On the recordDecember 21, 2012
in a few days, the Senate will no longer benefit from the service of a member who has left an indelible mark on national security policy and on the Senate. Senator Joe Lieberman has been my colleague and friend for more than two decades. We have shared triumphs and challenges, agreed and disagreed with one another, and each of us has served as a member of a committee the other chaired. One challenge we have shared is the need to strengthen our nation's manufacturing sector, the economic backbone of our two states and indeed of the nation. Senator Lieberman has served as chairman of the Senate Manufacturing Caucus, which has benefitted greatly from his energy and leadership. He has been a dedicated supporter of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which helps U.S. manufacturers strengthen and grow in the face of international competition. In this work, Senator Lieberman has been an ally of Michigan working families. Of course, Senator Lieberman and I have worked together on the Armed Services Committee, where he has been an active, thoughtful, principled and energetic member and subcommittee chairman. Senator Lieberman joined the committee in 1993, and from the start, he made an impact. He was the author of what came to be known as the Lieberman Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1997, directing the Department of Defense to conduct a Quadrennial Defense Review.…





