Executive Session

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I wish to thank the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, and I appreciate this opportunity to say a few words about the nomination of Hillary Clinton to be Secretary of State to our new President, Barack Obama.

It has been my good fortune to serve with Senator Clinton for many years in the Senate, to have known her when she was our First Lady, and to have worked with her on many issues. There is no question of her competence, no question of her skill. As someone who supported our current President in the last Presidential campaign and witnessed the spirited contest between Senator Clinton and then-Senator Obama, there is obviously no lack of determination or commitment when it comes to Senator Clinton and the task that she assumes. So when President Obama made the decision to ask her to serve as Secretary of State, I felt it was a decision which would bring to this country a leader who could make a real difference.

I can recall a telephone conversation where I spoke to her and reminded her that there were many things she had said as First Lady and Senator which she would be able to follow through on as Secretary of State. She was one of the first I heard articulate a premise which I have come to accept as basic gospel when it comes to analyzing global issues. Senator Clinton said, after returning from a trip overseas, she felt you could measure the likelihood that a country would be able to meet the challenges it faced economically and socially based on one question, and the question was very straightforward: How do you treat your women? I have found, as I have traveled around the world, that standard is valid. If women are treated like chattel or slaves, if they have no voice in the government and little voice in the family or the village, most of the time the men will make a mess of it, and that has been the case. I told her she had a chance, as Secretary of State, to not only deal with global issues of peace around the world but also to deal with those issues at the local level that make a dramatic difference in the lives of poor people.

I also know of her passion for so many other issues that are timely. When I spoke to her on the floor last week, as she cast her last vote as a Senator, I wished her well because I felt she would be confirmed as our next Secretary of State, and she said it is unfortunate that we come to this moment in history when there are so many things unresolved in the world, but she looked forward to those moments where she would be able to meet with the President of the United States and the Vice President, who has his own resume when it comes to global issues.

A Member on the Republican side has asked for us to consider this nomination today and to have a little debate and perhaps a vote. I don't know if it will come to a vote, but other nominations went through without controversy and without debate yesterday. These are now men and women going to work immediately for the new administration--no time wasted--so they can tackle the real timely issues that face America. One of the issues raised earlier on the Republican side was former President Bill Clinton's foundation. It was an effort, after he left the Presidency, to gather the resources to make a difference around the world in a variety of different challenges, not the least of which was the global AIDS epidemic.

It is true former President Clinton has been very adept at raising the funds to help the poorest people in the world, and I think that is a good thing. But questions were raised: Would that present a conflict if his wife, Senator Hillary Clinton, became Secretary of State? At that point, the former President made full disclosure of all contributions and contributors and made it clear that he would go out of his way to avoid conflicts and continue this disclosure and transparency.

I can recall in Senator Kerry's committee Senator Lugar of Indiana asked questions about this to try to make sure there would be clarity and transparency. And that is good. We don't want any embarrassment coming to either former President Clinton or Senator Clinton when she is Secretary of State and certainly not to the Obama administration. That kind of disclosure is the way to reach that goal.

So I will be voting for her nomination today with the belief that Hillary Clinton will bring that skill set and those values to this most important job for the future of our country. She understands the safety and security of America begins, of course, with a strong military but, as President Obama has said, to try to avoid using that military so we don't engage in unnecessary wars and wars that have no end; to use the skills of diplomacy to solve the world's problems. I can't think of a better person to carry that message and that responsibility than Senator Hillary Clinton, and I am hopeful this afternoon this Senate will rise quickly to support her nomination, send her down to Foggy Bottom, where the Department of State is located, so she can begin her new role in representing the United States around the world.

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