robert byrd -- robert carlyle byrd, if he cave you his word -- gave you his word, go to the bank with with him, but he would expect the same in return, as he should. that is something that we should all be reminded of all of us should seek to achieve. i was honored to sit with him on the senate floor and sitting with him in the same room and engaged in many discussions with the senate or about the rules or the issues of the moment or about our family, but now when i sit here and i look at the flowers on his desk, i look at the drape on that, madam president, over the many years that i've had the privilege of representing the state of vermont in this body, i've had to come on the floor of the senate and seen the traditional drapery and the flowers on either side of the aisle we've lost dear colleagues. more than that, we've lost dear friends. the friendship is what's -- party is irrelevant, friendship -s what's important. and it tugs at your heart and it tugs at your soul to so it. walking in here and just looking down the row where i sit and seeing , that i don't know when -- seeing t

robert byrd never retired from anything. he served in the senate for more than half a century, in the house of representatives for six more years, and dedicated every one of those days to strengthening the state and the nation that he loved so dearly. he never once stopped fighting for the good people of west virginia and for the principles in our founding documents. he was forever faithful to his constituenns, his constitution and his country. he fought for what he thought was right and when he was wrong, he was wise enough to admit it. and he did admit it a few times. senator byrd's ambition was legendary. he took his oath in this chamber on january 3, 1959, the same date alaska became our 49th state. he told the "charleston gazette" newspaper in that freshman year -- quote -- "if i live long enough, i'd like to be chairman of the senate appropriations committee." 30 years later, he was and then lived and served for 21 more years. his legislative accomplishments are many and those achievements fortify his incomparable lega

he was renamed robert byrd that point. he graduated american university he graduated american university in 1963, got his law degree from american university. president kennedy gave him his diploma that year. served in the u.s. house -- served in the state legislature in west virginia from 1946 to 1953, elected to the u.s. senate in 1954. majority leader twice, minority leader once, majority whip for several years as well. serve as president pro tem. on november 18, 2009, he surpassed carl hayden to become the longest serving member in history of progress. wisconsin, linda on the republican -- lyndon on the republican line. caller: i would like to give my condolences to the family. i agree with a number of other colors that there should be term limits. -- other callers that there should be term limits. not only for the president, but for the senate, the house, and the judicial system. host: why ssould there be term limits? caller: because someone gets so entrenched in the political that they forget that they are actually s

robert c. byrd is no different. but robert c. byrd grew. he grew intellectually. he grew culturally, but he did not in growing leave his base. he did not forget the values that he learned in west virginia. the values of courtesy, of kindness, of caring, of helping, of making sure that the people who were not famous, who did not have power, who did not positions of note were never, never forgotten. mr. speaker, i remember an incident that i'm sure was not unique to me. early on in my career i went over on an appropriation matter like you, mr. speaker, as a member of the appropriations committee. senator byrd, then majority leader, invited me to his office and we sat down and for the next 45 minutes, as a junior member of the house i found extraordinary. and he regaled me on the history of the senate and the books he had written. and i was mesmerized in the presence of this giant of the legislative body. and at the end he, as i'm sure he did to so many of us, he took a rectangular painting of a covered bridge in west virginia. mr. obey is going to speak at some poin

robert byrd? >> yeah. in 2001 he did. >> about what? >> he used the n word on television. >> he used the n word on television on fox news in 2001. with the word white before it. but i'm glad it wasn't me. >> i hadn't seen that. maybe the day he died is not the appropriate time -- >> i don't think so. i was just giving information. >> i think there was -- there was context. he had a voting record and everything else. go ahead. >> larry: james, what is west virginia going to do, do you think? >> you know what, larry, i have never tried to figure out what west virginia was going to do about anything and if somebody can figure out winch let me know. i'm having a hard enough time in louisiana. i don't know. as i understand it qualifying his past for primaries and then you have this conflict law. i suspect that they have a supreme court and they'll decide something there. i just don't know. i'm not that familiar with it to be honest with you. >> larry: all right. do you think it will affect the kagan nomination? >> you know, it could. it depe

robert byrd? >> yeah. in 2001 he did. >> about what? >> he used the n word on television. >> he used the n word on television on fox news in 2001. with the word white before it. but i'm glad it wasn't me. >> i hadn't seen that. maybe the day he died is not the appropriate time -- >> i don't think so. i was just giving information. >> i think there was -- there was context. he had a voting record and everything else. go ahead. >> larry: james, what is west virginia going to do do you think? >> you know what, larry, i have never tried to figure out what west virginia was going to do about anything and if somebody can figure out winch let me know. i'm having a hard enough time in louisiana. i don't know. as i understand it qualifying his past for primaries and then you have this conflict law. i suspect that they have a supreme court and they'll decide something there. i just don't know. i'm not that familiar with it to be honest with you. >> larry: all right. do you think it will affect the kagan nomination? >> you know, it could. it depen

