[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 149 (Thursday, December 1, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: December 1, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                            GEORGE MITCHELL

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, all of us were surprised when we learned 
last March about Senator Mitchell's decision to retire at the end of 
this session of Congress. But that was then and this is now. And now we 
know why he did it. George has always been able to see farther ahead 
than the rest of us.
  But seriously, George Mitchell has been an outstanding majority 
leader for the past 6 years and an outstanding Senator for the people 
of Maine since 1980.
  He began his political career in the office of another outstanding 
Senator from Maine, Ed Muskie. Even before coming to the Senate, George 
had already served his State and his country with great distinction, 
first as the State Democratic Party Chair, then as the U.S. attorney 
for Maine, and then as a Federal judge.
  When Ed Muskie left the Senate to become Secretary of State in the 
Carter administration in 1980, George Mitchell was appointed to fill 
the Senate vacancy. He won a dramatic victory to a full term in 1982, 
and that's when the true Mitchell legend began. Six months before that 
election, he trailed his opponent by more than 30 points. But he 
performed as brilliantly on the campaign trail as he has in so many 
other endeavors. With the wit, intelligence, charm, determination, and 
patience that all of us know so well, he won that race by more than 20 
points. And in the years since then, it can well be said just as Maine 
went for George Mitchell, so did the Senate and so did the nation.
  When Democrats regained control of the Senate in 1986, it was George 
Mitchell who led us to that victory as chairman of the Democratic 
Senatorial Campaign Committee. Two years later, he was chosen to be our 
majority leader--and what a brilliant job he has done ever since.
  George will be missed by every member of this body. Attending to the 
needs and schedules of 99 other Senators is probably one of the most 
difficult and thankless jobs in the American political system. But he 
did it superbly, treating requests from all members of the Senate 
equally, and with the fairness and wisdom that have always been his 
hallmark as leader.
  But he also set an ambitious and positive agenda for this body, and 
he never stopped pushing for its completion. The Clean Air Act. The 
Minimum Wage. The Americans With Disabilities Act. The 1991 Civil 
Rights Act. The Family and Medical Leave Act. The Crime Bill. The Goals 
2000 and Direct Loan Bills. The dramatic victory for President 
Clinton's budget. None of these measures would have passed without the 
energy, intelligence, and tireless commitment of George Mitchell.
  I especially commend Senator Mitchell for his effective role in 
health reform. His leadership has been indispensable in bringing this 
issue to the center of the national agenda. In the last Congress, 
Senator Mitchell decided to make health reform a Democratic leadership 
issue. He worked hard to unite our party around the HealthAmerica bill, 
and his efforts were essential in raising the Nation's consciousness on 
health reform and laying the groundwork for President Clinton's 
successful use of the issue of the issue in the 1992 campaign.
  In this Congress, Senator Mitchell knew that the gap between campaign 
rhetoric and actual legislation would be large, and that the goal would 
be difficult to achieve. But he made the decision early that this cause 
was of the highest importance to the American people and deserved the 
highest priority for action by Congress.
  Last summer, Senator Mitchell led a skillful effort to write a bill 
that could command the support of most Democrats. In the fall, he 
worked just as hard to try to achieve a compromise with the bipartisan 
mainstream group that could command the support of the full Senate.
  Senator Mitchell passed up a nomination to the Supreme Court in order 
to continue the battle for health reform. Had he been nominated, he 
certainly would have been confirmed. It is a measure of his dedication 
and patriotism that he made the choice he did. While his efforts were 
unsuccessful in this Congress, the progress we made under his 
leadership has brought us closer than ever to the goal. For this, and 
for so many other causes that he selflessly and tenaciously supported 
during his years in the Senate, the American people owe him a profound 
debt of gratitude.
  While he worked hard on these and other national priorities, his 
first priority was always the people of Maine. Whether creating jobs 
through Navy contracts for the Bath Iron Works, enacting legislation to 
help rural Maine communities find doctors and nurses, fighting to keep 
the Brunswick Naval Air Station and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard open, or 
working to protect Maine's magnificent environment and natural 
resources, the needs of the people of Maine were always George 
Mitchell's highest concern.
  Of course, he always made time to help his colleagues as much as 
possible--so much so in fact that John erry and I often thought of 
George Mitchell as Massachusetts' third Senator. I have no doubt that 
many other Senators felt the same way about him. He's been their 
Senator too--he's that able, and that fair.
  But whether we think of him as a great colleague, a great leader or a 
great friend, we know that we will miss him, just as the people of 
Maine will miss him. We honor him for his years of outstanding service 
and for his commitment to his constituents, to this institution and to 
the Nation. We hope very much that he will soon be back in public 
service. The Nation needs him.

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