website, please. guest: check out the stopbullyingwebsite. this is put by federal agencies an my colleagues have been supporting and providing some consultation to that effort. but i support people to check it out because that has the best research and practice recommendations. stopbullying.gov.

>> and never tried to anthony and brought him across the border to safety. and he wrote a terrific piece about their trip to sierra, the reporting part of it, which anthony was incredibly excited about. for those of you who knew anthony, he was just europe and his joy of being out covering with his own eyes and ears the most important story. friends have described his pure joy when he got to finally got to the square and he had told

the editors and his colleagues that the reporting trip to syria was one of the best he made. what made anthony special was his fluency in ara bilk, his eye for -- arabic and his eye for detail. ivensted of telling the stories of war through the eyes of political leaders and those waging the battle. bill keller, my predecessor as executive editor who hired anthony at the times said something quite true, if wikipedia had an entry for foreign correspondent, it would do say anthony's name.

he won prizes, including two pull it zers for his -- putser's for covering iraq and his father told me that a distinct memory of his when i was chatting with him in beirut after the tragedy, he said anthony would win whatever prize was available and he started doing this when he was 10 years old at bible camp. his new book is gorgeous. he is writing about his oklahoma city large extended family. and he says it's a big spraling clan.

together even when it is apart. the journalists on this panel are much of that clan and anthony's words apply to journalism as well. thank you. [applause] >> sometimes when one is asked to moderate a panel you worry about how can i fill the allotted time. my challenge is how can i get in all my questions, because these three have had amazing careers. i will dive in with my questions . there is a mic in the middle and this is a free-for-all. i hope that everybody in this room read your story about anthony's last days in syria. in your piece, you talked about

how you spent months with anthony planning this trip and planning how to stay safe. can you talk a little bit about that? >> sure, the type of trip is especially in the wake of what we have seen happen to our colleagues over the past really just the past year, a lot of people have been killed in syria and libya. and it seems that there was a lot of luck with journalists up until considering america has been involved in two wars over a period of a decade and so many journalists going. people have been getting hurt and killed along the way but it has been concentrated in the last year and made us focus differently on it and especially in our case having been just a year before planning this trip,

having been captured and nearly killed in libya and "new york times" took extra steps to make sure this trip would go smoothly. those wpt our own preparations but largely the contacts that anthony had inside syria where we are also, we made sure we were working with people we could trust. this isn't about charging into a country which is the worst thing you can do. there is a feeling you have to be there first and have to get there, but we deposit feel that. anthony, as he explained it to me, this is going to be a long war. this is going to drag on and only get worse. let's do this right and do this safely. that included taking a lot of precautions which border would we cross, who were we crossing

with, what contacts, who did we work with in the past. and who they really are. you depend on them, your life is in their hands. it's a local contacts that you're working with, making sure that you have a time line. we carry an emergency response beacon that tells the paper any given time when we push a button, carry medical kits. in the case of anthony, unfortunately, it was at the very end of the trip something that was very unexpected in a lot of ways that took his life. >> all of you are veterans of covering conflict. chris, what advice would you give to editors about sending people into a war zone for the very first time? is there something they can do to prepare the reporter for this

kind of action? >> the first thing you do automatically and do this part of your supervision of the news room that whoever you send has good sense of judgment. we work off satellite phones sometimes only by email through satellite phones and your communication back and forth with the desk needs to be rich and as constant as you can make it. the first one is judgment. that one you have covered. i don't think you would send someone whose judgment wasn't solid. there is a practical skill which is first aid training. i don't think you should send someone and i don't think you should hesitate using the work of a freelancer who has not had basic trauma care training. it is essential. military has that training and if something happens to you, it is likely there will be some

basic skills and knowledge available. when working in libya or syria, you would be astonished at the number of people who don't have any skills. and you have just minutes to save your peer's life and may have to work on them. it is important that journalists have a fundamental skill. a friend of ours died from an upper leg wound and other friends were holding his hands and not providing first aid but holding his hand. furthers, people were taken from that scene who were wounded less seriously than him by the only available car that was present. they didn't do first aid. i'm not saying this gentleman would have survived his wounds.

they were pretty severe but the aid wasn't administered and the tryage wasn't administered. if you are publishing their pictures or copy, it would be nice to know they have that basic skillset, which is to save a life that can be saved within reason quickly under duress and it's very simple. you can get them an e.m.t. course and don't need to spend $2,000 200 to go to a special course but lifesaving step skills. >> the picture that george mention that had was on the front page of the "new york times" and "washington post" and "wall street journal" and others was of syrian rebel soldiers grieving over some of their dead comrades and you wrote about your dangerous trip into syria and you said this might not have

been my best photography, but it told people a lot about what was going on in syria. is it important to take those kinds of pictures as well as the once you think might be a prize winner or front-page picture? >> yes. when we are taking front page features, we work and try to do our best. that feature was a boy crying next to his father. so that picture is more emotional and i would picture illustrate what was going on. and also with the civilians. so i think half of the risk is to show that piece not only to

show the fierce fighting and how brave the fightersr but people that are in the middle of that, the suffering, going through this conflict every day.

[inaudible] >> and we got here now. too dangerous. so we were working a team and that is helpful to working a team and to hear people who really know. these are machine guns. no idea what these weapons are. they have people with good knowledge.

>> for the non-photographers, you also confronts major chaos. riots, a mass funeral, how do you focus on that one image whether it is in grieving or something that you think it tells the story. are you looking for that in particular? >> is one of the things i have observed through the years, watching other photographers that i have always admired. being in the scene, whether it is a funeral or a protest, whatever it is. i would be shooting everything in every direction. i looked at the picture, and they completely -- they got this amazing shot. i got all this garbage, these busy pictures. i think that this still isn't so

much just going and photograph everything, but knowing what your looking for when you go into that situation and having the ability to focus and tune out. it is like hunting for birds. you have to aim at one, not a flock. >> rodrigo? >> for me, it's really important to be calm in that situation. when the situation is really a chaotic, you can start running everywhere without taking a picture. because you know what you're doing. you're trying to find a picture that illustrates the story. it is difficult.

the situation was completely more dramatic and more chaotic than my pictures. you're calm, you have experience, you can deal with the emotions without drama, people crying, people running. it is difficult, but we try to live through >> and some members of the military have trouble with adjustments when they come home. they have come from an area where driving down the block can be an imminent explosion, everybody carrying a backpack can be a suicide bomber. how do you go between the world that you cover and what we call the real world?

>> i think about this a lot because i have five kids, my wife is here. i come back to a pretty busy life that is my real life. it is not my job. in a strange way, some of these places have been horrible weather is ground zero or the day to day in libya and afghanistan or iraq. it makes you appreciate your own good fortune. you come to a place where you don't have to worry about your community. i don't resent that, i appreciate it. you try to get some perspective that you don't always succeed at it, because when you come back, your in your regular life. you can't really tried to superimpose one over the other

and you have to leave the other one for your work situation. these guys were talking a minute ago that i would add, it might have to deal with the personality that does this year in and year out. close at the dark, five the tourniquets. they shared something that is very similar and i will air them out. some of these guys, you might be the same type, you may have a little bit of perverse personality. when things are really good, they can be unmanageable. and when things are really bad, you can be calm. i'm not saying that they don't feel fear, they do. if they tell you they don't, they are lying.

but they manage it, they channel it, they concentrated and are very calm. they are bouncing around the inside of the tent because it's calm. when they are out there in the middle of that, i work side-by-side with photographers, i work from the field. it can be so busy and intense that is very self-organizing. you are not in those sorts of situations when your home. when you get stuck in traffic, you are just a guy stuck in traffic. it is not so bad.

