[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 23 (Monday, March 7, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 7, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                   TRIBUTE TO SENATOR GEORGE MITCHELL

  Mr. COATS. Mr. President, I want to add my voice to the others 
relative to Senator Mitchell's announcement over the weekend about his 
retiring from the Senate after this session.
  I first came here in 1988 as an appointed Senator, something that I 
shared in common with Senator Mitchell and a few others in this body. 
Because of the resignation by then Senator Dan Quayle, who had just 
been elected to the Vice Presidency, an opening was created in Indiana 
and I was fortunate enough to be selected by the Governor of the State 
to fill that opening.
  When I arrived, Senator Mitchell was one of the first, if not the 
first, to greet me and he publicly, on the floor, indicated that there 
is a special understanding that exists between those of us who have 
arrived here initially through appointment rather than through 
election. We jokingly talked about forming a caucus, but what I learned 
early on is probably what Senator Mitchell learned, and that is you 
need to earn your place here, and earning your place is securing not 
just the support of the Governor who selected you to fill a vacancy, 
but earning the support of the people that you represent in your 
particular State.
  I was fortunate enough to do that through both a special election in 
1990 and a general election in 1992. Senator Mitchell, however, has 
more than earned his place, not only gaining the support of the people 
of Maine, but rising in a very short period of time to the highest 
position in this Senate, that position of majority leader.
  I was surprised, as many were, by Senator Mitchell's announcement 
but, in another sense, not surprised. This is a difficult business. It 
requires some extraordinary sacrifices, but it requires of none of us 
as much as it requires of the majority leader.
  We have essentially 100 independent contractors here, all with our 
own egos and own agendas. Pulling those 100 together in some semblance 
of unity and teamwork and managing those 100 individuals is what most 
would describe as an impossible job. Yet, George Mitchell, through 
patience, perseverance, tenacity, and, most of all, through his 
personal integrity has managed to somehow keep this ship moving forward 
to get the Nation's business accomplished, all as I said under 
extraordinarily difficult circumstances.

  George Mitchell's word was good every time, whether it was his word 
to Members of his own party or word to Members of the opposition. On a 
number of occasions, Senator Mitchell made commitments to me and never 
waivered from those commitments despite pressure from those who opposed 
what I was attempting to do, and I respect that and I respect him.
  He has been extraordinarily effective. I like to describe him as 
dangerously effective because his agenda often is different from my 
agenda. I respect the way in which he approaches, however, his business 
and his colleagues, and I know that will not slacken in the last 
several months of his tenure here as majority leader.
  I have to acknowledge that when I first heard the news that Senator 
Mitchell was retiring at the end of this term and would be in line for 
Baseball Commissioner--at least that is how it was reported in the 
wires that came across on Friday--my first reaction was, ``Gosh, why 
couldn't that be me.'' George Mitchell is getting to leave an 
extraordinarily difficult situation for what many describe and what I 
think is the best job in America, although on further reflection, the 
job of Baseball Commissioner, while glamorous on the outside, may have 
many of the same difficulties and problems as the job of majority 
leader. You are not dealing with 100 egos, but you are dealing with 28 
zillionaire owners, each of whom has a substantial opinion of himself 
or herself. And bringing those 28 together may be as difficult, if not 
more difficult, than bringing 100 Senators together. So I am not sure 
that Senator Mitchell is going to necessarily, if he chooses that 
opportunity if available to him, find himself free from the 
extraordinary management problems of running the Senate.
  I was asked over the weekend on one of the talk shows whether or not 
Senator Mitchell's announced retirement would jeopardize the 
President's health care plan. And certainly Senator Mitchell has proven 
extraordinarily effective in handling the agenda of the White House. 
But my answer was, ``Well, not necessarily,'' because I would guess 
that Senator Mitchell will devote a great deal of his energy and 
considerable skills to leaving as perhaps his last accomplishment in 
the Senate a major piece of health care reform legislation.
  From that standpoint, he is going to bring his skilled tactician 
qualities and attributes to this process. And again, we do not see eye 
to eye on the form in which this reform should take, but he is going to 
be a worthy adversary as we deal with this issue.

                          ____________________