Tribute to Senators

Floor Speech

TRIBUTE TO SENATORS -- (Senate - November 20, 2008)

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I am pleased to have been here to hear most of the comments and remarks of our colleagues about the distinguished career of the Senator from Alaska, Ted Stevens. I haven't had a better friend in the Senate than Ted Stevens and his example and his friendship have been very vital to my service in the Senate, and the people of my State have benefited from the relationship I have had. So I am glad to have this opportunity here today, when so many are saying the things that come to their mind and are in their heart about the impact Ted Stevens has had on the work of this Senate and on individual Senators and their careers.

I am one of those who had the privilege of being by his side as a member of the Appropriations Committee. After 2 years in the Senate, I was able to get on that committee and moved up pretty quickly, because of the retirements of other Senators, to sit by his side and to benefit from his example. I am grateful to have had that opportunity, and I thank him for his generosity, for his time and his efforts to help assure that I was assisted. I tried to be helpful to not only my State but to programs and activities within the Department of Defense that I had strong feelings about and thought were very vital to our national security interests. Missile defense comes to mind as one of those issues that we dealt with in a way that led our country to move forward quickly. Senator Inouye was very much a part of that as well. I think their experience and the way they worked together served as an example to the rest of us as to how working through the committee system of the Senate benefits our country and how it is important to this institution that traditions be respected and observed. It is not just for procedural standpoint benefits, but it truly does improve the quality of the work and the importance of the influence of the Senate in our government today.

So I can't say enough in terms of praise and expression of appreciation, except that we are going to miss the benefit and the example of Ted Stevens here in this Senate. There is no way around that. We are suffering a loss by his departure from the Senate. We wish him well. We know he is going to be around and we look forward to continuing the friendship and the opportunities to get advice. He may volunteer some advice that he thinks we might need, and I hope he will. I invite him to. We will continue to benefit from his service and the things he has done in his great career to help this institution and our great country.

It is a sad day for me but one that I know he appreciates very much in terms of the people who have spoken and the things that have been said about him. These are words of praise that are very well earned.

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