[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 145 (Friday, October 7, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


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

 
                      TRIBUTE TO SENATOR MITCHELL

  Mr. PELL. Mr. President, it is with a real sense of loss and regret 
that I rise in tribute to our very distinguished colleague and highly 
respected leader, George Mitchell, on the occasion of his retirement 
from the Senate.
  As I said here when we first learned of his decision to leave, the 
Senate is a better place for having had the benefit of his steady 
leadership and his special gift for effective advocacy. He addresses 
the issues before this body with precision, clarity and, for most of 
us, great persuasiveness.
  And he has run the cumbersome machinery of the Senate with great 
skill, fairness and consummate patience. He has always been a faithful 
and ardent advocate for his party's priorities, while maintaining a 
solid base of good faith on both sides of the aisle.
  All in all, it seems to me that George Mitchell has exemplified all 
of the best characteristics of an effective legislative leader, 
especially in the fluid and sometimes volatile environment of the U.S. 
Senate. He leaves a new standard of performance that his successors 
hopefully will emulate.
  I might add that I have been especially appreciative of the Leader's 
stalwart support of a number of pieces of legislation in which I have 
had a special interest, such as the landmark reauthorization of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act on which we took final action 
just this week. And I also particularly appreciate his support of the 
work of the Foreign Relations Committee as we strive to define the role 
of the United States in the post Cold War world. In all of this, he has 
been unfailingly courteous and considerate.
  For all of these reasons, I am truly sorry to see George Mitchell 
leave this body. We shall miss him. But I wish him well in his future 
endeavors and hope that the Nation will continue to be the beneficiary 
of his great skills and many talents.

                          ____________________