At the end of december. Since then i think we have all been taking stock of everything our dear friend has accomplished. And everything he means to so many people. I have long said if they were to hold a secret populated contest Johnny Isakson would win in a bipartisan landslide quite possibly in a unanimous vote. He commands bipartisan respect and affection to a degree that is truly remarkable. If you think about it and make sense for a mans whose mantra goes like this two kinds of people, friend and future f friend. For most people that might be a noble aspiration. The unrealistic. Both are Johnny Isakson its a statement of fact. Nobody is an enemy, nobody is a stranger, just friends and future friends, that is it. With a model like that, it is no wonder that johnnys first was a successful step in the field in which relationships are everything. It strikes me there two ways you can thrive in a business where friendships and Connections Matter so much. You could be either good at faking a smile and fat faking interest in others or generally love meeting everybody and learning how you might be able to help them. The second kind of person is exactly who ed and juuling isaacson brought up in atlanta, georgia. Warm, honest, forthright, incredibly kind, no wonder johnnyse neighbors jumped at te chance to hire him to be the state representative. And then state senator. And then their congressman. And then there United States senator. So his retirement this month will cap a 45 year career in public service. Packed with one significant accomplishment after another. One after another. First and foremost in johnnys long legacy is his work for our nations veterans. He spent six years in the Georgia International guard as a young man. And he spent the half century since in as one of his fellow veterans best friends at any level of government. Ma under his chairman schiff the Veterans Affairs committee has passed scores of bills. More accountability at the va, more education benefits, Better Community care programs, better procedures when veterans appeal a determination, an updated g. I. Bill with no more expiration date. And of course his landmark the Va Mission Act is now law providing many of the most significant reforms in the history of the va. Taking power away from bureaucrats and giving a back to veterans. And the doctors. Yet somehow, in the midst of compiling the singular record for a nation veterans, johnny racked up countless legislative successes that impact literally every america. From securing pension protections fored education poly from regional Infrastructure Projects like the savannah harbor expansion to combating hunger worldwide. One list law bearing his fingerprints and youd be forgiven thinking you never had a problem we cannot solve. But at last every senator sometimes encounters request frome back home that they cannot deliver. Sometimes you have constituents on both sides of an issue, sometimes a request might conflict with your principles. Whatever the reason, everybody in office eventually disappoints somebody. But johnny staffs marbl marblesn when they come up here to meet with him and unfortunately go away disappointed, they still walk out of the m meeting teamig with praise for the senator. Can you believe johnny, hes a greatest guy ever. These are the people he just said no to. The same traits explain why he is just as popular under the stone as he is back home. I dont mean just as fellow members, Johnny Isakson is an honorary member of every other member staff and an honorary elevator operator in a Capital Police officer and honorary member of chaplain blacks team and onar and on, he knows him values absolutely everybody. I cannot count how many times i would hear laughter from out in my stop and realize Johnny Isakson had dropped by not to see me but to chat with my team. Ask about their families, maybe check up on a couple of georgia priorities why he was there. There is one classic story that distills this mans character. Most people who run around johnny and his team long enough know the famous tale of the gin and tonic and the laundry g roo. They gin and tonic in the laundry room. Here is the deal, back in 2006, johnny was still a new senator, we were tackling thorny pension issues. And thousands of georgians stood to be affected if things did not get him or not. So this freshman senator dyson goes toe to go with big players like teng kennedy and bill young over in the house. He did not get a seat on the Conference Committee but he basically appointed himself an honorary member. Johnny worked likezy crazy. He salute the gou out where thed be meeting and spoke to everyone and because of johnny we know how this ends. He delivered for georgia and after words the Atlanta Journalconstitution wanted to hear howma this freshman senator had pulled off the victory. Among other things a reporter asked how he had celebrated. Did he clear out the champagne at some steakhouse. Here is what he said, this is a direct quote madame president. He said after the vote he went straight back to capitol hill apartment is celebrated, by doing his laundry. He did not want to leave dirty close behind for a month so he said further i was putting coins and machine and i had agenda and tonic in the laundry room. It was almost a perfect encapsulation of Johnny Isakson. It starts with a cando spirit propelled forward by charisma, starts and stubborn patients and ends with the wind georgians. And one celebrity cocktail while wrist deep in laundry detergent. But there is one other story that reflects this leader moreta perfectly, one name kate. In 2009 johnny was reading the local paper and found an obituary for a young lady in northern georgia who had been in africa with the peace corps and she was just 24. Johnny did not know kate, did not know her family. But he felt called to attend her funeral. He sat quietly in the very back and listen to her friends. Her family, ministers peace corps colleagues, on a simile he invited the family to stay in touch if there is anything he could ever do. Only later did they relate what was in the obituary. Kate had been murdered in the dark of night after sounding the alarm on child abuse inag her village in the african country. Johnny isakson was on the case from that day forward. The africa subcommittee, so he put a framed photo of kate on his desk and leapt into action. Senator isakson flew to benin to personally lean on its president. He met with peace corps officials. He built a legislative coalition he met with peace corps officials and built a cool ocean for reform to better protect volunteers. And like i said earlier because this is Johnny Isakson are talking about, we know how the story ends, with results. He helped pursue justice and just a couple of years after, there was the peace corps act walked. That is Johnny Isakson in one story. He starts out trying to do good for his neighbors and winds up literally changing the world. Of course, madam president , changing the world can be grueling work. We all know that its made his Tireless Service more and more challenging in recent months. As much as the other 99 of us hate to hear it comes hes decided its time to find new ways to serve that dont involve air travel or winding trips through the capitol complex. But we know our friend is not riding off into the sunset or kicking up his heels. I know he is bound and determined to keep putting his knowledge to work on behalf of georgians who need it. I have no doubt she will keep on advocating with a pen and a phone. Bar across the country than anyone can count up. And maybe a few of his eight grandchildren by his side. Sounds like a pretty enviable work arrangement and no doubt, he has earned it. He earned the right to a little less latenight coding and more time with his lovely wife. On behalf of all of his colleagues, i will tell him to go ahead and relax just a little. But this time around he should enjoy it on the front porch and leave the laundry until later. We are savoring our last few weeks alongside our good friend here in the senate. Youre so lucky to have called him our colleague. Finally, on a happy note or a bittersweet happy note, but a fine note, Johnny Isakson. Members of the chamber today will hold a bipartisan lunch to say goodbye to one of our most beloved colleagues,