Did cheney and paul ryan and other leaders boca a Memorial Ceremony for bob michael at the capitol. This is one hour. [inaudible conversations] please stand for the presentation of the colors in the National Anthem in the retirement of the colors. Please remain standing for the invocation. Let us pray god of heaven and earth, the work of your hands is made in node did and didnt the alliance of the los that formally win in year and release phone negative grace. We remember the life and work of son of the very proud city of peoria. As a longtime missouri leader he was safe, modest man whose impact entailed in in of a pass to is a better but it was his characteristic of his ushered through a Democratic House much of what the agenda and evidence of the extraordinary ability to legislate within our constitutional structures. But be present with us my bacon that the member his legacy. Blesses gathering in comfort us as we convert one another that if we remember a Great American in a genuinely good man. Please be seated. Ladies and gentlemen the speaker of the best dates for representatives. Paul ryan could afternoon. Welcome to the capital today we celebrate the life the distinguished the deer from the state of. So he [inaudible conversations] and [inaudible conversations] to whistle while he worked and had time for everyone is still i appreciate and is very difficult. This is the kind of Inclusive Program that the leader would enjoy. Three republicans, two democrats. [laughter] [applause] bensons this is a house even did is a celebration of life. We will hear bible start the bidding that starts with it to. We novis but it care in came to the asset sale of an italian bob michael a. Did an incident the bed to go into the details so that they do not have to go through the whole thing again. They get to the floor sure enough he comes out to the floor and starts pulling in to the tax policy and said walk me through from beginning to end. Schuster receipt alienate the and basically the leader says of the st. Name roll that elevator takes a moment bed john brenner tells a story his early days. Remember the reggae half bull negative bang of seven . They were about to drop something very big on the house bank. Flavin ninth been used to use half to death and no retribution or firing of an arms for him but with a love for this place we got him got to know him so well that he really loved his people and this institution. He did not just shape events but their lives how they leave a phone negative live and treated others. That is what makes a giant, a giant with those values they instill in us to make us say you are very have an allotted to of these in his long life. We need to give this and thanks for being here today. [applause] assuming the assistant democratic leader of United States senator, the honorable director been,. Give bob michael were here to the cat to hear the golan, of my gosh that you can replace that with happy memories of a great fellow that was loved by all. Began in Public Service at 19 years old as an army private off to fight with courage is so of the most important battles in history and continued to after he left with extraordinary efforts to increase americas investment of medical research. But you left his greatest mark of Public Service right here in this building nearly 50 years of the house said the times keyword the proudest for the Ronald Reagan years 1981 the first year as a minority leader to create Fake Coalition to help big parts of the agenda of past. I was elected to fouriers later in a tumultuous election bob was the republican leader at that time and we had adjoining districts. One different leader may have written me off as another freshman democrat but from treated me as a colleague and as a friend and never forgot it. We would be just around the corner once every month with the illinois delegation lynch was a treat been r the stories from the delegation but from the and michael and rostenkowski are there different politicians alive moi from the bare knuckle lords of the city chicago if you thought it would be and knocked down drag out you cannot be further from the truth. One. 111 greatest generation there was a quiet Battle Tested the bravery about him who showed us the consensus isnt weakness and principled intelligent compromise is not capitulation. Its how a democracy works. He once said and i quote raising the level of your voice doesnt raise the level of your discussion. Progress can be reached by a pass of common courtesy. One look at his historic legislative achievements and you know that is true. The real heroes in world war ii never came home i have to say this, some of those heroes did come home and it was our honor to know and work with one of the finest. In his great beloved hometown of peoria of the tributes after his passing they certainly dont make them like bob michael anymore and i might add that we are all the lesser for it the democratic leader of the house, the honorable nancy pelosi. Good afternoon everyone. Senator warner, thank you for honoring us with your presence. Many being asked to speak at a Memorial Service for the leader is an honor indeed. And it is an honor to be there with speaker ryaherewith speaker durbin, Vice President cheney, secretary baker, secretary lahood and jack lu, talk about the two of them later. Today we remember a beloved former colleague who embodied the highest ideals of our democracy. Leader robert henry michael. In this hallowed hall gathered beneath the