>> i agree. i agree with chris a lot, you have to be able to separate as best you can what you do in the field that what you have at home. people manage that in different ways, they have different ways of coping with the stress being in the field. i heard about this with journalists at with veterans. -- and with veterans. you can see it in the field, the stress, the anchor, the fighting, all of these things that can happen. i think chris and i both have very good ways of managing those two things. what has happened to me in the last year, this past year has been the worst year of my entire life. captured in libya, lost a very

good friend in syria, i had to witness his death. and worse than that, seeing how badly it affected so many people, his family, friends, a widow, his son, his daughter. it is one thing to see something in the field, but there were these long-lasting things that really need attention. whether it is a correspondent for photographer, they think you need to be very sensitive to the level that they are coping with. it very well may not be on the surface, i know that the paper is always offering help. somebody to talk to, and the

thing. you don't even always think to ask for it yourself. he sure that you offer it to people, even if they don't think it was that bad, it is really important. >> this really affects the families. i remember when he stepped on a mine a few years ago. how is he doing, is he going to make it? there is sort of this expanding and blossom in conversation. -- and blossoming conversation. he was 2 years old in the back seat of my pickup truck, i took the additional call. he can only hear one side but he consents by distress. what did your friend is that bonn -- step on? there were times that i was

coming home, and he'd look at me and say, how come you're not hurt? what my wife goes through and my kids go through when i am away, it makes you feel like you have to worry about your universe. not just how he is doing in this room. -- in the newsroom. you can get your way around the pain of that. a little bit. but take a good look at the families, this is a real burden. it is like what the soldiers go through or the victims that are

caught up. they may not be right there seeing it, but they are living it. they can sense things we are not saying when we come home. >> you have a different circumstance that you don't cover conflict all the time. you might be taking pictures with a box camera that you found in afghanistan one day. how do you deal with covering peaceful topics and then going back to war? >> i live in central america, i cover haiti, mexico. they are not easy countries, but it is not open war like libya. but i think that i don't know if

i can go and do this like six months a year or nine months a year covering wars. early, i am more fresh going to these places. coming back, i am doing a project about by and women -- mayan women. i don't know any other story. when i go to pakistan, it's in a different way. not always the world. so i am not tired. i am never tired of going because i spent the early part of the year doing trips, and a normal life.

other stories. that is good. my mother says all the time, why are you not going to the olympics? why haiti? talking about family, they don't really understand why you go to afghanistan. i think it is important to do it. a good thing working for -- you are not just working for one newspaper, you are working for all of them. sometimes our pitchers are published everywhere. it is important to do it, to do mixed stories.

if i work hard and latin america, nobody cares. >> chris, you are a bit of a hybrid. before you were a journalist, you were a marine. as you cover the marines as a journalist, but you find that they help or a hindrance --do you find that a help or a hindrance? do you tell people up front that you were in the marines, or do you wait and see what the situation is? >> i don't have a choice with that anymore, before you show up, they know a lot about you and they have read what you have done. at this point, there is no lowballing that. mostly it helps. helps a lot.

there are things that got drilled in the by dna what i was young that you can't get rid of -- into my dna what i was young that you can't get rid of. but what i am walking patrol, i am hyper vigilant. i usually set of the patrol order beforehand, i can sometimes anticipate things that are happening before they happen. it puts you in the right place and keep you safe, and it helps me make a good risk assessment about whether i wanted to this particular patrol. i will shoulder risk for readers, but i will just go out there and what the patrol because i want to. there has to be a reason or a pursuit. you have to come back inside the wire, as they say. but sometimes, it hurts. i will give you an example. there was a patrol the i was on, it has happened a few times, where your state of knowledge is high.

you come to a point where the patrol is not behaving the way they you think it should be. in one case, a patrol was taking the left just short of the canal and i thought that they should scoot over the bridge. i thought there was a building over there that was dangerous. i wanted to be on their side of the canals of that you can sweep the building. there was a boat in the canal, i knew it was he. if we end up in the canal, we will drown today. but i did not say anything, it is not my job. you're not there to take over the patrol. if someone gets hurt, from that minute forward, you own that

casualties. you have to be quiet on patrol. the tyler and i were a lot of patrol a couple weeks ago, and they were bunched up. these kids have never been shot at. you know when you are moving with a group that has had a lot of combat, of this particular day, i decided not to say anything. i almost said, you might want to scoot over to that side of the bridge. we got shot at from the building, got shot through the spine. not like i was withholding information from the patrol, i just had a hunch. every time you have a hunch, you can't interfere with the patrol. but this is where it hurts. i think about the patrol, i will say every day, but every week.

-- won't say every day, but every week. >> the navy is conducting a study in the military troops that they sometimes get a sixth sense or spidey sense for danger that's imminent. does this come from experience? >> i think that comes from experience in the sense that specifically, if you talk about control and afghanistan, you can feel when something is going to happen. that often comes from experience. when you send people out, they are going with trained soldiers

and marines, they watch them. they do what they do and follow their movements. that is something that i have always tried to keep in mind. if something happens unexpectedly, the most unusual and unexpected thing usually happens. because, as chris was saying, you are attached to that. if you suddenly go running off in the other direction, they will have to go and get you. you have to go where they go, sometimes it is not where you want to go. sometimes they want to go right into the fight. there are certain courses offering training for these kind of things.

the real field experience, that is why is important. about to jump into the big and complex right away, to start off with lower level complex and at least get some of that experience and awareness about how these things work. >> a lower level conflict that i covered was a vote of rest. i was with -- was civil unrest. i smelled something, it was embers in my hair. i said to the photographer, they pay you to get close, they paid me to get the story. so i went to talk to the fire fighters. how much is too much? when does a good picture take over from saving your hide?

>> reporters, we need to be there. very near, sometimes. that is more risky. but you're asking when we feel it's really dangerous. in syria, days before the army launched a big attack. they were very concerned about not showing their face, they want to cover their faces. it was dangerous, but calm. they forgot about you. i took all the pictures. you feel the danger there

because they were quiet and running. you can feel at that moment, things are really getting closer. sometimes you understand the danger when you see faces of people that you're trying to photograph. in their terms, you can see it in their face. >> is it hard to stop shooting at times? >> it is. but with experience, you learn to stop. i have done incredibly stupid things in my life, and i have been lucky. there is something to be said for this element of competition in the field.

it can be very dangerous. and you have a certain number of people that want to go back. when jim and chris were killed, chris was a very old friend of mine. we'd known him for years. he was done for the day. they got hard-core pictures of fighting that day. he talked to his fiancee on the phone, we might just wandered out to the port. -- wander down to the port. other photographers wanted to go back and wanted to get a picture. this group mentality takes over. what if they go and they get something? he jumps in the truck and get killed in our later. -- gets killed an hour later.

not having the pressure from your editors, so and so got this picture and you didn't. anyone in those places, it is really dangerous and sometimes it is not as clear from the home base. if you see a picture of a guy firing a gun, getting to that place was probably 10 times more dangerous. you never know where rock is going to hit. the arabs spring continues to go on. it is important to not have the pressure to have that picture or story because somebody else has it. the stakes are too high right now.