robert byrd painting history. several senators including walter mondale. we will return to the issue of second amendment rights versus local laws. marcy has been waiting on the independent line. caller: good morning. can you hear me? ok. are we talking about a second amendment right, or an inalienable right? they seemed to slowly erode our constitution and where the triws citizens have a right to bear rights to protect our home and ourselves. this was once the motor capital of the states. it takes us the citizens as to when and where we can buy an arm or gun to protect ourselves. it does not make sense. host: local restrictions across the nation are in jeopardy -- the headline from "usa today." here is another, the high court blows a hole and gun bans. caller: hello, the republicans are the biggest hypocrites that ever lived. they talk about state rights in the 10th amendment, and the 10th amendment this and that. then they left a judge become essentially a federalist judge and make a ruling that goes absolutely against the tandem of. i believe in the seco

west virginia governor joe manchin. >> there will never be another robert byrd. there's no one we can fill his shoes with. we can just hope that we can carry on some of the beliefs and the hard work that he gave to all of us. >> ifill: utah republican orrin hatch. >> in the end, i gained such tremendous respect for him and love and even though we differed on so many issues. >>. >> ifill: as fierce guardian of the senate's rules and prerogatives as he was an advocate for the mountain state, senator byrd left his mark almost everywhere. frank and kyley lewis live in charleston. >> i think he's had his hand in everything that happened here. the interstate system. the federal building down to the charles town. he's brought in so much money or pork as they call it. but he's been good to us. >> ifill: born in north carolina in 1917, byrd's career tracked the complicated history of a region and a nation. once an active member of the ku klux klan he led a 14-hour 13-minute filibuster against what became the 1964 civil rights act. he later apologized, writing in his 2005

and property burden -- robert byrd's story is the american story. the life of robert byrd is so deeply entwined with the life of the state that he represents that make hicome as a surprise o you that he was not born in west virginia. he came at the age of to which his aunts and uncles that had become his adoptive parents when his own mother died of influenza. he came to know first hand the hardships that so many west virginians and other americans have endured. he watcheddhis father and friends put an end hours of backbreaking work. he saw women like his mother struggling to raise families amid limited resources. all around him he saw people whose lives were largely circumscribes by the companies that employed them. he often relies that this brought character. conditions that denied them a on common need bread within them of very independence. spirit. as he writes in his book, we may stray from what we were taught, but if we had had a fundamental values and grade from the outset, we will return to those in him at the lessons produced a strong work e

we want to get your reaction to the passing of senator robert byrd. marjorie from pratte, west virginia. guest: good morning. i can't begin to tell you what a loss i feel this morning. i just absolutely ado him. our state has lost -- pbs did a series about him called the soul of the senate. we have lost a soul of the senate and a soul of west virginia. he did so much for us. when people call him the pork barrel king, that term, i know, is it used as derision but for us here in west virginia, he brought jobs, roads, interstate highway system here. a he really brought us from what i feel was almost a medieval type of existence into the modern state that we do have. but i would like to tell something that he did for my family in particular. my father worked over 60 years in the coal mines, and, of course, we know he was the main person who got the coal mine health and safety laws passed to protect them. when my father became ill with what they called black long -- excuse me -- when he became ill with that disease and was diagnosed with it, the opetors th

was virginia senator robert byrd served more than 50 years in the senate. he appeared on c-span more than 1200 times. watch our 1988 profile with the senator, all online at the c- span video library. it is washington your way. sunday, your questions for bill bennett, live on "in depth." he is the author for more than 20 books. three hours with bill bennett, sunday, part of the three day holiday weekend on c-span2. if the complete schedule at booktv.org. the congressional directory, a reference guide, supreme court justices, all at your fingertips. order online ad c-span.org /store. >> read c-span latest book, "the supreme court." it provides unique insight about the court. now available in hardcover and also as an e-book. >> "washington journal" continues. host: dennis henigan is the author of "lethal logic," and lott is the author of "more guns, less crime." in the clear politics website, the gun control laws -- the second amendment to the constitution means individual americans have a right to bear arms. what can we expect? guest: i think this is an impor

byrd of west virginia. although it was the first serious consideration of a female candidate, nixon told his attorney general that women should not serve in government because they were erratic and emotional. thank god we do not have any in the cabinet, he exclaimed. riday and lilly fell from obscurity. chief justice warren burger fired off a confidential letter to the attorney general repeating a previous recommendation that distinguished attorney of lewis powell should be the next nominee. the 64-year-old had asked his consideration. he was no more interested in the position it then he was two years before. president nixon called them and told paul that as his duty to accept the nomination -- powellt the nomination. then the chief justice of telephoned powell. powell found the chief reassuring. when he announced the possibility of going to the high court to his partners in richmond, he was disappointed that no one expressed regret that he might be leaving. in fact, it occurred to him, that they might be r