great statue of cleo, the muse of history remind us that history is blotchy and she reminds us that our words and actions will face the judgment of history and the heritage of our democracy. This distinguished gathering is a tribute to the leadership, service and stability embodying everything we hope our heritage would be. A son, soldier and Great American statesman, a patriot indeed. They urged the congressional distinguished service award. In the congress he fought for the people of peoria and his beloved illinois and brought the values of the heartland to washington and he personified the highest ideals of the nation. His valor and leadership was recognized in the president ial medal of freedom with the high honor of the legion of honor. We benefited from his wisdom, dignity and integrity. He once said understanding the other persons viewpoint is the beginning of political wisdom. It doesnt mean we will always agree, but it means that when we disagree, it is a disagreement based on fact. We have a role to play in strengthening our democracy. Let us Carry Forward bobs courage and conviction and stability. With the characteristics stability and grace, he held the respective colleagues on both sides of the aisle. I am sure thats what the test democrats into th and the housed with him and all respected and loved bob michael. His relationship with speaker oneill was legendary. Tip oneill served as speaker and took the Leaders Office and yielded the Speakers Office and that author is now named for him and it brings us joy to all of us that it is and it brings luster to that office that bears his name. But they are closeparen and traveled a bit and im just telling one story about jack lew who works with tip oneill and billy pitts who worked with bob michael. One time they were visiting russia, soviet union at the time and they were so closed and interactive in such a nonpartisan bipartisan way that when tip oneills spokesperson wasnt available to leave the precedent they would both speak out, billy stepped in. Bill lee and jack, please stand up because they will probably be the closest people. [applause] it wasnt that long ago they were all gathered in statuary hall for the service for speaker tom foley and all of us remember the beautiful, beautiful presentation that he made about tom foley and about bipartisanship and working together. In fact he was one of the last people that tom foley so whatever the politics were, the personal and respect always prevailed. He had a role to play in strengthening the democracy and also understood that we were engaged in a political disagreement from time to time. Democrats might disagree on policy proposals but we always agreed he led us that way on the importance of Public Service. He believed in the truth and compromise and working out differences to meet the needs of the american people. It was a joy to behold the love for their children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren and i hope the grandchildren who are here understand how much the grandfather is revered and for a long time to come of all of his achievements as republican leader of the house, he was most proud of being a husband, father and grandfather. So, for many of us, it was such an honor to serve with him to be his colleagues in the congress. It was a privilege to serve with him and it was an honor to call him colleague and a joy to call him friend and many of us may be presuming. Thank you for sharing your father with all of us over the years. The people of illinois and the people of america loved him that so many join all of you. They mourn the loss and pray for the family. Thank you again for sharing this great patriotic american statesman the person that taught us all so much the United States army corps. Vice president of the United States house of representatives the honorable dick cheney. Good afternoon. This is a sad occasion obviously but its also an opportunity to give thanks to the fact we were able to share time with bob. Hes a major influence in my life for the 78 election took me out of this wing and taught me a lot about the house. With some success it got me elected to the leadership of the first term and made me a member of the intelligence committee. I was never quite certain it was going to come out the way bob thought it was going to come out, but his role as my mentor i will never forget my highest aspiration was to follow the footsteps and hopefully someday become the speaker. To become the speaker of the house and the Vice President. It didnt work out quite the way we planned but he was one of the finest men i have ever known and there cannot be many others who spent so much time here and yet were held in such a high regard by everyone. Our leader was never known to make a disagreement personal or led opposition give way to hostility. He wouldnt know how to acquire it in the first place. He was a man of his generation who knew a far bigger test and a tough vote or a heated flow debate. You gain a perspective that doesnt come any other way. You know what a real fight looks like and loss feels like. When we start reading about politics we picture a certain kind of individual to serve in congress. Maybe in time, reality teaches us a little differently. The men and the ideal were awfully close. The gentleman from illinois will be on anything required by title. He was a man of courage, a friend we looked up to and we are happy to have in our lives. We honor him for all that he gave to america and we