[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 10 (Friday, January 16, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S634]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO SENATOR KEN SALAZAR

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I wanted to come out and join my good 
friend, the majority leader, in congratulating the Senator from 
Colorado upon his selection as Secretary of the Interior, but I must 
say I am kind of sorry to see it.
  The first thing I said to Senator Salazar is, say it isn't so. I 
hated to see him leave the Senate. Even though he has been here a 
relatively short time, he has made an enormous number of friends, I 
think an incredible contribution to the institution and, of course, to 
his State as well. I think his passion for the issues the Interior 
Department deals with overcame what I would have hoped he would have 
concluded in the end was the right decision, which was to say no to the 
new President and stay in the Senate.
  We hate to see him leave. We think he has been an extraordinarily 
outstanding and fine Member of this body. I wanted to join with the 
majority leader and say how much we appreciate his service and how much 
all of us look forward to continuing to work with him in the coming 
years in his new and important responsibility as Secretary of the 
Interior.
  I yield the floor.

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