americans. god bless. god bless you and god bless america. >> madam president united states ined, our senate indeed our entire nation, is mourning the loss of a great riader and an american patriot,f our colleague and friend senator john mccain. madame presidents i first met john mccain when i was a young staffer in the senator's offices ander john was serving as the ny liaison officer. knew h as a fellow seimnator for the pt 21 years i knew him as a a trusted colleague and courageous legislator and a close friend. o he was a true american hero who

devoted his life to serving hisr country courage and character was the hallmark of military service as well as his work. see in the senate he was a consequential leader with the most critical issues facing our country. of john mccain was the most respected voice on national defense and for good government is worth as much as a bond in washington as much as in vietnam.elieve mme. president i would like to share with my colleagues a story that i believe demonstrates then essential character of john mccain.

in november of 2010 john wasn part of a national delegation on asia security stage was security conference in nova scotia.erted bad weather caused the light to be diverted to maine where i live. i shortly received a phone call colleaes on went john and my colleagues from their unplanned visit. as it happened the truth greeters ricky airport at the same time this legendary groupee of has greeted more than 1.5 million service members either leaving to go overseas or returning home since 2,003 never

missing a single flight even in bad weather for the middle of the night and that presiding officer i believe who also served for country so well greer senator ernst was one of those greeted by the truth greeters. rather fly out when the weather hers i cleared john and the others in the delegation agree to stay ann join me with the long mind ofwat patriotic troop greeters toval - await the arrival of the airplane and i remember when i told john there was a a plane that would be arriving shortly a in a couple of hours. he said of course will stay.

mme. president you can present you can imaginegauntlet o goinge that were welcoming the troops back home to hug them and share for them and thanking them for their service but then they realize that they had justohn shaken hands with john mccain the legendary john mccain was si popular with service members. lt i saw them literally do a double take when the first group went by and shook his hand and then turnedea around and said togethr wasn't that john mccain who just shook our hand? hands? and they then came back and chatted with him and then directed the rest of the line was very eager to see john.

i will never forget how thrilled these troops were to be greetedl when they were first setting foot on american soil by a true american a true american hero john mccain.our someone who had served our country with courage andhe character.rs an spent hours reading to play modes of soldiers he loved greeting them and posing for pictures and it was such a heartwarming and unexpected event and a very special moment that not only gladden gladdens the hearts of the also troops t also the troop greeters who were thrilled to have their hero with them. after

vintage john mccain that he stayed even after the weather had cleared and greeted each and every one of those troops. he did what he was right regardless of the political had consequences he had absolutely no interest in scoring partisann politicalat points on the senate floor he welcomed good idea whether they came from the democratic or the republican side of the aisle. it was always open to new ideas, evidence and good ideas and was capable of changing his mind was unshakable he was of thejohn wat appropriateness of the course ot

action. the get on with solving the problems games he he has no use for the political games that sadly are far too often played in the senate. for one often overlooked asset was his love of the environment. i once visited him at his beloved ranch in sedona.e took and i was surprised when he took me all over the property pointing out the birds and naming them in taking such the delight indlife. wildlife until that moment i did not know if his interest and love for nature but later on i accompanied john on a trip he organized to the arctic to see the permafrost and meet

with native alaskans also to antarctica where we spent four t days meeting with scientist who told us of the impact of global warming he took me on so many w trips to broaden my horizon and we went to yemen and libyarown l meeting with colonelle qaddafi before he was overthrown and killed he taught me so much on these trips the principles thatn guided his life are best summedm up by his own h words with the beautiful autobiography faith of my fathers. to a

something greater than yourselfn to your cause and principles and the people on whom you rely andr rely on you in return. greer john mccain was a state dear friend devoted to a hims cause greater than himself. that was the united states of america. it has been an honor to serve alongside him for nearly 21 years in the united statesply senate and although he will be deeply missed by all of us here leaves behind an extraordinary a legacy that once fire american for generations to come.

thank you madame president. >> yesterday was a a difficult day for me. get m b >> at the conclusion of the remarks from the distinguished senator that i am recognized. >> without objection. fo commi >> yesterday was a difficult day for me. in born in 1944, like many was d americans my youth was during the vietnam era. a h actually i got a graduation ey wer diploma and put in the same book everybody was called up for the people draft there was a lottery but wi

would have been drafted if we didn't join. which am i joined the national guard i'm still very proud guardsmen to this day but it also gave me a risk t country but the age to be drafted i made a decision to lot serve and i was able to do that and a lot of people weren't andc i know that those that couldn'tg and red dog cap of the world. and then jack went off and going

to ocs into vietnam. it. if you don't volunteer to do that you can get killed. it is a great country a great fries lik with a wonderful mom and dad i want to be an officer in the marine corps and he did two years later he was shotat by a sniper with a supreme court judge and with the three best friends those for amigos and the then when they brought the body. back we had awakened the service..

