John Warner

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. I wonder if the Senator standing next to the leader, who is a principal cosponsor, the Senator from Georgia, wishes to be heard on this matter?

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I thank my colleagues. I yield the floor.

Mr. WARNER. Yes, I yield.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I advise the leaders and managers that I wish to bring up an amendment entitled, ``American Service Members Protection Act.'' I would think this Senator and perhaps those who are cosponsors--of which there are nine--would desire some time. We will try to expedite this matter. I wonder if I could send it to the desk and ask it be the pending amendment and then defer to the leadership and others to see whether if I lay it aside I can get some----

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, the Senator from Virginia moves to table the second-degree amendment and asks for the yeas and nays.

Mr. WARNER. I yield only for the purpose of a response to my question.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I have listened very carefully in a very quiet and dispassionate way to my friend from Connecticut. I have studied his amendment. I have an observation, and then a question to put to my friend. The first is, his amendment has two sections: Section 2015, and section 2015 relates to any prohibition of the United States rendering assistance to international efforts to bring to justice Hussein, Milosevic, bin Laden, and so forth. I say to by good friend that if you will look at my amendment, we have a provision that begins actually on page 8, and I shall read it: Authority to waive sections, and so and so, with respect to an investigation or prosecution of a named individual, and the President is authorized to waive the prohibitions and requirements of section 3004 and 3006 to the agreed section prohibitions, and so forth. This was carefully crafted in consultation with the Department of State to do precisely what the Senator from Connecticut desires to do in section 2015. I think our amendment has taken care of section 2015.

Mr. WARNER. I am exhausted from listening.

Mr. WARNER. That is a separate argument. Could we address them one at a time? I put to my colleague the question: Would he have an objection if the Senator from Virginia sought to amend his amendment to include verbatim the provisions of the Senator designated as 2015?

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, will the Senator yield for a question on that point? Is there any way we can have a colloquy so we can inform the Senate of what is taking place?

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I wasn't able to hear the distinguished leader.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. WARNER. Now, Mr. President, I formally put to the Senate the unanimous consent request that the Senator from Virginia may modify his amendment to include verbatim section 2015 of the second-degree amendment offered by the Senator from Connecticut.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. WARNER. I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, in order to save the Senate time, I think the amendment cares for the concerns that the Senator from Connecticut has about 2015. But I make an offer to the Senator from Connecticut that I amend my amendment to incorporate verbatim his section 2015. Would he have any objection if I put it in? I think that would alleviate his concerns. Then we have but one provision left in his amendment to consider.

Mr. WARNER. That is correct.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I assure the Senator it is. The Senator from Virginia made two attempts, failed on the first attempt for the vote, but succeeded on the second attempt just a minute or two ago.

Mr. WARNER. Were the yeas and nays ordered?

Mr. WARNER. Yes.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays on the Warner amendment, but before the vote is taken, I understand there is at least one colleague, my colleague from Virginia, who would like to have 5 minutes. Are there others who wish to indicate to the managers a desire to speak before that vote?

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, at this time, the Senator from Virginia renews his unanimous consent request to incorporate verbatim--and I do so on behalf of my distinguished colleague and cosponsor from Georgia, Mr. Miller--to offer verbatim section 2015 of the second-degree amendment offered by the Senator from Connecticut.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I am directing a question to 2015. Let us stay on that for a minute.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize and bid farewell to Larry J. Hoag, upon his retirement as the Printing and Documents Clerk for the Senate Armed Services Committee. A native of Easton, PA, Larry began his career in printing as an apprentice with the Mack Printing Company in Easton in 1962. In 1974, Larry came to Washington, DC to work for the Government Printing Office, GPO, and later, as a GPO detailee, was assigned to the House Armed Services Committee, where he served for 10 years. Larry wisely moved to the Senate side of the Capitol on June 3, 1966, when he was appointed to the Senate Armed Services Committee staff by then Chairman Strom Thurmond. When I became Chairman of the Committee in January of 1999, it was an easy decision to ask Larry to remain a vital part of the Armed Services family. Larry has continued his distinguished service under our current chairman, Senator Carl Levin. Larry's experience has been instrumental in the publication of hundreds of hearing transcripts, committee prints, and reports. He has also served as liaison between the committee and GPO, to assure that the committee's printing needs were given the highest priority when we were under tight deadlines. Larry also helped in preparing the binding of committee prints and reports, in maintaining stationery and paper supplies, and in responding to numerous and varied requests for committee publications. Larry and his wife, Norma will now begin a ``second career'' as they move to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina where Larry may try his hand in real estate. On behalf of my colleagues and the committee staff, I wish you and your family good health and best wishes in your retirement.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. I thank my two colleagues, the chairman and the ranking member, for an excellent debate. Other Members have participated, but let us not forget that this is a military alliance, and in the event troops are called out, our men and women in the Armed Forces will occupy the foxholes, the tanks, the revetments, and take the risks alongside the others. What concerns me about NATO is this--I quote not the Senator from Virginia but Secretary General Lord Robertson of NATO: The United States must have partners who can contribute their fair share to operations which benefit the entire Euro- Atlantic community. . . . But the reality is . . . hardly any European country can deploy usable and effective forces in significant numbers outside their borders, and sustain them for months or even years, as we all need to do today. For all Europe's rhetoric, an annual investment of over $140 billion by NATO's European members, we still need U.S. help to move, command and provision a major operation. American critics of Europe's military incapability are right. So if we are to ensure that the United States moves towards neither unilateralism nor isolationism, all European countries must show a new willingness to develop effective crisis management capabilities.