are grateful for all that he meant to us. [applause] of course it is traditional to refer to the members of congress as the honorable. In his case it was particularly appropriate when people call him the honorable bob michael because it was a simple fact. He was a most honorable man. The words duty, honor and country were not catchphrases. They described a prescription for almost anything he did. He was a masterful legislator of course he had enough accomplishments to fill the rotunda of the building where he worked for so long. But more importantly, he remained a generous and decent man whose ego was as humble as his midwestern roots. He said how can you not like someone who passes like a choir boy. [laughter] he would simply smile and say gees, or if he was mad, dad nab it. He knew how to work with democrats and was also tough and strong willed and knew how to swing votes. With the deadline approaching, we gathered in the Leaders Office and began working to seek support from members. We got it done and it was classic fair but very strong. Im afraid to say it is invoked today and the actions spoke a lot louder than his words. He prepared to reach across the aisle van to battle across the aisle. Greeted by st. Peter and smiled, spread his arms wide and tells him its good to see you appear. Thank you. [applause] thank you all for being here. We knew that this would be a standing room crowd and i cant pass up the opportunity for the Supreme Court john roberts. When i called the chie the chiee and invited him i told him what an honor it was before the family. When he Left Congress he went to work and met one of the top partners and they became good friends so it is an honor to have you here and i know he would be so humbled so thank you for coming. [applause] it is called the greatest generation. He was raised by two loving parents with his two sisters in pre i illinois he learned his strong midwestern values of faith in god, hard work and play by the rules. He and karen raised an allamerican family obviously. He served his country for 50 years as a decorated war hero in world war ii and as an American Hero to his constituents by the 18th Congressional District and as a teacher for both of us that have a privilege of working with him. Many people sprinkled throughout this wonderful statuary hall in graduate of the school of applied political arts and sciences. If i could for just a moment ask one of you that were touched by having the privilege of serving. I want to say thank you for all that you did for our leader. Please stand, all of you that were a part of it. [applause] you were a part of this family and he cared as much about you as a staffer as he did any one of his children or grandchildr grandchildren. Everywhere he went he taught his staff by example what it means to be a great public servant. President john adams said the constitution is the project of good heads prompted by good hearts. Both a good head and a good hearts are necessary in order to be a good congressman and also to be a good staffer. As a fortheres a form for reasd debate among constituents equal in dignity. They are a political persuasion and i heard him say on more than one occasion you learn much more from listening. He expected and demanded all of the staff to do the same. The warfare was known firsthand not more into Steven Spielberg movie or the pages of a book that real war. I guess that is the reason that they never used phrases like warfare or take no prisoners when discussing politics with the staff. They had no place in his office, no place in the house and no place in american politics. He knew the rhetoric often shapes the political actions we take. I never saw him get angry or used a swear word. Lots of deviations of swear words but never a swear word. Whenever there is a debate on the house floor or the 18th district conducted by men and women with a good head and good heart, treating each other with mutual respect. Therethere is a common decencyr all to endure. He was a great congressman, leader and teacher. Three final thoughts. Many of you knew he was the best gardener in the world. If you drive by his townhouse on the street today what you will see our barrels in front of his house with tulips coming up planted by him, the best tulips and flower beds and he taught all of us about them and how to plan fotoplant them and buy then to pull them up. As ther it was a wonderful memol service a week ago to honor bob. Theres a couple universities named in his honor and that is where he met the love of his life, and that is where he developed his love for music. He was an extraordinary singer and i traveled with him all over the district on many occasions he loved singing and he would love what you all presented today. Thank you for doing that and for being here. [applause] and finally the cubs fan. Many of us in this room receive Christmas Cards year in and year out going back to 1956 and 57. The best Christmas Card picture was this year on the back cover of the program. He stayed up until 2 00 in the morning when the chicago cubs won the world series and i called him the next day and said did you watch the game and he said he wasnt feeling that well. There is nobody that was a longer suffering fan, nobody. And he loved it when they won the world series and he never dreamed he would live long enough for that to happen so we are grateful to the family and all the people that put together that organization that helped watch them win the world series. Im