Howard Berman: “I rise to honor the service to the United States of America by Mr. Lee H. Hamilton. In my 16 years in the House of…”

“I rise to honor the service to the United States of America by Mr. Lee H. Hamilton. In my 16 years in the House of Representatives I have come to know and admire Lee for the wisdom and seriousness which he brings to consideration of the people's business. The Hoosiers of the Ninth District lose a great congressman with Lee's retirement. In 34 years few can challenge his record for thoughtful integrity in the face of strong political pressure. While confronting some of the nation's most serious foreign policy challenges, he always approached every issue with intellectual depth. He led the Congress in defending the President when under partisan attack, but he worked hard to ensure that the administration did not make foreign policy decisions without full consideration of every option and insisted that action be taken only after the administration had developed a rationale for its policy which would have the support of the American people. His reputation for probity and judicious reflection have made him the leader of choice when the Congress faced difficult foreign policy issues, whether as chairman of the Select Committee on Iran-Contra or more recently of the Select Subcommittee on Iran Arms Transfers to Bosnia.”