Ladies and gentlemen, please and stand for the presentation of the colors by the u. S. Armed forces colorguard, the singing of the national anthem, and the retiring of the colors. Oh say can you see by the dawns early light whats a probably we hailed at whotwilights last gleaming is broad stripes and bright stars fight, overperilous the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming and the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air nightroof through the that our flag was still there o, say does that starspangled banner yet wave freethe land of the brave . Ome of the ladies and gentlemen, please stand as the chaplain of the u. S. Senate, barry black, gives the invocation. Let us pray. Eternal god, our refuge and strength. As we begin this unveiling ceremony of the marble bust of Vice President dick cheney, who we think you for his service to you, and country. Remembering the many years he labored in the political arena, we are grateful for your gifts of people who are passionate about keeping this nation strong. Continue to bless and keep Vice President cheney and his loved ones as we receive inspiration from his contributions, remind us that with your power, we are Strong Enough to overcome the difficulties that trouble our nation and world. Lord, strengthen our commitment to you and country by turning our thoughts toward hope, our hearts toward justice, and our hands toward works of peace. We pray in your sovereign name, amen. Please be seated. Ladies and gentlemen, the chairman of the Senate Committee on rules and administration, roy blunt. Hon. Blunt it is great to be part of this presentation, inviting Vice President cheney to the capital as part of the collection of the senate started in 1885. 130 years ago, the senate decided it would be appropriate to recognize the Vice President , principally to recognize the Vice President in his job as president of the senate and certainly to get to recognize a person who spent a lot of time in both the house and senate as Vice President and before the 46th Vice President of the United States, dick cheney. The story of the five president s and their impact on the country is an important part of our history and as we celebrate this event today, we get a chance to welcome both current and former members of the house and senate, some of whom youll hear from. Former members of the cabinet, justice scalia, and president bush before we are done, we are joined by Vice President biden. We are particularly pleased to be here with his family, such an important part of his life, and his great partner, mrs. Cheney. Lynne cheney is a partner in this project like she has been a partner in so many other things. The Vice President has done she has a deep appreciation for the history of the country. She has written great childrens history and adult history. She and the Vice President wrote a wonderful book on speakers of the house when he was serving in the house and we were lucky to have her come and visit with senators about her groundbreaking book on james madison. When dick cheney was a member of the house, he told me that he and others founded the Dennis Thatcher society because mrs. Cheney was the chairman of the National Endowment for humanities and in the tradition of Dennis Thatcher, they thought they would band together to see what it was i to have a spouse of the more powerful job than they had but they have been great partners and so, when mrs. Cheney said that she thought the William Behrens had truly captured the character of the Vice President when she and the Vice President got to see the bust for the first time, that was probably the most important indication that everything was going to work out all right. We are also pleased to have William Behrens and his wife and members of their family here with us today. This will be the second bust that he has done that will be part of the Vice President ial collection. He is now working on the third, Vice President gores bust that he is doing as we are talking today he is planning that. So, Vice President cheney, welcome back to the capital. Will rogers said the man with the easiest job in the country was the Vice President because all he had to do was get up every day and say, how is the president doing . [laughter] recent president s and Vice President s have changed this job a lot. Every Vice President starting with john adams has done a lot to make their own impact on the country and uniquely had the opportunity to make an impact on the congress. Dick cheney brought the vice presidency the preparation of a lifetime of service. He has a nononsense approach and a willingness to solve problems. He was his first job in washington, to be a fellowship at the capital. Six years later he is the chief of staff for the president of the United States. One of the quicker moves from and turned to chief that ever happened. His 10 years in the house, he was chairman of the republican conference, the republican whip. I was the majority whip and never lost a job never lost a vote as when i was majority whip. I also was the minority whip and i lost some votes there. Dick cheney is the only minority whip never lost a vote. George h. W. Bush asked him to be secretary of defense before he could ever whip about it. [laughter] he holds lots of distinction in the history of the country. It is an honor to be part of this presentation today and it will be a great honor to see him recognized and remembered in the capital with this bust. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, the majority leader of the senate, the honorable Mitch Mcconnell. Hon. Mcconnell richard cheney. He has had one of the most interesting careers in one of the most fascinating lives of anybody you would ever want to meet. As roy indicated, chief of staff, secretary of defense, member of congress from wyoming, House Minority whip, Vice President to president george w. Bush, and master fisherman. Many have spent their lives in pursuit of just one of these offices and many have failed in the pursuit. That this son succeeded says quite a lot about him. When dick cheney sets his mind to something, he is absolutely determined to achieve it. It is a trait he is well known for. Here is another one. Dick cheney loves his family. I want to say how much i enjoyed the biography of james madison. One thing we agree on is we think he is our favorite he president who went to princeton. He loves his daughters, obviously, too. The truth is for all the Vice President s welldeserved reputation as a man of action. We know we know lynn is the force in the family. Scholar, public servant, a strong woman who is never afraid to share her opinion on an issue. Dick cheney might be tough but lynn is tougher. I think the Vice President is fine with that. Here is what is interesting to me. Dick cheney wasnt just the Vice President of the United States, he was president of the senate. That is why we dedicate a bust to him in every Vice President. Many view that role as ceremonial. Not the one we are honoring today. When he was Vice President , he was up at our policy lunch. He was an active member of the senate. He sat there like a sponge and soaked up all the information and we could rarely get him to say anything. It wasnt that we didnt think he had strong opinions but he knew he was there for president bush to figure out what we are up to. One instance i remember quite well relates to the Vice President s on the opportunity to vote, to break a tie. Here is the setting. We had a rather modest deficit reduction package which we could do through what we call, reconciliation. We could do it with 51 votes. I was the whip. I counted and i recounted and i recounted remember, we had 55 republicans at the time. I could only get to 50. Dick was in pakistan. I had to call him 8. 5 times on the way. God knows how long to fly back. I said we need you to come back. I sweated as he flew all the way back hoping that we would have a tie. And we did and it broke the tie. That was my most memorable moment as the vote counter in the senate. Eventually he made his way back as i said, through all of those time zones and mercifully, i was right in my count. We have had with us a president and a Vice President who have taken different paths in their postpresidency. And postvice presidency. One continues to engage passionately in the debates of today. He writes, he speaks, he lets his opinion be known in no uncertain terms. The other views his role in a different way. He has an important work but has stayed in the background purity has done humanitarian work. He does something else, too. He paints. Who can say which role is the correct one . When you leave both of these important offices, it is a matter of personal opinion. I know we are all looking forward to seeing more of president bushs masterpieces. Thank you for gathering today here thank you, president bush, Vice President cheney, for all of the Remarkable Service to what our country over many, many years. Thank you so much. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, the speaker at the house, the honorable paul ryan. Hon. Ryan thank you very much. I want to welcome all of you to the capitol visitors center. The way i see it, nobody could accuse dick cheney of living an inconsequential life. He was working in the white house on 9 11. He oversaw operation desert storm. He worked at the side of gerald ford as that man restore the presidency. He dedicated his life to public service. This is a man who witnessed the very first drawing of the laffer curve. Given my position, i am especially interested in his career as a congressman. He was elected in 1978. He served in the house for 10 years. He literally wrote the book on this place with his wife. He vigorously supported Ronald Reagan in those times. Over that time, he rose in the ranks. The list of people he knew and people he befriended is like a whos who of the conservative movement. He succeeded jack kemp. Newt gingrich seceded him as the House Republican whip. He moved among giants in american politics. He is one himself. He left the house to become our defense secretary. He went on to serve as the president of the Upper Chamber which we and has prefer to call, that other chamber. Then he was never heard from again. I think one thing people forget about Vice President cheney is that he is a funny guy. I study the debates because i had my on president ial debate and if you remember, the 2000 Vice President ial debate, he is up against Joe Lieberman peerage Joe Lieberman is talking over the boom times under president clinton and he says, i am pleased to see dick that you are better off than you were eight years ago. I can tell you that the government had absolutely nothing to do with it. Joe lieberman continues, i can see my wife and i think she is thinking, gee, i wish we could go into the private sector without missing a beat dick cheney says, im going to try to help you do that, joe. This runs in the family. Years later, when the Vice President had his critics, he asked his wife, does it bug you when people refer to me as darth vader . And she said, no, it humanizes you. [laughter] [applause] and that is what i am always going to remember about the cheney family. That calm determination, the fierce love of country. Through all of the years, through war and peace, he did all he could to keep this country safe. And we all over him a tremendous debt of gratitude. Thank you, Vice President cheney. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, the 43rd president of the United States, george w. Bush. [applause] george w. Bush thank you for the warm welcome. Lynn and family, i am delighted to be here. I must confess, i am somewhat reluctant to come back to washington. The last time i showed appear, i was hanged in the white house. This time, i return only to find my Vice President getting busted in the capital. I really appreciate you being here, thank you for coming. I want to thank paul ryan for his leadership. He is trying out for the Abraham Lincoln lookalike contest. Mitch, when dick cheney was the leader, mitch was the minority leader appeared as majority leader, mitch is in charge now. As a matter of fact, he assured me that dick cheneys bust would be prominently displayed in an undisclosed location. Thank you roy blunt and for organizing this event. William behrens is the sculptor. I cant wait to see what it looks like Peter Meissner had a time somebody did with me and i looked like alfred a newman. Over the years, i have a chance to meet a number of his predecessors. I have known one my whole life. Lastly, i told mom and dad i was coming here for the bust unveiling. Dad perked up and said, send my best regards to old ironass. [laughter] [applause] dick, that is indeed a badge of honor or the 43rd Vice President , and the 41st president asked me to give you his heartfelt congratulations. He and mom join us in thanking you for your selfless service. Dick is a man of the west and i find it interesting he was the son of a Soil Conservation service employee, that he laid powerlines for a living before he got his degree from the university of wyoming after he got kicked out of yale. He first came to this town in the late 1960s as a phd student working on his dissertation. Which probably explains the special affection he has always attracted from the world of academia. As others have mentioned, his experience mattered. When i asked him to the head of the Vice President ial Search Committee, as he likes to tell people, if you ever get asked to chair such a committee, do it. The truth is, i knew that dick cheney had the character and judgment that i needed as a running mate. He had the experience to step in as commanderinchief if i were to get hit by a bus or choke on a pretzel. And fortunately, he agreed to serve. For eight years, i benefited from his wise counsel. He was a principal and trusted advisor on the most difficult questions. He is an effective advocate on capitol hill. He did an exceptional job discharging his two days as the president of the senate. Every time he cast a vote, we won. [laughter] [applause] although he did not spend much time speaking on the floor, he managed to convey a lot in a few words. Just ask senator leahy. People ask, do i miss washington . The answer is, not really weird not really. I loved our time here but im happy to be home. I miss some things i miss saluting those who wear the uniform and i miss my friends. And dick cheney is one of those friends. I always look forward to our weekly lunches. I could always count on him to take on any tough assignment and i could always trust that the advice he offered was given with our countrys best interest at heart. He became acting president for two hours and five minutes in july, 2007. While i was undergoing an undisclosed medical exam. He wrote the only document ever signed by an acting president , a letter to his grandchildren. In classic dick cheney fashion, he offered them could vice, to always strive to do what is right. For eight years, dick cheney stood by my side and always did what was right for our nation. I cannot of asked for a better Vice President. Who left hisman country and really loves his family. Callednd i are proud to take and his Family Friends and i am glad his likeness will be an everlasting presence in these halls of democracy. Thank you. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, the Vice President of the United States, joe biden. Biden ladies and gentlemen, thank you. As i look around this room and up in the platform i want to say thank you for letting me crash or family reunion. [applause] [laughter] i said to dig as i walked by i am afraid i have blown his cover. I actually like dick cheney. [laughter] im on the other family. Im nothing but inordinate respect for you, and i mean that sincerely. We started about the same time. You a little bit earlier, and the late 1960s. I got elected in 1972, president nixon was president. When gerald ford took on that awesome responsibility at a difficult time he turned to somebody to be a strong, guiding hand. He picked the right guy. Mr. Speaker, you said that no one would challenge the statement you then went on to make. I would say that anyone who is thinking about challenging dick cheney should think twice before they set about doing it. When we changed houses, there was a change going on. He showed me the bottom of the white house with manacles on the wall and there were skeletons, and dick in the cartoon looked at me and said you may want to renovate a lit