Farewell Address
Floor Speech
FAREWELL ADDRESS -- (Senate - January 15, 2009)
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I thank the Chair for the opportunity to speak today about the wonderful record of our esteemed colleague, Senator HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON.
For 8 years, Senator Clinton and I have served jointly as New York Senators, and I have seen, better than anyone, her unwavering commitment to her constituents and her country. Through all this time, HILLARY has demonstrated the equanimity, the prudence, and the fortitude that have made her an exceptional leader and a great public servant.
HILLARY's career has been defined by her unflagging desire to improve the lives of the least fortunate among us. Even before finishing school, she was working to protect children at the Children's Defense Fund and the Carnegie Defense Fund on Children. Turning down a promising career in Washington, HILLARY moved to Arkansas and directed the legal aid clinic at the University of Arkansas Law School.
During her tenure as First Lady, HILLARY made it her priority to fight for justice around the world, advocating for women's rights and democracy worldwide. She made huge gains in protecting women and families. She helped create the Office of Violence Against Women at the Justice Department and was instrumental in the passage of the Foster Care Independence Act and the Adoption and Safe Families Act.
After serving her country 8 years as First Lady, when most people would retire, HILLARY stepped up and has served as a vital and powerful advocate on behalf of the people of New York. Going from the White House to White Plains, HILLARY has continued to show as much acumen in her dealings with national and global leaders as she shows empathy and interest in the needs of private individuals around New York.
We are the only Federal position where two people serve the exact same job, so you get to know your colleague almost better than anyone else. I have seen firsthand HILLARY's dedication and tenacity. Let me tell you all, tell the people of New York, HILLARY looks great from far away, but the closer you get, the better she looks.
I just want to say this, HILLARY: It is a day, as you said so well, of looking back wistfully but to the future with anticipation. That is how I feel. I look back wistfully at the many experiences we shared, working together, getting to know one another, and learning to work and respect and love one another. It has been an amazing part of my experience. I am so thankful for the 8 years we worked together for the people of New York and America. I know our friendship, as we have said to one another, will continue no matter what corner of the globe you are in. And maybe I will try to get some international presence on those Sunday press conferences so you can see them over there. They are mainly aimed at local New York stuff.
Let me just say, as HILLARY said, we traveled the State together. We taught each other about agriculture and worked side by side on those horrible days after 9/11. We have worked for the benefit of aging nuclear weapons and helping the onion farmers in the Hudson Valley. What a great experience it has been.
Of course, as my colleagues know, for all the time she focused and spent on the people of New York--and it was an enormous and successful effort--she also at the same time has been one of our most active and engaged colleagues in the Senate, working on issues of national policy and international importance, from national security to early childhood education. In all of her many roles as a public servant, HILLARY has always shown the insight to see the heart of a problem. She has had the courage to tackle it and the talent to solve it. That is the trademark of HILLARY CLINTON--insight, courage, talent, all applied for the betterment of the people of New York, the people of America, and now the people of the world. No matter how abstract the problem, no matter how esoteric the question, HILLARY has never once forgotten the people whose lives and happiness depend on her work.
So HILLARY, yes, it is a bittersweet day, but I am so joyful about the excitement--it is palpable--that you exude going on to this new challenge. I am also--and I know every one of the people of New York is as well--grateful for the wonderful job you have done serving them and us. It has been a great ride. I am so grateful, again, for the opportunity to work alongside of you.
I yield the floor.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source