and then we felt sorry for usas ourselves but as a colleague fo. our country he did a great service for our country and i'm proud to have been his friend.o, i tried to do what i could but i could but nowhere in the category of john mccain. a lot of people my age didn't do as much as they might have done or could have because the vietnam war had friends coming d to back were dressed in blue jeans and khakis they couldn't dress because they would be accosted port, street. we have troops come through andp to get standing ovation as people would give us their seats. l l

it wasn't like that at all. and those that gave their life for all of fun us. msed with our politics and our country and our people. to and what i'm telling you is tha tragic for me and i apologize ie apologize i didn't do everything i should have done but to say it will never let america i get that way again it will always be like it was on 9/11 or our september 12, 2001 with american flags on our cars to say the national anthem or the pledge of allegiance. foa f tha the most patriotic nation in the world. like every single day there are those firemen like 9/11 or those of wo the vietnam war and signed up in and fought and risked their

lives and died like john mccain like my brother-in-law my wife'y brother who flew in the navy ane reconnaissance planes one decorated pilot people like him my brother-in-law. he flew reconnaissance in world war ii in the pacific and dideoe everything he could who but we l over alleged debt of gratitude and thanks but we are all amens. americans to keep our freedom tr fought for us and risked their us times like tod this to elevate to the appropriate place in history know john mccain today. he. he was better than me and i know that.on. he was the best of my generation. a he was and is a great human said i the being. the

but people will say things the next few days i don't know what will be done but anybody in any way questions the reputation of john mccain those that do the wrong thing are those that didn't have the guts to do the right thing sd we need to remember that. ad anybody in the world the policyy to say this was a great man who gave everything for us. we all him nothing less than thi respect and that is what i in fr intend to give john and in me. return for what he gave me, ande kos about 20 years ago sending people over to verify the groun, fight with ethnic cleansing i jh went to montenegro and the world

security conference in munich years after that i saw john mccain talk to vladimir putin cl neighbors also like uncles and e was proud to be in a country who had a guy like him the toughest and brightest there is speaking up with pride for america and calm down when they need it. he had problems. had some mnell mitch mcconnell did me the worsa favor of a lifetime making me the chairman of the ethics at a te whe but that as at a time a time when john mccain was on the committee using airplanes during campaign eventh he had access a plane they gavek him an exception to the rules hk didn't have to worry about the

cause andecond to effect but hea second to understand the proble. of a normal legislator have access it in the end he took hie circumstances to have a privatei plane and apply that to the changes that we made several bud he is treated fair.t, he didn't expect things to be good for him but for everybody.w i also learned how to cuss. let me tell you he could do a of lot of things but cussing was the best he ever did consummatee he knew how to do it with have emphasis added that is what the eapers always say. d he and i were working on a deal i am chairman of the committeeme with the armed services b committee we had to come together to meet in terms ofeeting, h healthcare he was late to the

meeting and came into theten mii meeting and ten later best up wt comment i ever heard he said tell me what you are going to do. us all sometimes he knew how to get us to think or to talk you would intimidate you enough to fightef for what you believe and to geth better legislation. he he knew exactly what he was appy doing and knew exactly when to apply the intimidation and the t thanks and praise we didn't a agree all the time when i'm a better person in the country is a better country in the world ih a better place because of john mccain as we gond through the nt few days we will have a little

meeting about john mccain just to make sure that my kids know what i i know about the great american hero because i may havl kids like my kids today they all will remember on veterans day and memorial day and all otheroe days john mccain's of mccain's of the world and those that will come after that but their life the unit and future and fortune on the line for the state greatest coun the world, the united states of america. i yield back my time in the absence of a quorum.

mr. in diffic i can't think of anything more o difficult than to speak after the last two speakers. are two of course i have known them for a long time completely differens opposite people and thee. she is colleagues have well recognized as a moderate to understand and. has a great appreciation for the environment not the kind of. it will -- person you would associate with john mccain andnt then you hear the statement from the senator from georgia. thinking about that i am eight years older than he is and we have a lot of things in common i was struck by the thought you were drafted i was drafted. t

actually i was enrolled many years ago to be at thecity university of mexico in mexico prram. city in the internationalt that program but that i was at the university of colorado i did all of my finals early to get back in time to get down to mexico. i got back to where i'm from and th i got ae letter from the veryimn importantt person the presidentt of the united states and i thought i thought how nice of eisenhower to remember me. notic it was my draft notice. it that changed my life change myet single e lifexp in a way the greatest single experience i have ever had and i would not be doing what i'm doing today had not having the discipline that comes

from being in the military. there always heroes that you are dealing with we were dealing with the hero with senator havet mccain.ennk i have often said second timothy 47 and john mccain reminds me tv say i fought the fight i have kept the faith. did that that is exactly what he did. a t mccain john mccain he was not the most lovable person to be around but that he was a fighter and didn't shy away from a good fight from thed causes he believed in and a strong advocate for human rights setting up to impress people around theop world so a lot of f people don't know that he was a. fighter even after he got back