>> chris, what are your thoughts about risk assessment of your choosing whether or not to go into an area to get a particular story. >> you think you can understand the readers with your day, you pursue your day that way. i will give you an example. trusting your people in the field. i will give you a really good example. we were rolling all day, a classic afghan fire fight with

his platoon was pushing to miles beyond where they were normally going. there were probably five or six working a platoon. they would shoot at them, everyone would scatter into buildings and collar around. -- crawl around. kids would come out and beat the sheep out of the way and the firefight would start again. a guy got shot. it was an important time in may of 2010. there were 20,000 marines in this province, it was going to be about fighting season. -- a bad fighting season. we knew some of these guys, we had been in firefights earlier in the year.

there were usual questions like timing, and i have been killed, we wanted to take pictures of -- a guy had been killed and we wanted to take pictures of his memorial. if we walk into the wire, there was another patrol out. there is a tree-line, we both felt the urge to be out there on the patrol. look at the pictures on the disk. we are looking at this thing like it is our job to be here.

we haven't even violent what we got. i think there is a value going down there. if we are going to get her, the guy who doesn't get hurt needs to be able to tell the families why. if we go out on the patrol, what do we tell the paper? what do i tell bill? that is a really important matrix. there is journalism at other things going into it. the photographers are out there

working the dotted line. you have to trust them to know when to back out. it would also have been a distract them. -- a been a distraction. we are going through this calculus every day out there. i don't need to go up to that intersection of because i know what is up there and i may not come back. >> sometimes, i am the kind of guy that says, we need to go. dodge that is what we were going through that night, we were sitting there. it is like a light show at sunset, only a few field the

way, a quick walk. we say we are out a lot, we are. when you run a good marine unit or a good army units, those guys have been living in a year at a time. they are very relaxed about it. you can fall into that state of mind. and you have constant checks and balances to pull themselves back. it becomes more manageable. you have the managers of even more intensely. -- you have to manage yourself even more intensely. >> from the news room, photographing, sometimes you have to wait to blog. does it make you a better photographer to have that

constant pressure to produce, or does it get in the way of doing a more in-depth job? >> a tweet, facebook post or blog is as good as the content. if this is good, it makes you better, if it is garbage, it is a waste of time. only sundays does that sparkle. i think that we obsess of little too much of the tools make you better or not. we have the tools, but if we are going to do with, it needs to be good. nobody wants to be the boring newspaper like nobody wants to read a boring tweet. >> multimedia content is more -- four still photographers to

shoot a video, write something, it gets too much. you have to know your limits. i don't do a lot of that kind of stuff. you can kind of keep your bare drop -- to your bare job. if some people can split up their skills more, i am not great at standing out. >> the moment, you have seconds to take a picture. you don't have 10 or 20 different moments. you have two or three moments in a day.

not in a perfect way, but the best way possible. it is difficult. for me, i never received any pressure. the pressure is at least mine. i want to show the story in the best way. i want to go again and again. and sometimes these guys stop you. tyler, you were once interviewed by chris. he asked you how it has changed you personally, smoking, drinking, exercise?

>> chris exposed a lot of my history on that one. the probably took it easy on me. if you are going out into place, you have to be healthy. you have to be able to stay up with -- i am 42 years old, you go out on patrol with these guys that are between 18 and 25 years old. you have to be able to keep up with these guys. sometimes it is straight of about 10 or having to run 300 meters. -- straight up a mountain or having to run 300 meters. there are no -- chris and i both run, go to the gym. we hope that the young guys around us smoke a lot and have

slowed themselves out as much as possible. it has changed me a lot, and not just the physical stuff. but the way that you value life, friends get hurt, get killed, you learn to value life more. every time i go home, i spent time with my parents, my friends. you really appreciate what you have, especially how people are living. libya and syria this year, the way that people live there are atrocious. i think, i am really lucky. your physical mental health are

the of important things that you have. >> you just debunked the myth of the hard drinking, hard smoking war correspondent. >> i had my sleeping bag, soldiers were helping me. now i have becomed more disciplined. i have the correct box, and i'm not bothering anybody. i can work myself. also, i have to be fit. if you have to walk of 40 degrees, and you can't do it, are you killed in syria or the soldiers in afghanistan?

you have a no-losing perspective. i'm thinking that things can be really worse. this is not so bad. >> i think you said that it was important not just for your well-being but the people that you are with that you are fit. so that you don't put anyone else in danger. >> if someone has to divert their resources, time, and attention to help you, and

something happens on that control, you are accountable for that. you represent the industry, your newspaper, your wire service, magazine, a network. you have to make the impression of being a serious human being. whether it is libya and rebels or syria rebels or chechnyan gunmen, you had better be able to make it. you better not slow them down or need help. if you get hurt, you are part of it and you will get the hell, but you better not need attention because you can't keep up. i wondered whether i would get out of this beat. i often think, the first patrol i lag on will be the day that i stopped, or if i get hurt. i don't think i could face

myself if i knew that i slowed a patrol down. if you go out there like tyler said, you have to have life habits. you can't say i'm going on a six-hour patrol today. you don't know when you're coming back. things are going on and on. you have to be a bill tohang -- be able to hang. >> and sometimes you sleep three hours in 10 days one week or when we exit like this in syria, and you have to be very quick and if you are not fit you not

only put yourself in danger, you could be in danger for not only your life but all of them. >> we have a room full of journalists and there must be some questions. we have a mic here. >> i guess this is a question of rod fourrigo mo -- of rodrigo mostly. some newspapers ran the name of the boy and his father's name, some did not. just describing it in general terms. i wonder if you can speak to those kinds of specifics and whether you think they are important, and whether they are important in humanizing the situation. and whether that matters. >> each situation is completely

different. because you write the name of the person whose picture is going to risk their lives, you don't do it. there were examples and syria, it was there phase at their names. you have to respect that. you always have to respect that. if somebody reads my name, they are going to kill me. if someone looks at my picture, they will kill my relatives. you have to respect people you're taking pictures of. that's not only a professional thing, it is a human thing.

in terms of that picture, i don't think there were any problems riding the name of the little boy -- writing the name of the little boy. i don't think it was a problem. >> i thought it was a very good thing. >> there are cases where if you do it, even if you think it is correct, you are really putting into real danger the life of that person. >> we withhold names all the time if we think that lives are in jeopardy. it is not every day, but it is not uncommon. there was an informant in forming against the president of chechnya. we waited until they got their family members out of chechnya

and out of russia. a lot of times, you have to look to your conscience, not just that your -- at your scoop. >> yes, sir. >> i'm the former editor of the austin american statesman. you talk about battle coverage very appropriately. my question is more toward the broad, overarching story of what this means, how and why of the story. it seems to me that you do that much more, summing up the pathway of a nation and its battle. cultural shifts, strategic issues that are pretty hard to pin down. you are doing that story amid

chaos. you only have one or two or three sets of ties rather than vast platoons of reporters or photographers. your resources can be good sources, but they can be bad, too. how different is it coming up with the howl and why story -- how and why story? when do you know that you have it? when you come to grips with that? >> when you talk about the pathway of the nation, do you talk about the nation's in which we are working or this nation? >> [inaudible] >> i would like to pop the balloon here. we talk about what we do as if it is fascinating and important. it is a smaller part of a much

larger enterprise. we cover field hospitals, rebels, front lines, or live back from the front, how it is affected. the way that you cover a war is not just to go to the frontline. you have to go to the cemetery, the mosque, the church, the congress, tracking what candidates are saying. you have to have reporters on both sides of that point to the extent it is possible. withnot really possible the taliban at this point. everything we do fits into a much larger conversation. i don't think that i have to

write a story that defied the decade of war. i don't take that as possible. i think i would look back on it and laugh at. everybody's work fits in with everybody else's. you make this great big mosaic. some days i have to back up and provide some of the more broader views. sometimes the editors asked for it, sometimes i feel it in my bones. you get a point of view. about a lot of things. sometimes it finds its way into my copy. sometimes it is a magazine piece. but i try to keep in perspective. i don't think that at the end of my career, my body of work is going to tell you that much. i hope it will answer the question you said.

you can't swing for the fences every day. >> [inaudible] >> it tells a big story, thank you. but it doesn't tell the entire story. i rely on those that do things differently. i am really glad that there are people that do it well. i remember in the marine corps, i was committed to it. how does eric schmidt know things about the marine corps that i don't know. it was really good, it was really true. i was in that culture, and he was adding to my understanding of it. if you have a good picture or a good story, you can increase the reader's understanding a notch, that's great. three notches is incredible.

