Remembering Senator Craig Thomas

Floor Speech

REMEMBERING SENATOR CRAIG THOMAS

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. ROBERTS. Madam President, I join my colleagues in paying tribute to our friend and colleague, Senator Craig Thomas. I always said if I got into a tough situation--using the allegory, a gunfight on Front Street in my hometown of Dodge City, KS--I would want Craig Thomas by my side. I also knew that he would be there.

In that regard, it was only 2 weeks ago that he and Susan, his wife, corralled a group of supporters for me and we talked about his personal battle. He was confident. As Senator Dorgan has indicated, he looked good. And we joked with him of no longer being a member of the folliclely challenged caucus.

His turn for the worse and sudden passing comes as a great shock to all of us. We served together in the House where, as in this body, he was always a voice of reason, a man of trust, decency, and commitment. Just this morning he was described by a fellow colleague as a ``lovely man,'' a description that does not quite jibe with Craig, a rough-hewn rancher with a gentle, quiet Wyoming demeanor, but it is a term that is true to the man.

I do not know of anyone who did not like or respect Craig Thomas. In this day of rough and tumble public service and the Congress overflowing, it seems, in a cauldron of partisan discontent, Craig transcended all of that.

In the end, the only thing any of us who have the privilege of public trust has going for us is our word. Craig Thomas set the gold standard in keeping his word and our trust and our admiration.

The Senate, Wyoming, and our Nation have lost a steady hand and a man who did much for his special State. He was dependable in the finest sense of the word. He never sought the center ring or the spotlight; that was not his style. He was the epitome of a workhorse, not a show horse.

I remember and I treasure our times together, especially when I first came to the Senate. We both agreed the length of a conversation does not tell anything about the size of the intellect. We also agreed that no matter who says what, you should not believe it if it does not make sense. Craig made sense. He did not need decorated words to make his meaning clear. He spoke Wyoming, and Kansas for that matter.

Craig would take the floor during morning business, and in his calm, reasonable manner then discuss an issue of the day. And you sort of had to sit on the edge of your seat and lean forward, and as they say in his beloved Marine Corps, listen up. He talked softly, he talked low, he talked slowly, and he said a whole lot without saying too much.

To some of us in this body he was, and is, a fellow marine. In this case, Semper Fidelis, always faithful, is most appropriate. As I said, if anyone faced trouble in their life, the one person you would want by your side would be Craig Thomas. I shall miss him greatly as a personal friend, confidant, and supporter.

Both of the offices I have occupied in the Senate were previously occupied by Craig. I just thought if they were good enough for Craig, I would fit right in. There is a short book by Bix Bender called, ``A Cowboy's Guide to Life.'' In it, he describes the code of the West and urges men of this common background to write it in hearts, to stand by the code, and that it would stand by you. Ask no more and give no less than honesty, courage, loyalty, generosity, and fairness.

Madam President, Craig Thomas embodied that code. Now, while our minds are full of sorrow and our hearts certainly heavy with his loss, Craig would not want that. In this regard, the words of Helen Steiner Rice come to mind as our thoughts and prayers are with his supporter, friend, and his wife Susan; his sons, Patrick and Greg; and his daughter Lexie.

When I must leave you
for a little while,
Please go on bravely
with a gallant smile
And for my sake and in my name,
Live on and do all things the same.
Spend not your life in empty days,
But fill each waking hour
in useful ways.
Reach out your hand
in comfort and in cheer,
And I in turn will comfort you
and hold you near.

Bless Craig Thomas.

I yield the floor.

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