TRIBUTE TO SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON
Mr. HARKIN. Madam President, on what is her final day as Secretary of
State, I would like to express my admiration and gratitude to Hillary
Rodham Clinton for the extraordinary job she has done over the last 4
years. I agree wholeheartedly with President Obama who said she has
been one of the finest Secretaries of State in our Nation's history.
When she took on this responsibility in January 2009, Hillary Clinton
was already one of the most celebrated and accomplished women in the
world. Certainly her reputation and renown have been tremendous assets
as she worked to restore America's standing in the world.
Over the last 4 years, Hillary Clinton has been the ultimate
workhorse public servant as opposed to the showhorse. This comes as no
surprise to me and other former colleagues in the Senate. We know she
is a leader of extraordinary substance and a talent with an amazing
work ethic.
Secretary of State Clinton has set records as the most traveled
Secretary for time in office, visiting some 42 countries just in the
last year alone. She will be remembered for her tireless efforts to
promote the empowerment of women worldwide and for her many
demonstrations that "smart power" and assertive diplomacy can be far
more effective than so-called "hard power" and military
interventions.
I am especially grateful to Secretary of State Clinton for insisting
on robust assistance to Haiti in the wake of the devastating earthquake
of 2010. In addition, following my visit to Vietnam in 2010, and just
prior to her own visit, we talked and I had urged her to pledge
America's commitment to helping Vietnam clean up the sites contaminated
by Agent Orange. She agreed wholeheartedly, and this is one way she has
been very successful in repairing the breach with our former adversary
and doing what is right and just for the victims of Agent Orange in
Vietnam.
I have many fond memories of Hillary Clinton's 8 years here in the
Senate. During that entire tenure, we served together on the Committee
on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. In that role, as in her
previous role as First Lady, she was an outspoken advocate for health
care reform, fighting tirelessly to secure quality affordable health
care for all Americans. Although she was no longer in the Senate when
the Affordable Care Act passed and was signed into law, she shares
enormous credit for laying the groundwork of that historic achievement.
Hillary Clinton has been a wonderful friend to my wife Ruth and to
me, and, of course, from her many campaigns in my State, she has so
many friends all across the State of Iowa. So she is retiring from the
Department of State, but we all know that by no means is she a retiring
person. There are many vivid chapters yet to be written in the story of
Hillary Rodham Clinton. I wish her a richly deserved rest and much
success and happiness in the years ahead.