re-order the world with one story, i can't do that. >> bill with usa today. the lead story in the times this morning is the u.s. joint effort to equip and pay rebels in syria. based on your time and experience, what is the nature and capability of this opposition that america is now supporting? >> having spent a good amount of time in libya at the beginning of that conflict, something i can say about the abilities, something that i touched dodd and the article that i wrote for the paper -- touched on in the article that i wrote for the paper. you have defectors from the syrian army. they are small in number, but

they are skilled, military people. it may not look different from a bunch of guys with weapons running around the field. when you were there, the organization and skills that is much higher -- and skill set is much higher. when they get money and weapons, which is what i have heard that they are about to get, it is not going to make their ability a lot higher, but it will cause a much bigger flood of defections. i think that they will have an impact. and reflecting what anthony said, the hour before he died, i was standing next to him when

the people that were helping us did a little interview, you are about to head to the borders with sunset. this is actually the last question that anyone asked him. do you think that we will be successful? do you think we will win this war? he said, i do. i think you will be successful, but it will take a very long time. >> i think it is fitting that we and with anthony's last words. i appreciate the service that you do, i value the work that you do, and i thank you for your generous donation of time today. [applause]

[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> next, maryland senator barbara mikulski is honored for her years of congressional service. after that, a bipartisan tribute to senators robert dole and howard baker. then a white house forum on women and the economy, with remarks from president obama. tomorrow on "washington journal ," a discussion of the latest jobs numbers from march and the overall economy. then, the editorial director of kiplinger and a certified public accountant will take your questions and offer tax filing tips. "washington journal," live at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. mikulski hasbara

been recognized for years of service in the u.s. congress. when sworn into her fifth term last year, senator mikulski became the longest serving woman in u.s. senate history. senator mikulski was elected to the u.s. house in 1976 and was first elected to the u.s. senate in 1986. during this tribute, we hear from minority leader nancy pelosi, a connecticut rep, and vice president joe biden. this is about 45 minutes. >> good evening, everyone. it will come to the celebration of the longest serving woman in the u.s. congress, but the great leadership of senator barbara mikulski. [applause] it is not just about the length of time, it is about the quality

of service and leadership, it is about the personality that she is, it is about the history she has made, it is about the progress she is making for the american people. are we all honored to be with her this evening? [applause] on saturday it -- right, saturday? on saturday, the great moment occurred. we thought all of you would be here if we had a celebration then, but we thought we would do it was -- when congress was in session. we particularly wanted to do it here in the house. they had a day of tributes in the senate. i don't know if you had a chance to see it, but when they replay it, please watch it. it is so edifying to see the appreciation expressed by her colleagues in the u.s. senate. every time somebody said something, i would think, that is just what i would have said, and i am sure you would say the same thing.

so here we are gathered during women's history month. how better to observe it and to honor senator mikulski. and i want to acknowledge the presence of some great women leaders in our country. three members of the president's cabinet, secretary kathleen sebelius -- where are you kathleen? [applause] secretary janet napolitano -- [applause] administrator lisa jackson. [applause] we are also very honored by a woman so spectacular, a woman that a room in the capital is named for our -- former congresswoman lindy boggs. [applause] i should say ambassador, because just the other day, earlier this month, she celebrated her 96th

birthday. [applause] and this is a day of firsts. i want you to acknowledge the first woman secretary of state, madeleine albright. [applause] acknowledging the women, but i know the marylanders would want to be acknowledged, so our great whip steny hoyer. the judge was here earlier. don edwards is here with us. [applause] -- donna edwards is here with us. [applause] and the other maryland -- ok, there they are. it lies a cummings -- the logic cummings, congressman john

sarbanes. [applause] beverly. [applause] applaud fort, let's all of us because this is a roomful of celebrities. [applause] another former member, helen bentley. there she is. [applause] the room is full of members of the house and of the senate. and as i say, we take special pride because for the first 10 years of this record breaking history in the congress, those first 10 years were spent here in the house of representatives. [applause] we have the whole baltimore contingent here. and i start with myself. [applause]

and we have the fire from the institute of notre dame, where barbara and i both went to high school. when i was sworn in as speaker, barbara wore her ind ring to the swearing-in. we take great pride in that i did it. it isn't this something? on the floor of the senate today we heard about her upbringing of a proud polish american family, about her father's grocery store opening early so that steel workers could buy their launches before the early shift. barbara made her career first as a social worker come and as she likes to say, she is not a social worker with power. >> yes. [applause] >> we all take pride in barbara's success. i remember being in maryland the

day she won the primary in 1976, and paul sarbanes one the senate race that day. and we had that transfer of power. ever since that day, guess how many -- 12,858 of them, she has worked on behalf of our constituents, all americans. she works on behalf of the day- to-day needs of marylanders and the long-term needs of the nation. we are proud of her long distinguished career that began in the house of representatives. we not only celebrate the life of the leadership, but the quality of it. how appropriate she became the longest serving woman in congressional history during women's history month, and she has been making history and progress her entire career. first woman elected to the senate in her own right.

[applause] remember that? first woman on the senate appropriations committee. [applause] first woman elected assistant senate floor leader and the only woman to have held that position. [applause] this i cannot believe, but the first woman elected to statewide office in maryland. a real pioneer. [applause] the women of the senate call senator mikulski "dean." dean, a teacher, leader, mentor, friend, she is all of this to so many of us and many of us gathered here. by the way, i have notes from all of the people who cannot come, and i will share that later. here today is one of senator mikulski's best friends, colleagues from her time in the

house, congresswoman barbara kennelly. we went to the same college, at trinity college. so did kathleen sebelius. this is sister heyday. ind, trinity college. where are you kathleen? trinity college. this is girl's school day. and girl leadership. barbara kennelly is now a distinguished professor of political science at trinity college. like senator mikulski, barbara kennelly has taught all of us, how to lead, but justly, the champion for some of the most vulnerable in our society, especially women. and now i am pleased to present a great leader in the house when she served here, a great friend to barbara mikulski and many of us here, our friend congresswoman barbara kennelly. [applause] >> oh, first of all, may i say

-- you know, i never say the speaker is not absolutely right, but barbara has a lot of best friends in this room. i look around and i see a lot of barbara's best friends, and i am just so proud and so happy to be part of this marvelous occasion. we are all barbara's friends, and she has so many more everywhere to salute her. you know, barbara has been incredible for women in this country. she has been an inspiration to some any women because she fights for what she believes in, and they know that she is fighting for them. you know, everyone might think that barber was just on a path to be where she is today, but i have heard a story that she really wanted to be the second madame curie. she wanted to make a discovery, not make millions of people's lives better, but thank god she decided she wanted to stay and baltimore.