going to finish with a quote. We were told we were only going to get 300 words but when i saw the speaker go over all these others i figured. Im going to read from a tribute that was in the journal star. This is a quote for me when i was asked about this and the reporter asked me if he was going to be buried in peoria. I recalled by asking him to you want to be buried in Arlington Cemetery which by all rights he would be able to do and he said no. He said Everett Dirksen was a big man and his mentor, he was the congressman before he was elected as she said if he wasnt too big to be buried in peoria, then im not too big to be buried in peoria. The final quote in this editorial begins you never know for sure how youre going to be perceived in history but you want to be a credit to your kid and the people that are closest around you that they will maybe take a leaf from your book if it is desirable and fill the shoes that get emptied when you pass on, and so blast, we remember a Bob Michelson did that and made congress betteitmade congress bg here and abroad honor to his hometown of peoria. Let me introduce finally scott michael. When they gave me the privilege of helping than organized the Memorial Service in peoria, and hear all of us except for scott thought a Family Member should say something. And be persuaded him to be the spokesman for the family. You all know him like every one of his children and grandchildren. He stepped up and decided she would be the one to represent the family. [applause] whalet me thank you on behalf of the entire family for joining us here this afternoon to celebrate the life of my dad. I have read tributes, news articles and obituaries capturing the highlights of his career. They propelled him to lofty heights and they were made in part by his father and mother charles and anna michael back in peoria illinois. His parents instilled a character that developed, mature and later were passed on to the sons and daughters as they had done for him. I looked back and tried to replicate what i saw growing up. What did i learn, first a larger than life figure with a presence and the bearing of a peter. He was in charge and even though his work in washington and we saw him twice a month on weekends he called us almost every day to check on our academic progress, athletic pursuits, Musical Instrument accomplishments and chores around the house. We saw even while being away his involvement, commitment and influence which was constant and reassuring. Second, we saw up close what he was made up and that made a lasting impression on all of us. Learning the life lesson was simple. Just watch and listen. His lessons were not taught by conversation but by simple observation. We could see how he interacted with my mother and how he treated her and respected her and how they spoke with each other. It was with love, sensitivity. We could see how he treated each of us. He was fair, evenhanded, strict when needed, held us accountable for actions and expected no less than our best at whatever tasks we were given or whatever the School Studies demand. All of this reinforced the desire to be responsible. He also showed us how to be humble. By practicing humility. Bragging was cold out and so was selfcentered as an arrogant. He showed us working hard and doing a good job with its own reward and he showed us how to be honest by demanding the truth and expecting no less. He showed us how to be generous and compassionate in effort ando help assist and consult and empathize with those less fortunate than those that had fallehavefallen on difficult ti. He showed us how to respect others by treating them th thaty he would want to be treated. Growing up with my father has humility, honesty, work ethic, generosity, respect for others and abiding faith in god and our country i feel so fortunate and blessed to have had him as my father. It means the most to us and that would be his lasting legacy. Godspeed, dad. I love you, i miss you and i know you are in god hand now. Please join the army corps in singing God Bless America which is one of his favorite songs when he could lead the singing as he did on numerous occasions. [laughter] ladies and gentlemen please join as the United States army corps seems God Bless America. God bless america land that i love stand beside her and guide her through the night with the light from above from the mountains to the prairies to the oceans white with foam God Bless America, my Home Sweet HomeGod Bless America my Home Sweet Home ladies an ladies and gentlemen please stand as the house gives the benediction. We pray dear lord, as we close our time together, the spirit of peace and consolation among us who mourn the loss of the honorable former minority leader of the house bob michael. He was an icon of what it means to be a man for others. The decades of service to the home state of illinois and home states to the natiostate of theg appreciated by those whose lives are forever blessed by his lifes work and dedication. The congress has as an institution the first branch of government challenge of severe partisanship divide into seeming inability to consider compromise in order to reach consensus they some from both sides of the ilbe be inspired to emulate such a great statesman. May your angels come to greet the beloved michael and those that mourn him be concerned with the knowledge that for those that love you, everything is turned to good. Amen. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations]