it underwent an important expansion that doubled its space by creating a variety of new galleries, an education center, a cafe, and a resource center and library.

But it is not only its facility and its existing collections that are to be lauded, for the Eiteljorg is also actively engaged in supporting new generations of artists and their work. This is perhaps best highlighted through the museum's Eiteljorg Fellowship for Native American Fine Art and its artists-in-residence program.

In honor of this year's special anniversary occasion, the museum has planned a series of events for its patrons and the community. The festivities officially began last month, on March 14, 2008, when the new ``Facing West: Celebrating 20 Years of the Eiteljorg Museum'' exhibition was unveiled during a special opening day celebration. Celebratory events will continue throughout this summer and fall, however, and will include a lecture series, festival days at the museum and the holding of an anniversary gala later this month.

Like so many of my fellow Hoosiers, I take pride in the Eiteljorg's presence in our State and am thankful for its continued commitment to its mission: ``to inspire an appreciation and understanding of the art, history and cultures of the American West and the indigenous peoples of North America.'' In the actualization of this mission, the Eiteljorg has reached a wide patronage of both local residents and visitors alike who have come to this unique and inspiring facility to take advantage of its wonderful offerings.

Mr. President, I thank my very dear friends, Mitch McConnell and Harry Reid, for overly generous comments, which give me great encouragement and inspiration.

I appreciate so much the Senate taking time for a moment in my life I will always cherish. I thank you for recognizing the importance of my sweetheart, Charlene, and our children and our grandchildren. They are the precious inspiration for me, as it is for each one of us who serves in this way and who enjoys and loves the Senate as I do.

I thank all of you so very much.

(Applause, Senators rising.)

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, today I submit a resolution urging the Government of Moldova to ensure a fair and democratic election process for the upcoming parliamentary elections on April 5, 2009.

Since independence in 1991, Moldova has made notable progress in establishing a democratic political system and a free market economy. However, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, OSCE, has reported that recent rounds of parliamentary elections have fallen short on a number of international election standards.

In 2005, the Senate passed a Resolution expressing our support for democratic reform in Moldova and urging the Government of Moldova to ensure unimpeded access by all parties and candidates to all media outlets in the run-up to the 2005 parliamentary elections. While the OSCE found that the 2005 elections generally complied with international standards, it found that ``campaign conditions and access to media'' fell short of these standards. The OSCE reported similar circumstances following the 2007 parliamentary elections, including a lack of ``equitable media access'' among the candidates.

This Resolution re-affirms the United States Senate's support for political reform and fair democratic processes with our partners in Moldova. It urges the Government of Moldova to recognize the importance of guaranteeing all election candidates equitable access to media outlets in Moldova for the April 2009 elections. This will be an important consideration for receiving a Compact from the Millennium Challenge Corporation and for Moldova's full integration as a member of the Western community of democracies.

I ask my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. On February 12, 1809, our 16th President was born to Thomas and Nancy Lincoln in Kentucky. President Lincoln spent the majority of his adult life in Illinois where he became a successful lawyer and politician. But in between these periods, he lived with his family in the backwoods of Indiana, 20 miles east of Evansville. In these famous salt lick hunting grounds near the Ohio River, the young Abe Lincoln learned about farming, suffered the death of his mother, and grew into a man. Although his potential as a leader would not be fully revealed until later in life, his experiences in Indiana formed the basis of his self-taught genius and helped shape his belief system.

Abe Lincoln's family moved to Indiana in December 1816 when Abe was 7, arriving shortly after Indiana entered the Union as the 19th State. In Kentucky, the Lincolns had struggled with legal controversies related to the title to their land. They were attracted to Indiana, in part, because buying land from the Federal Government under the clear terms of the Northwest Ordinance would eliminate these troubles. Thomas Lincoln acquired 160 acres of land near Little Pigeon Creek in what is now Spencer County and set up a farm.

The family initially lived in a three-sided cabin, known as a half- faced camp. Abraham, who was always tall for his age, helped his father with farming chores. By age 9, he began to learn the detailed skill of wielding an ax, which later would be the basis for his backwoods ``rail splitter'' campaign persona.

Soon after arriving in Indiana, tragedy struck the family when Nancy Lincoln died of ``milk sickness'' on October 5, 1818. Thomas Lincoln married Sarah Bush Johnston on December 2, 1819. Sarah Johnston and her three children from her previous marriage joined Abe and his older sister Sarah.

Being situated in a sparsely populated region of southern Indiana made access to school difficult. The closest school was a great distance over rough terrain from the Lincoln farm, and Abe's attendance was sporadic, at best. In 1859 Lincoln wrote a letter to his friend Jesse Fell describing his early life and education in Indiana:

We reached our new home about the time the State came into

the Union. It was a wild region, with many bears and other

wild animals still in the woods. There I grew up. There were

some schools, so called; but no qualification was ever

required of a teacher, beyond readin, writin, and cipherin'

to the Rule of Three. If a straggler supposed to understand

latin, happened to so-journ in the neighborhood, he was

looked upon as a wizzard. There was absolutely nothing to

excite ambition for education. Of course when I came of age I

did not know much. Still somehow, I could read, write, and

cipher to the Rule of Three; but that was all. I have not

been to school since. The little advance I now have upon this

store of education, I have picked up from time to time under

the pressure of necessity.[sic]

Thomas Lincoln, who had received no formal education himself, saw little value in Abe's schooling. But Abe's stepmother Sarah encouraged him to read on his own. Abe immersed himself in the family Bible and borrowed books from neighbors. He read Parson Weems' ``Life of Washington'' at an early age, as well as such classics as Benjamin Franklin's ``Autobiography'' and Daniel Defoe's ``Robinson Crusoe.''

The first exposure that President Lincoln had to political argument came at a country store owned by James Gentry, a local land owner and friend of the Lincoln family. Abe worked in Gentry's store, soaking up conversation on politics and frontier life. As Lincoln grew, his horizons expanded beyond Spencer County. In 1828, he worked on a flatboat carrying goods for Gentry all the way to New Orleans. On this trip he encountered slavery for the first time.

The Lincolns moved to Illinois in 1830 where Abe went on to become a lawyer and State politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and finally President of the United States.

The strong feelings of pride that Hoosiers feel for President Lincoln are amplified by remembrances of the President around the State. For example, the Indiana State Museum located in Indianapolis houses the largest private collection of President Lincoln memorabilia in the world. Included in this collection are signed copies of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th amendment, family photos, and more than 20,000 other items. Additionally, the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial continues to fascinate visitors and preserve Lincoln's Hoosier legacy.

Hoosiers are proud to celebrate President Lincoln's life and the 14 formative years he spent in Indiana. The ties of the Lincoln family in Spencer County will never be forgotten, and new generations of Hoosiers will learn how Lincoln lifted himself up from humble circumstances to become a great President and a true American hero.