you know, being a trailblazer is not easy. really is not easy, especially when you are trying to get into the political world, where barbara tried to get into it. especially when you are trying to get into a body like the house, which is built on tradition, and that tradition does not have a lot of women's thought and a. but, you know, barbara to not care, she never complained, she just did her work and she was a leader right from the very beginning. nancy, i agree, i hated to have released. barbara and i, all of us worked to make sure that she could go to the senate. i'm just thankful that she has continued to work as hard as she has worked and dedicated herself to people. i'm going to say something about hubert humphrey, what he used to say. i used to say it for years, and i did not have to say it anymore because government was going along so well and everything was

pretty good, but i have to say it again. a test of a country, a test of democracy is those who take care of the children at the dawn of their life, take care of people at the twilight of their life, older citizens, and take care of people in the shadows of their life, the port, the disabled. barbour has lived by that. she has made sure those people are always taking care of. we hear a lot about politicians. i don't even think of her as a politician. i just think of her as barbara, who works for the people of maryland and this country. [applause] you know, barbara lives by one thing at -- honor thy mother and father. honor thy mother and father. that is a commandment she grew up with, uh commanded she has lived by. it is good public policy to live

by. barbara has woven that police and robert legislative priorities. one of the things she is most proud of, strengthening the safety net for seniors. i have given my life for seniors. and you don't know how glad i am when the senator supports the issues that i have given my life for. just recently, we always have trouble with social security, and she was busy as could be, but she came to a press conference for us and she just wowed them. it was unbelievable. just a personal note, and i look at wednesday, because she has been with us. i had just come to congress. i went on my first international trip with barbara mikulski and geraldine ferraro. and they were awesome. they were absolutely awesome. and they would go into these meetings and at the beginning i said, there is not a vote in the

room, but that did not matter to them, they were representing the united states of america and a made everybody feel important and they made everybody understand how strong and good this country is because they looked at these two women. and they taught me so much. and i have to say one last thing. most of you know, but the whole world does not know, she is brilliant. [laughter] she is absolutely brilliant. and i want to tell you a little secret, that i don't think i have even told barbara. barber was so good to me when i first came. i used to talk to her on the phone. we catholic girls, we all stick together. i used to talk to her on the phone and i would bring up an issue and she would talk about it and i would take notes. i would take notes because i knew that she knew exactly what she was talking about. she has been a tenacious good friend.

we lost a very good friend this year, geraldine ferraro, one of our best friends. when we found out she had a serious health problem, let me tell you, i cried. i cried. she was much more productive. she did all the research on what gerry had. she said we traveled for her when she was going to be vice president, we were with her through the good times, and now we will be with her through this illness. and we were. and you don't know what it meant for her to be a top those senator on the fund. she would tell me that she had talked to barbara and barbara told her all about what was going on in the senate and she felt part of it. all i can say is, brilliant, good friend, wonderful center, an art we lucky -- wonderful aren't we lucky?t we luck >> and steny and i want to add,

great politician. senator paul sarbanes is here. from the maryland contingent. now, we have action on the floor, some members are coming and going, but i think we have to have a shot up to the members who have turned out. first, senator pryor, caylee hutchins, from the senate, -- kb lee hutchins, from the senate. amy, tom harkin, chuck schumer. any others? oh, the most senior of the mam all! we are getting there, we are getting there. ok, i want all of our colleagues from the house to raise their hands so they can be acknowledged.

[applause] wave to barbara. and now for our surprise guest. barbour kept saying to me, why can't we start the program? people have to get to the food and refreshments and the desert. i said, just a few more minutes. who are we waiting for? she is never in patient, you know that. [laughter] it is a tremendous honor for all of us at a real sign of the respect and regard with which senator barbara mikulski has been held for decades, and now passing this great record, this one best serving woman, most accomplished woman and the congress of the united states ever. for us to have with us a person who has been a champion for the american people, a person who has been a champion for america's women.

a bill that is coming up soon, the violence against women act, has no greater champion that are vice president, joe biden -- than out vice-president, joe biden. [applause] >> barbara kennelly said we catholic girl stick together. let me tell you, we catholic boys have been falling catholic girls all our lives. [laughter] nancy, thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to be here. i really mean it. i invited myself. no. t. s. lewis once said, "what draws people to be friends is

they see the same truth and they share it." you know, i look around this room, to the men and women in this room, and that is probably the best definition we could have. we see the same truth. but there is one person was been hollering the truth the loudest and longest to make sure everybody hears it. barbara, i want to be here because of my enormous respect for you, and you know i mean it. you possess all of the qualities that a national leader should possess. you possess all the qualities and national leader should possess. first of all, you never say anything you don't mean. [laughter] and by the way -- by the way, it matters. it matters. people are so used to hearing things that people don't mean. secondly, barbara, that you

never, ever, ever break your word. not one single time. whatever you say, you are going to do. you do, and you have done. and also, the principal has been the driving force in your life. you reserve your ambition for the people who need your help. your ambition has always been to see toyour ambition has always n for them. literally, not figuratively. there is a lot of hyperbole goes -- that goes on, but i mean this sincerely and you all know it. her ambition has always been for the people who need someone to believe in them. most of all, the people the barber described. it is amazing the impact you have had on the attitudes of women about women.

the attitude of women -- that is strange to say, but the attitude about women about was -- what was within their reach and capacity. i held over 1000 hearings on the violence against women legislation. one of the things i've learned, i learned that women were empowered by other women who sought power and achieve it. you are going to hear a lot and you heard a lot today about how the women of america "you. the truth of the matter is, the men of america owe you a lot. one of the efforts you lead, barbara, was you freed men of the stereotypical notion that they were raised to believe. when they saw their daughters accomplish, when they saw their wives and their mothers take on new roles, when they saw the people they loved the most take

on responsibilities that they had not seen before in their lives, it liberated them, too. this sounds stupid, but think about it. think about what you did on your incredible, unrelenting efforts on or women's issues. you saved the lives of people that men rely on, need, and look to. you made men realized what they did not even know -- that there was a two-tiered standard. most men being raised in the 1940's, 1950's, and 1960's were unaware until you took the band- aid off how different the circumstances were. some men did not care. most men, when you showed them,

cared. i remember the fight. you want to get some old male jock who of things this is a bad idea. i have a daughter in college. [laughter] i am serious. think about it. think about how much it has changed in the attitude of men about themselves, not only about women. barbara, you know, you eliminated are a lot of men at the sari stereotypes they cling to. we of had many long car -- conversations. i have learned a lot from you. i am not being solicitous. you paid me the highest

compliment anyone has ever paid me. it meant more to me than you will ever know. but the truth is that i asked to be here for selfish reasons. i wanted to have the privilege of standing with you so that i am able to tell, and i mean sincerely, tell my four granddaughters that i was there to celebrate a woman who has changed in many ways the way people think about one another. changed the way we think in this country. you are not the only one, barbara, but let me tell you, a lot of us have served in the senate. you may remember when i left the senate, they thought there were be nice to meet -- the senate historian pointed out that only 13 people in history have ever

served longer than i have. i found it debilitating. [laughter] but many people have served. a few people will be remembered. few people we remember our having made outstanding contributions to change the way we view ourselves. you played a gigantic part in that, barbara. it is an honor and privilege to be with you. as i said, it was totally selfish. i wanted to be here because you have been my friend. thank you. [applause] >> and you wanted to be here to present a barber with this -- barbara with a this from the department of labor, signed by

secretary solis. >> i did not know i was presenting this, barbara, but congratulations. >> we celebrate the history making a woman, barbara mikulski, the longest serving female member in all of congress. [applause] >> thank you. i should acknowledge senator inouye and the great governor of maryland, martin o'malley. [applause] >> do you want to make a toast? it is very hard when the governor is in the house and not to have them make a toast. do you want to make a toast, governor? a toast?

>> [unintelligible] [applause] >> ok. hip-hip-hooray for senator barbara mikulski. [applause] >> mr. vice president, before you go, many many thanks far one, honoring me and helping celebrate this great occasion. we want to thank you for all of their public service and your great life in the united states senate. you are known for your work in foreign relations or you worked so hard to bring about world peace and being an advocate

there, for your work on the judiciary committee and creating legislation to put more cops on the beat. as the architect of the violence against women legislation -- many things came out of that, including a hot line that if you felt that you were in danger, you knew the government was on your side and at your fingertips. since we passed the legislation, sponsored and created by the vice-president, 1 million women have used the hot line. [applause] thank you very, very much. the hour is getting late. my feet are starting to work. it is warm in here. boy, do i love being back in the house of representatives. [applause]

i am honored that so many people have come, members of the cabinet, members of the house of representatives, serving now, serving in the past, my members from the united states senate who have come over. i could go through every name. i know just about every single one of you by name. in some way or another, we have worked together. we are honored to have governor o'malley here. he paid a three-hour tribute to me on the house floor. [applause] the sought unanimous consent to be recognized. you know the senate. you cannot get unanimous consent for everything. i want to thank nancy pelosi, my friend, my pal from baltimore.

alexandro is legendary. nancy's dad was mayor. nancy's brother was a mayor. what you do not know is nancy's mother was a force unto herself. nancy also had five brothers and she learned not only constituent service watching her mother and father, watching her brother, but negotiating with five italian dies at the family table. she can handle bhoener any day. [applause] it was a wonderful family. we both went to a catholic girls' school called the institute of notre dame. let's hear it.

[applause] we not only had a great education in the basics, barbara kennelly said i was brilliant. they thought i was brash, and they were right. but it was also leadership and development, speaking up and speaking out. there was also at that time a great movement called "the christopher movement." it occurred to us better to write one little hand -- like one little candle than to curse the darkness. we all belong to one another in this world and we have to fight for economic justice, feed the hungry, care for the six. at that school, it did not matter if you're the mayor's daughter or a grocer's daughter -- what matters is what you're going to do and we did so much.

but that nancy. moved to california. the rest is history. became the first woman in the history of the united states to become the speaker of the house. [applause] nancy, we could have not passed the bill in the house unless you started it here. we could not have passed health care reform unless you add started it in the house. everything you do in every way, from your enduring friendship to your leadership, i want to give you a round of applause. [applause] i am grateful that the men of the maryland delegation have come. let's give a shout out to these great guys.

my friends and my supporters and, also, a special tribute to the maryland women. we have a long history of sending women to congress. wow. just listen to this. marjorie holt, helen bentley, a lattice for men, and now our own rising star, donna edwards. [applause] do you not wish to you drank the water in maryland? [laughter] when you get a policy, and mikulski, a bentley -- we are girls who do not say no. when we talk about this history that is happening, 12,858 days, all commuting from baltimore, i

have a lot of pot holes and speed bumps, but here i am. i have two records. one, when i was sworn in in january. on saturday, i passed the record of a wonderful congressman from massachusetts. she was known by serving 18 terms. she took her husband's seat when he passed away in the mid 1920's. she served until 1960. she passed away three days before her primary in which she would have been elected for a 19th term. she was known for her devotion to constituent service and her record. she was the author of the g.i. bill. she created the wavs and the wacs. when i look at martha j. smith,

what incredible people. they were party, resilience, both republican, but we had a lot in common. they were known for their devotion to constituent service, which i hope i always have. they were known for their unabashed patriotism, which is one of my motivations. they were known for their strong independence, and i would like to be down for that as well. i want to congratulate them and honor them as i joined them on the history books. i came to the house in 1976. it was only 56 years after women got the right to vote. there were 19 women serving at the time -- 13 democrats, five republicans, just five women of color. now there are 74 women in the house and 17 women in the senate. hard to believe. we are making progress. here we can look at the numbers

and statistics, but when i came to the house, barbara had just left. but there were names like barbara jordan. then others came after that. barbara kennelly, olympia snowe, barbara boxer -- all on the honor roll here. we had a congresswoman's caucus. we focused on ending discrimination, whether the insurance companies or social security. we wanted to change the federal law book in the federal checkbook. our issues were quite controversial. remember the era? [applause] we ought fought for women to be included and respected in the military. we wanted to end discrimination

in social security and medicare. then there were our good friends, the insurance companies. they again discriminated. we fought them on the issues and we fought hard. for me, the time in the house was working about friendships. it was a time for friendship and came changing and life changing. when i came to the house as one of the marylanders, i committed every day. tip o'neill was the speaker and he would have us work late on wednesday night. i struck up a friendship with geraldine ferraro. i would stay for dinner. i would spend wednesday night at 0 per apartment. we became pals, and her daughter laura is with us today. [applause]

geri, barbara kennelly, and i became great friends and great pals. we were the same age, no matter what she tells you now. [laughter] we both went to the same kind of catholic girls' schools and we both wanted to work together. that friendship to get -- the french ship continued when geri -- friendship continued when geri nominated for vice president. that friendship has continued. i hope it will continue for ever. there was another game changing time. that game changing was the congresswoman's caucus. we all got together in the late 1970's. there was starvation in cambodia. their refugee camps and people were dying. someone said, do you think we

could go and say the children? the congresswomen at that time got an air force plane and we got on, and it did not matter what party we were from, it matters that we wanted to save the children. it was when the dobbs. it was olympia snowe. it was pat schrader. it was barbara mikulski. off we went. we went to the refugee camps and we saw starvation and we saw the effects of genocide. then when we were in a camp, wendy was there with me. we wanted to see what they were doing. we sat in a circle and the little girls and boys sitting around and a little girl sat next to me. i turned to her and her her story. she had been taken out upper mother's arms, put in a truck, they get to a forced labor camp, and managed to escape. i turned to her and said, "what

can i do for you?" she said take me with you. i said i cannot do that for you today, but i will help you find your mother. the un called and said they cannot find her mother. are you ready to be her mother? i said, yes. i thought i could not do this to this little girl. [laughter] she has already been through enough. [laughter] so i reached out to the cambodian heritage society and we found her a real home and a real mother and father. i am happy to say she is here in the united states, married to a man in the building trade, has four children. she takes her birthday from the day she landed at baltimore/washington airport.

wendy sherman at work for me and my chief of staff then. i said we'd be, i think i am going to be a mother. [laughter] she said, oh, god. [laughter] there are many stories i could tell about my time, but i will always be grateful that a congresswoman and a group called the congresswoman's akaka spot on an airplane to save the children. it did not matter what party you were. it mattered that you wanted to save the children. now let me conclude with when i began. this is a great country. i cannot thank everyone enough for their tributes today. i thank god for helping me be born in the united states of america. my great-grandmother came to this country. she did not have the right to

vote. she had little money in her pocket, but a big dream in our hearts. she wanted that american dream. you could own a home, own property in your own right, and make a reply for yourself. to my mother and father who worked in the neighborhood grocery store so my sisters and i could have an education. my father started his grocery store in the new deal. i said why did you do that? he said because i believe in roosevelt and roosevelt believed in me. that is the late nancy and i was raised. a fair deal, a new deal, a better deal. i could go through issue by issue, but i also want to thank all of those who made it possible. this great country, my parents, my wonderful staff because all of us who hold political office

know you are only as good as the staff you have that helps us to help our constituents. to all my volunteers who work so hard, and most of all, to the people of the fourth congressional district. to the state of maryland who gave me a shot when people were unsure and i was unknown. let me conclude by saying this -- deep in my heart, i am still the congresswoman from the third congressional district. i am still a fighter and i am still a reformer. i am still that young girl in that blue jumper. i am still that person who will light one little candle and curse the darkness. i will continue to work with all of you in this room. you are here because you make a difference. let's continue to work together to make change and may the force be with us. [applause]

>> next, a bipartisan tribute to former senators robert dole and howard baker. then a white house forum on women and the economy with remarks by president obama. after that, reporters and photographers walkabout what it is like to cover a war. -- talk about what it is like to cover a war. >> saturday night on c-span, the president of planned parenthood talk about women's health care in politics in america. >> i think health care should not be politicized. it does not come with a political label. i just left arizona where i am is very proud -- actually, they

just voted down the birth control ban in arizona. i literally just got it. good things can happen. but arizona, planned parenthood was started by barry goldwater's wife. we have hundreds of thousands of republican supporters. planned parenthood is republicans, independents, we are democrats. we believe that women's health care does not come with a political label. >> see the whole speech saturday night at 9:40 p.m. eastern on c- span. >> at the bipartisan policy center recently hosted a tribute to former senators bob dole and howard baker. honoring them for their century of service and bipartisanship efforts in congress. this tribute includes remarks by bill clinton, vice president joe biden, former senators tom

daschle, bill frist, trent lott, and others. following a video tribute of their service and contribution, both bob dole and howard baker shared brief remarks. >> please rise for the playing of our national anthem. ♪

♪ >> ladies and gentleman, former senate majority leaders howard

baker and bob dole. [applause] ♪

♪ >> please welcome former senate majority leader and bipartisan policy center founder tom

daschle. [applause] >> trent lott and bill frist along with the president of the bipartisan policy center. it is my pleasure to welcome each of you here tonight. tonight, we are here to honor two distinct and different republicans. no, i am not talking about mitt romney, i am talking about two great men. in every sense of the word. howard baker, the senator from kansas -- howard baker and the senator from kansas he did not marry, bob dole. [applause]

it is a real tribute to both of them that this amazing crowd is gathered in this extraordinary venue tonight. it is exciting for me when i can speak to more people than the entire state of south dakota, but it is truly an honor to pay tribute to two men whom i admire and from whom i have learned. [applause] it has long been my view that it is easy to be brave and from a distance -- on the battlefield and in the heat a political battle, the men we honor tonight have demonstrated that -- a demonstrated debris at the front, consistently putting country ahead of itself and often strengthening their party by putting country ahead of party. i would like to recognize some special guests we have here tonight. two outstanding members of the

cabinet's home i am very proud to call friend, leon panetta and capping sebelius are here and we are grateful to them -- kathleen sebelius are here and we are grateful for their leadership and service to our country. [applause] we have many former members of congress as well as members of congress and the senate here tonight. we are all grateful you have taken time out of your busy schedules to be here, especially our majority and minority leaders in the senate. i want to thank especially the men and women of walter reed medical center who have joined us tonight. we thank them for being here especially. [applause] most importantly perhaps, our gratitude to senators and elizabeth dole ridiculous but dull, nancy kassebaum, and their families. -- elizabeth dole, nancy

kassebaum, and their families. almost exactly five years ago, our honorees along with senator mitchell and i founded the bipartisan policy center. we did so with a belief that division need not be destiny. we felt that if democrats and republicans who have been in the arena speak with one voice on issues of policy, it would help instill those in the rain at do the same. we wanted an organization that would combine real scholarship with effective advocacy. there are plenty of great studies produced in this city that are being used as doorstops. we wanted to undertake projects with purpose. we have been gratified to see the work reflected in the national conversations on health care and energy, the national

debt, national security. our core tenant is that collaboration is actually a form of a strength. we reject the idea that pursuing shared solutions required sacrificing values. in fact, we would argue there is no greater achievement than building a lasting consensus among different voices and views. tonight, we celebrate two men who embody these ideals, principles, and leadership. far more than 50 years of peace, senator baker and dull did more than help lead this country, they defined -- dole did more than help lead this country, they defied what was best about it. before he became harry truman's vice president, barkley was faced with the prospect of leading the majority in the senate. his outlook was grim no one can

lead the senate, he said. i have nothing to threaten them with. howard baker succeeded in leading the senate precisely because he did not threaten. if he promised anything to his colleagues, it would be that he would listen. he would keep an open mind. if he could find some common ground, well, that was enough. as the story goes, a reporter once said to a democratic senator, if the democrats had to elect one of their colleagues but that, howard baker would probably win a plurality of the vote. you are wrong, the democratic senator said. he would win a majority. whether it was representing tennessee in the senate or america in japan or steering the reagan white house, howard baker

was able to help everyone find common ground. [applause] without anyone feeling they were sacrificing sacred ground because he is a true conciliate. bob dole served kansas in the united states senate for 27 years. the truth is, had he stopped serving his country at age 21, that would have been enough. more than enough. we all know the story. fighting in northern italy in 1945, bob was wounded severely, in fact, near fatally. for nine hours, he was left unattended and willed himself to

survive. maybe that is why the enormous challenges he faced in the senate were once he faced with such inner confidence, but it also should give you a sense as it gives me a quiet courage. bob has always demonstrated that. during the 18 months we served together as leader, i have to say i was always impressed when he insisted on coming to my office for a meeting. a seasoned leader coming to the newcomer, a majority leader, to the minority leader's office -- only later did i realize it was a strategic move on his part. when he wanted the meeting over, he could just get up and leave. [laughter] of course, that did not stop me from falling him as i did after leaving the senate to join him in private life. bob dole is one of my heroes.

a mentor. a very special friend. [applause] our country, republicans, democrats, and independence, have been richly blessed by his extraordinary leadership for a half century. let me say, bob and howard, in a country where there are so many positions of leadership and too few leaders, in a world where there is so much polarization and so little conciliation, we, all of us here tonight, this whole crowd, thank you for your wisdom, for your courage, for the extraordinary leadership you have shown all of us over 50 years. as a modern statesmen, you are models to us all. tonight, we thank you. [applause]

it is now my pleasure to introduce another very special guests. when joe biden left the senate after 36 years to continue his service as our nation's vice- president, he went to the floor to give his farewell address, as we all do. that day, he told the story of hubert humphrey's last days. cancer was wasting him away. the moment barry goldwater, the man who, free as his party's vice president in 1964 had successfully tried to keep from the presidency, came over. he embraced him. senator biden said the french

ship and death are great equalizers. death will take us all at some point. but we must choose to seek friend ship. the men we honor tonight have constantly sought friendship. part of what makes joe biden a national treasure is is boundless capacity for friendship. please join me in welcoming my friend and our vice president, joe biden. [applause] ♪ >> tom, thank you very much. it is good to see so many of my former colleagues. whether you believe it or not, i miss you and i expect you to miss me.

you know, both bob and howard's lives of their witness to the greek philosopher who said in the fifth century "character is destiny." you know, there is a lot of incredible leadership qualities that bob dole has and many of you have served with bob dole for a long time. the thing i admired about you most in addition to your incredible physical courage has been your absolute sense of decency. i have never witnessed a single time -- we traveled together and i it would say to the other senator dole and to senator kassebaum, both good friends, that when we travel together, no matter where we were, i watched.

i witnessed every single time all the years we worked together that where you did one thing always, you always afforded the other man or woman, whether a political foe or friend, an ordinary citizen, the dignity that they deserve. the first speech bob made in the united states senate was april 14, 1969. it was about disabled american veterans. he championed their costs and the ultimate result was the americans with disabilities act. 43 million americans were granted the dignity they deserve. the examples abound in bob's career. the social security act. the social security commission with pat moynihan. 37 million americans not having to worry about whether they'd lose their dignity because they could not afford to maintain themselves.