senator robert byrd, the longest serving senator in in history is, in serious condition in a washington area hospital. his office saying the 92-year-old west virginia democrat admitted last week initially believed to be suffering from heat exhaustion and severe dehydration. doctors say now other condition have developed, and he is described as "seriously ill." byrd elected to the senate in 1958, after serving six years in the house. >>> the president's skourtd nominee, elena kagan, goes before the senate judiciary committee monday. the ranking republican, jeff sessions, says kagan has serious deficiencies citing her liberal leanings and the fact that she's never been a judge. he's not ruling out a republican filibuster. others say she's brilliant, qualified and mainstream. >>> a judge in peru has upheld the murder convention of joran van der sloot which means he will stay in jail pending his trial. the 22-year-old is charged with killing a young peruvian woman. he has said authorities violated his rights during his confession. van der sloot also a suspect in the natalee holloway case, b

the bill lost the democratic vote with the death of west virginia senator robert byrd. president obama voiced confidence today after meeting with federal reserve chairman ben bernanke. >> senators hopefully on both sides of the aisle recognize it's time we put in place rules that prevent tax payer bailouts and make sure that we don't have a financial crisis that can tank the economy. i think there's going to be enough interest in moving reform forward that we're going to get this done. >> sreenivasan: on another front the top economic officials at the united nations called today for less dependence on the u.s. dollar. they said the global financial crisis exposed the danger of relying entirely on u.s. monetary policy. the u.s. supreme court has reaffirmed a ban on unlimited giving to political parties. the ban against so-called soft money was a key part of the 2002 overhaul of federal campaign finance law. last january the court allowed corporations, unions and other groups to fund federal elections. the republican national committee unsuccessfully argued political part

byrd. >> ifill: judy woodruff has been anchoring our gavel to gavel coverage of the hearings today. she joins us now from capitol hill. judy? >> woodruff: thanks, gwen. and i am joined by marcia coyle. we have been together the last three days covering these hearings. mash afirst of all, given the unsuccessful efforts to both sides of the aisle to get elena kagan to talk-- to describe the court, to talk about the justices, to talk about controversial issue, what have we learned about her today? >> well, judy, i think we learned some about her judicial philosophy. she talked about how she would interpret statutes of congress , for example. she said if text is clear, then the text provides the answer to the question before the court. but if it isn't clear, then there are other tools that help the court decide. and she mentioned specifically, because she was asked, about legislative history. as you know, judy, legislative history is something that justice scalia has no patience for, and he's even mocked it from the bench, but she thinks it's a valid tool. and she also talked about how

senator robert byrd died this morning at the age of 92. a vote had been postponed until one -- to more because inclement weather affected travel. a compromise on financial regulation is expected on the floor. live coverage of the house is on c-span. rules of the u.s. house of representatives the clerk received the following message from the secretary of the senate on june 28, 2010, at 5:50 p.m., that the senate agreed to senate resolution 56. with best wished i am, signed, sincerely, lorraine c. miller. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from arkansas seek rick nigs? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that today following legislative business and any special orders heretofore entered into, the following members may be permitted to address the house, revise and extends their remarks and include therein extraneous material. mr. boozman: mr. poe, july 2 for five minutes, mr. jones, july 2 for five minutes, mr. burton, july 2 for five minutes, mr. mack today for five minutes, mr. boozman today for five minutes, m

robert byrd was a member of this committee for nearly three decades. just as he did in all of his senate work, he was a relentless advocate for the traditions of the senate. including our respect for the legislative authority that the constitution places in our hands to exercise and to defend. . . general, you testified before this committee on afghanistan just two weeks ago, and certainly no one foresaw the events that bring new to testify here again today. when confirmed, you will bring highly experienced leadership and a profound understanding of the president's strategy in afghanistan, which you helped shape as commander of u.s. central command. i want to thank you for your willingness at the president's request to leave that position to take charge of the campaign in afghanistan. we appreciate your sacrifice and that of your family. your wife holly is with you this morning, and so we all want to thank her personally for her commitment and her sacrifices along the way. i like to tell you that her understanding of your doing your patriotic duty as y