from the time he spent in prisoa he got back to arizona andhat started fighting again he dider that for 36 years after hisrati. incarceration.is he was shaped by his own military service of his father andnd grandfather several times statements about his father ands grandfather i have done some studying on them and that is what formed john mccain. the both were admirals in the navy he naturally he was going to be in the navy and of course he was. during his leadership in the senate on services committee he continually focused on impact. those serving those serving on the armed services committee with senator mccain and they

know or anybody else that has served with him he was always in field and the senator from maine articulated that very well with the people he has compassion for taking care of the this sailor and the airmen and marines he articulated that by the t way in one of his bookt the faith of my fathers and this says it better than the rest of us as an officer yelled the locations to the enlisted men at officer must not infer his com responsibilities they are hisott alone he does not put his men in jeopardy for the purpose of the country that is not required or deserved he does not risk theiry lives but only to answer that shared duty.

that's s that that is senatoren mccain. o he looked after those in individuals that were under his command and a ferocious opponenn but the key thing about senatore mccain those debates would become more and more rare you don't see them like you but he would relish the debate earning respect and admiration of everyone. i remember because of all the together notn just in the senate armed services committee but the also. the house and my time we had differences off opinion.imes, t i know i have been stubborn onek got pretty violent when we check on each other he wanted to have

another background with the defense authorization bill and i i did not want one because i thought maybe we shouldn't be s doing it if it's closinghoul b n e the missions so we had an honesn different opinion i i remember in 2,003 that wasone was back et was jumping on the global warming thing that was the the ticket to the white house and i remember john had the mccain lieberman bill and i remember that lasted the days of debatese and i had hardly any senators come down on my side anyway. buh said goo he came over and said good job. you. you one. th's the per that's it.er no hard feelings and that is the kind of person he remained and we will never forget oklahoma i

think has always been a republican state it was intel after 1984 then i went for the united states senate was ate. democratic state it was my opponent only three senatorsatos came out to help me during that race. a and john mccain came out and always remember this because ofn a lot of things we had in commow but not just once but twice ande the first time he came o out heo had a background in aviation i have a background in aviationice and i remember i have a nice lot air-conditioned twin enginere so plane that i lost in june so i had to fly my kids plane on a

very hot day with no airny conditioning and it was in the '90s and got 90s and got close to 100 that day i would row down the different places we went the first was oklahoma cito then we visited vietnam then we flew to lawton which is the t number one area and in the whole world for artillery and we did our thing there all the time and then to the air force base it is still one of the top training we bases and now with akc 135 in fact now thanks to john and some of us on the committee we will

ploy the kc 46 and this 46 and this was long before that. we wr but anyway we worked our way up with a a fundraiser with the nre i know that he didn't want to ae also did the same thing. spend more time in that play because he came back two weeks later no reason for him to do fo spend more time in that play because he came back two weeks later no reason for him to do thatw each o we hardly knew eacr we got to know each other a lot better after that but each nevertheless he was there andr you always remember people help will. you can say a lot of things about john lot mccain he will hr them here and more as the hero in the patriot but he was a, fighter and above all deeply loved his country and his constituents and was a patriot and always faithful.

we know that patriotism that he rds, y loved and he did that every dayh with an officer following his family's footsteps of his father and grandfather he kept the he faith and graduated from the naval academy it is interesting he never talked about being the outstanding student in fact heae would say i was fifth in the boo class. a fifth from the bottom but he became a naval aviator during the vietnam war and flew 23nd te mission and then was shot down in enemy territory and we alld w know the story that he kept his that faith and it bears repeating nor five years that the northember g vietnamese i remember going he there and seeing the conditions under t which he was during thao period of time.rtunity he had the opportunity because

of his father and grandfather were admirals, he had the out, opportunity to bail and he did t not do it he didn't want to have any special treatment. that was john he kept his faithn by serving his country this time as a congressman and chairman ofchaf the armed services committee on now wavering under political pressure. a and on his own terms surrounded by friends and loving family wet go him a great debt we will trul remar celebrating a truly remarkable life of an american hero by his

stubbornness and courage and and passion sometimes all at the same time i look forward to hearing the stories we all grieve with cindy and the family and they continue to be in our prayers and lastly now that i to have thought about it that is iwhat timothy had in mind whenh wrote i fought the good fight and finish the race and i have kept theso faith so we say thann i yield the floor. and i suggest the absence of a quorum.

>> i am here to say judge kavanaugh you don't belong in this building is a justice. >> to the extraordinary career and intellect this judge you find a character in a humility combined with strength and the

point that i am making here with serving a staff secretary to president bush with issues of great constitutional moments the reason why the american people have a right to know how he advised the president and what he wrote those are the things which the republicans are hiding from the american people people. >> let's not not waste any more judge kavanaugh is supremely qualified for the supreme court so stop playing politics in joining us in supporting the confirmation. . . . .