‘Tom Lantos accomplished something few people do in life: he committed himself to an ideal, then followed through on it until the end. He gave it everything he had. And America admired him for it.’



Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell honored Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, on the Senate floor Monday:



“It would have been easy to excuse Tom Lantos for turning against the world after the sufferings he endured as a young man. But the reason we admire certain people is that they do not do what we would expect them to do in the face of extraordinary trials. They transcend them. And that’s why a cold wind swept through the Capitol this morning when we heard that Tom had died.



“America’s history is a history of unlikely success stories. But even by American standards, Tom’s was stunning. When the Nazis invaded Hungary in the frenzied last months of the War, he threw on a cadet’s uniform and secretly funneled food and medical supplies to those in hiding. He later said he assumed he wouldn’t make it out alive, but ‘wanted to be of some use.’



“He would have many more years to be of use — not only to his beloved wife Annette and their large extended family, or to the people of California’s 12th District, but to suffering and oppressed people. His own bitter experiences led him to make no distinction at all among those who were denied their basic human rights. He would always be grateful for the honor of being able to help them. Well into his 70s, he said still got goosebumps looking up at the flag on the Capitol on his morning walk to work.



“Tom and I had our differences on domestic issues. But it was a great mark of his commitment to human rights that he frequently joined Republicans when these rights were at stake. He worked with Republicans to introduce a resolution expressing solidarity with Israel in its fight against terrorism. He worked with Republicans to get funds to fight AIDS around the world. And every year since 2003, he and I were the House and Senate sponsors of the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act.



“We were also united in our strong support for Israel. We took leading roles in the House and Senate on the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act. And we were united in our concerns about Iran. Tom introduced the Iran Counter-Proliferation Act in the House. I cosponsored it in the Senate.



“When Tom was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness last month, he responded again, in an extraordinary way. He responded with gratitude. He said:



It is only in the United States that a penniless survivor of the Holocaust and a fighter in the anti-Nazi underground could have received an education, raised a family, and had the privilege of serving the last three decades of his life as a Member of Congress.



“We know that Tom’s decision to retire was especially painful, since he had just last year been named Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, a committee he’s served on for 26 years. It was a position, he said, he’d been preparing for his whole life.



“With his distinctive accent, his grace, and his deep learning — he spoke five languages and devoted six hours a day to reading books and magazines — Tom always gave the impression of being a true gentleman of the House. And he was.



“But he was just as tough. Tom Lantos accomplished something few people do in life: he committed himself to an ideal, then followed through on it until the end. He gave it everything he had. And America admired him for it.



“I want to extend our deepest sympathies to Annette, their two daughters, and the entire extended Lantos family on their loss.”



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