Mr. Chairman,
It is a special honor to appear before you today as the President's nominee to be Ambassador to Estonia.
I am accompanied today by my wife Leslie Davidson and my son Benjamin. Because Leslie will accompany me to Tallinn if I am confirmed, my mission is sure to be a success. She is the wisest of all my advisors.
Mr. Chairman, our country has suffered a painful blow at the hands of a pitiless and resourceful enemy. Sitting in Washington with our people under attack has been the most painful moment in my twenty-four years of public service. I am an old veteran of many attacks and many crises, including the Iranian Revolution, the Ethiopian civil war, the great earthquake in Mexico, the Cold War and the Gulf War. I ask that this Committee grant me the privilege of taking a place in the line of battle once more to defend this country at this hour of great peril. If the Senate does confirm me, I pledge to you that I will draw on every ounce of my experience to contribute to victory in the war that has been forced upon us, to protect Americans and American interests in Estonia, and to protect my Mission and its staff.
I would be remiss, however, if I did not discuss issues beyond the events of the past few weeks. Nowhere is the "free Europe rising around us" that President Bush described in his recent Warsaw speech more apparent than in Estonia. The vision of restored freedom and democracy sustained Estonia during the fifty years of Soviet occupation. Since they have restored their independence, the Estonians have done a great deal to be examples of the new Europe at its best. Some members of this Committee have already had the privilege to visit this remarkable nation and to see the changes this decade has brought to this vibrant society. I look forward to the opportunity to hear from them about their encounters and to hear their thoughts on the way ahead. Even from the vantage point of Washington, however, it is clear that Estonia's remarkable transformation into a functioning democratic and market-oriented nation has made it into a regional model for reform. Its aggressive economic reforms and economic performance have earned it the reputation as a "Baltic tiger."
But, there is, in fact, a grander vision that they and we pursue. It is one of a Europe secure, free and at peace. President Bush has described our task in Europe as that of planning and building the house of freedom whose doors are open to all peoples of Europe. Estonia can – and must be – part of this Europe and we here in this room must help them in the process. Terrorists have not deterred us from continuing to pursue this vision and to make it reality.
Mr. Chairman, the last three generations of my family have served in Europe in times of conflict. My grandfather lost the use of his legs in the service of this nation. My great uncle served in France in the infantry in the First World War. My uncle, the man whose name I bear, died in Belgium in World War II, and I served as a diplomat in West Germany in the Cold War. I hope to return now to serve my country in this different but equally deadly conflict.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee for your consideration. I would be pleased to respond to any questions you may
have.