1992, bob, you're the clarion voice in the united states and around the world to stop the butchery of slobodan milosevic and restore the dignity of so many tens of thousands of people who had it stripped from them. in 1983, you managed at the martin luther king holiday bill and you said, and i was there as you managed that bill, you said something very straightforward. you looked out at everyone and you said, "no first-class democracy can treat people like second-class citizens." it was simple. it was about decency. when that bill passed, i remember what else you said. you said it was a proud day for me.

it is now a national holiday. i think i speak for everyone else here who served with you, it was a proud day for me when i met your acquaintance. it was a proud day for me to be able to work with you. and i genuinely, genuinely appreciate the way you treated me when we worked together and i admired the way you treated every single solitary person you dealt with. howard, i have said this before -- i have never served with any man or woman who possessed more wisdom and integrity than eu. i have never known anybody -- than you. i have never known anybody with or wisdom and integrity than you. i look back in retrospect and realize i probably heard you back home literally at the time i said there is no one i would

rather work with or enjoyed working with in my entire career than with you. it was one of the best experiences in the 36 years i served in the united states senate. i think you made such an exceptional leader, howard, because of your ability to put yourself in the other person's shoes. i watched you as we travel abroad together. i watched you on the floor. it was always from the perspective of the other guy, the other woman. how could you work out an honorable compromise? my dad used to have an expression -- and never back another man in the corner when his only way out is over you. you never did that. what an incredible talent you had. even though you were not around at the time harry truman said what i am about to say, i think he could have been talking about you when he said "it is

understanding that gives us the ability to have peace. when you understand the other fellow's viewpoint and he understands hours, then you can sit down and work out your differences. -- differences." i was to do it time and time again. when you saw a problem, your initial instinct, at least from my perspective, was how do we fix it? 1970 -- you teamed up with ed muskie or the clean water act in 1972. 1973 -- when you're on the watergate committee with and you did something critical. the restored the confidence and america -- the confidence and integrity of the system at no small price to you. 1978 -- i watched him risk is

career as he made sure the panel canal treaty passed -- panama canal treaty passed. 1970 -- you change your career, coming back to become the chief of staff for ronald reagan. as we used to say in the senate, i would like to share a story. you may remember this, howard. robert bork had been defeated in the senate. the president has set up another nominee, which the stock pulled down. howard said you ought to call biden down to the white house. asked his opinion and give him the 10 names you are considering. the president called me down. i sat there in the chair. couch.sitting on the

president reagan was one of the most charming dies. i pulled out these cards and he said, "joe, tell me what you think about the prospects of these people." i said howard both the senate better than i do. he said, i want to know from your perspective. we started reading down the list. he started off with a very conservative judge from the fifth circuit. i said i did not think that would fly. he went down the left and came up with wage decree. i said he would go through like a hot knife through butter. he went down the list. he said, tony kennedy. i said, california? appeals court? he said, yes. i said, mr. president, i know he is a straight conservative, but i think he would pass. he said, you are far him, are you not? i said, no, i did not say that. i said based on what i know, i

think he would pass and i would probably vote for him. he said, you are probably for him. i said no, mr. president. i do not know enough about him. i have been bought -- down that road was before. i said, howard, tell him. tell him. howard says something accommodating and, with that, president reagan said to me, "joe, do you have an extra minute?" we stood up, he grabbed me under the arm. he opened the door and who was standing there but tony kennedy. he said, tony, joe is for you. [laughter] remember that, howard? i went back to howard and i said, whoa, man. i do not think it was all the president of the idea. look, the fact of the matter is

that i can say without fear of contradiction by the press or historians -- i presume to speak for every man or woman you ever served with that it was a great honor and a genuine privilege to serve with each of you, to learn from each of you. i know you wish i would add learned more, bobby -- i know you wish i would have learned more, bob. it is an honor to be here tonight. thank you. [applause]

>> ladies and gentleman, former senate majority leader trent lott. [applause] >> first, let me say thank you dubai spread the biden. i was told he had 20 minutes and i could have all the time he yielded back. [laughter] he yelled back some time. i really do appreciate that. howard, bob, nancy, and elizabeth -- it is great to be here with you. i am thrilled you are being honored year like this. thank you for being here tonight. i want to thank the bipartisan

policy center for making this event possible and for providing the leadership to recognize these outstanding former senate majority leaders. i felt like they deserved it and, in a way, they needed it because they have been up so overshadowed the years by nancy and elizabeth. they needed this additional recognition. the thing many of us remember about bob dole -- and there are many great things -- the vice president and tom daschle have enumerated many wonderful and serious things, but one of the things that may bob dole so special was his wit and his humor. he always found a way to see the funny side of the serious things we were dealing with. we have all heard some of his stories and laughed with him. i think he spoke at howard baker's retirement party. i do not know -- maybe he has

some jokes. i do not remember that part. i remember he testified at elizabeth's confirmation to become a cabinet secretary. of course he quoted nathan hale when he said "i regret that i have but one life to give to my country's infrastructure." bob's beth stories were on bob. of course, jay leno always had a lot of fun with bob. one of my favorites was how he was a favorite -- he was a young congressman on the campaign trail and he wound up in ohio. of course, nobody knew him there. this was one of those lincoln day dinners. i wanted to get the crowd up, so they got him a local radio program when they started introducing bob, it was quite an experience. they said we want you to get to know our special guest that will be speaking tonight and i would like to tell you a little more about bob doyle.

the tickets have been cut from $3 to $1. we want to of a young crowd from this young congressman and we are going to give away a tv set, but that will not occur until our speaker quits speaking and you have to be present to get the tv. about his background -- he is from kansas. he was in premed before serving in world war ii. there he suffered a head wound and went into politics. that is what bob dole told on himself and many other stories like that. i can tell stories about howard baker, bob dole, and the inspiration they have been to us in this room as friends, colleagues, former staff members. i am thrilled we are recognizing them here tonight. in the troop spirit of the bipartisan nature of this event. i have been given the opportunity to introduce the

next speaker and that is the current majority leader, harry reid, the 21st senate majority leader. i have no merit for 30 years. we serve in the house and senate together. when i have the honor and privilege of being majority leader, harry was the whip on the democratic side. he and tom had a great relationship. tom quite opposite would be busy and would have a hairy on the floor. every time i would call up a bill, there would be 100 amendments. not 79, 100. it was quite often the same amendments. i would say, harry, we get to clear the deck a little bit. he would go off and get rid of about 70 of them and we would accept 10-20 of them, vote on three-four, and then the day was done. one of the things i did in keeping with what you are supposed to do as a leader is find out what really matters to the leaders on the other side of

an issue or the other side of the aisle. it did not take me long to figure out what really mattered to harry reid. it was his family, his faith, and a nuclear-free nevada. [laughter] not necessarily in any particular order. once i realized how much he cared about his family, his faith, and the nuclear-waste 3 nv, everything else worked out fine. most of you know harry was an amateur barrister. the turn into senate majority leader, which is appropriate training for that position perry would come on the floor and after touching gloves, he would try to float like a butterfly and senate -- sting like a b for the rest of the day. he is soft-spoken, nattily dressed, but with a powerful punch. ladies and gentlemen, pound for

pound, the best democratic leader around is my friend, senator harry reid. [applause] ♪ >> first of all, i am happy to be here today. we had an unusual, easy time of the office today. [laughter] first of all, senator daschle, thank you for doing this. you and george mitchell asked me to be here. i was disappointed he is not here. actually he told me he was not going to be here because they

are making a movie on george mitchell about his work in northern ireland. i am sure it will be terrific. i admired george so much when he was the leader. he sent senator daschle on a couple of full's errands. we were a couple of young senators and were tried to pass a budget deficit reduction act of 1993. he looked around and could not find two bigger boats and then daschle and reid. he said go get bob kerry's vote. we looked at each other. bob kerrey knew we or coming. he went to a movie that afternoon. [laughter] tom will remember that. he agreed to come. -- to come and vote with us on a couple of conditions. one of which, he got to speak first. he was not really complementary

of our chief executive officer at the time. he voted the right way, so we fulfilled our obligations to senator mitchell. i want to express to everyone here publicly about my affection for senator daschle. both -- those of us who have been around the capital for a long time in the senate know that when he was majority leader he trusted me and i always did things i thought would fulfill his trust in me. as senator lott has said, basically turned the floor over to me. he was doing other things. we worked together and i have said to him in person on a number of occasions and i say publicly tonight, tom daschle is like a brother to me. i appreciate all he had done for me, including helping me become the whip and now the leader. thank