May 12, 1980
Page 10886
EDMUND S. MUSKIE: SECRETARY OF STATE
Mr. BAYH. Mr. President, last week the Senate acting in true wisdom overwhelmingly confirmed one of our own to be the new Secretary of State. I believe, that act of confirmation may go down in history as one of the most significant votes in the history of this Congress or any other. I say this because of my fundamental faith in the character and capability of Ed Muskie to be more than equal to the formidable tasks which he must now face as the leading figure in implementing the foreign policy of this Nation. Having worked with our new Secretary of State for many years and, on occasion, having debated issues with him on opposite sides, I know he will be an eloquent and effective spokesman for, the national interests of this country in a turbulent and dangerous world.
Many have described the stature of Senator Muskie as "Lincolnesque." Certainly, there is a quality of strength about him which will be more than a match for any of his foreign minister counterparts in the world. But, as importantly for America, Secretary Muskie's career in the Senate, his experience as a candidate for national office, his family life also send a message to the world of an America which is decent and fair, which does not wish to take over the weak, but to forge friendships with those who would be friends on an equal basis of partnership and progress. To those nations who would insist on making a mockery of international law and trampling human rights, I am confident that the character of Edmund S. Muskie also sends a clear message that such policies are undertaken and sustained at the peril of those nations' short and long term interests.
As important as I believe the signal is to the world in the selection of Senator Muskie to be Secretary of State, the message which he sent to us by accepting this thankless assignment is also significant. It has to do with a quality called patriotism. The dictionary definition of this word is simple.
It applies to those who love, support, and defend their country. For Americans, after the tribulations of the past several years, patriotism has been subject to debates which seem to rob the word of any real substance and meaning. With one courageous and, to the minds of the pundits, surprising act, patriotism is alive and well in the person of our new Secretary of State.