we're on the robert k. byrd highway. she said which one? we have heard a lot today about your work experiences and we should. when i think about the real world experience you had i'm reminded of the famous speech that president teddy roosevelt gave 100 years ago this year. to paraphrase president roosevelt, it is not the critic who counts. the credit belongs to the one who is actually in the arena, who strives to do the deeds and in at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory or defeat. there are always critics on the sidelines but you have actually been in the arena as a manager, as teacher, as an ad advisor and a consensus builder and a lawyer. in every job you have worked very hard and done very well. that is why you're before us being considered in the words of teddy roosevelt for this high achievement. your work on the frontlines tells me that you have practical experience thinking about the impact of laws and policies on the lives of

robert byrd was a member of this committee for nearly three decades. to says he did in all of his senate work, he was a relentless advocate for the enduring traditions of the senate often the shah -- senate including our respect for the legislative authority. hands to exercise and to defend. . . his life's work and legacy will help guide dense and will guide future since -- and senates. we consider the nomination of general petraeus to be commander of the need to international security assistance force and the commander of the united states forces in afghanistan. the general, you testified before this committee just two weeks ago. certainly, no one foresaw the events that bring you to testify here again. when confirmed, you will bring higher experienced leadership and a profound understanding of the president's strategy in afghanistan which you helped shaped as commander of u.s. central command. i want to thank you for your willingness to leave that position and take charge of the campaign in afghanistan pitt. and that of your family. yor wife holly is

byrd, a senator from the state of west virginia. the speaker pro tempore: the chair has examined the last day's proceedings and announced to the house her approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved. >> madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana seek recognition? >> i request the request be put on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the yice have it. the -- the ayes have it. the journal stands approved. >> madam speaker, i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, this 15-minute vote on aapproval of the journal will b followed by a five-minute vote on suspen

. >> west virginia senator robert byrd served more than 50 years on the u.s. senate, lumber than anyone in history. he appears on c-span more than 1200 times. what are 1980 profile with the signature on the history of the senate. it is all online at the c-span video library. it is washington your way. >> now of a patel war contracts are supervised. we will hear from the special inspector general for iraq restriction. this subcommittee hearing is just under two hours. >> we will come to order. i ask unanimous consent that only the chairman and covers this make opening orders. consent that the hearing record be kept open for five business days for that all members of the subcommittee may be allowed to submit a written statement for the record. so ordered. good morning. my appall aeologies for being a late. we know that certainly it was unintended. i appreciate jeff for being here. all of you for showing up today and giving us your considerable expertise. i sadly report that i understand we'll have votes at about 10:30, so there will be an interruption on this. w

herschhl friday, a california court of appeals judge, and senator robert byrd of west virginia. nixon had told his attorney general that women should not serve in government because they were erratic and emotional. thank god we do not have any in the cabinet, he exclaimed. friday and will lead fell into a security -- secured -- of security. chief justice burger fired off a personal and confidential letter to attorney general mitchell repeating his previous recommendation -- recommendation. the 19 -- the 64-year-old virginia gentleman had already asked that his name be removed from consideration. he was of no more interested in the position in 1971. even after president nixon called him and told him it was his duty, the ever conscious of lawyer said that he would reconsider the offer. next, chief justice burger phones and wanted to kansas his concerns -- wanted to discuss his concerns. poll found the chief reassuring about all f his doubts and worries. when he announced the possibilities of go into the high court to his partners, powell was disappointed that no one expressed regr

senator roberts byrd of west virginia is seriously ill. he is in a hospital. he was admitted late last week for heat exhaustion in severe dehydration. the senator was expected to be in a hospital for a few days, but his condition is worsening. senator byrd is 92 years old, the longest-serving member of congress. now, we go to remarks from senator orrin hatch on supreme court nominee elena kagan's nomination. kagan's confirmation hearing takes place tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. eastern. you can watch that live coverage of the hearing on c-span3. >> the senate's role of advice and consent, especially for supreme court justices, is one of our most important constitutional duties. i would like to just share a few thoughts about how i will approach this task. america's founders designed the judiciary to be -- the weakest and least dangerous branch of the government. things have not worked out as planned. the judiciary is instead the most powerful and potentially the most dangerous branch of our government. what the then being accountable to the people by being subject to

byrd, a senator from the state of west virginia. the speaker pro tempore: is in objection to the consideration of the concurrent resolution? without objection, the concurrent resolution is agreed to and the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, proceedings will resume on motions to suspend the rules previously postponed. votes will be taken in the following order -- house concurrent resolution 284, house resolution 5395, house resolution 1446 and house resolution 4307 each by the yeas and nays. the first electronic vote will be conducted as a 15-minute vote. remaining electronic votes will be conducted as five-minute votes. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion by the gentlelady from hawaii, mizz hirono, to suspend the rules -- ms. hire oweno, to suspend the rules and agree -- ms. hirono, to suspend the rules and agree to house concurrent resolution 284. the clerk will report the concurrent resolution. the clerk: house concurrent resolution 284, recognizing the work and importance of