[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 121 (Wednesday, August 5, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S8860]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    COMMENDING SENATOR NORM COLEMAN

  Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I appreciate having this opportunity to join 
my colleagues in expressing our great appreciation of the many 
contributions Norm Coleman has made to the work of the Senate and the 
future of our country during his service here. He is quite a remarkable 
individual, and I know I am going to miss seeing him on the Senate 
floor and working with him on issues of concern to the people of 
Minnesota and my constituents in Wyoming.
  Ever since Norm's political career began, it was clear he had a mind 
of his own and, like the old adage about baseball umpires, he was going 
to call them as he saw them. That meant taking each issue as it came, 
carefully studying what was proposed and its consequences, and then 
making up his own mind on how he thought he should vote.
  His independent streak and his determination to be true to his 
principles, his commitment to the people of Minnesota, and his internal 
compass transcended party politics and kept both sides guessing as to 
how he would vote on any given issue.
  I remember the first time I met him, shortly after his election to 
the Senate. It turned out we had some things in common. For starters, 
early on in our political careers, Norm and I both served as mayors, so 
we had an appreciation for the demands that are made upon local 
officials.
  Norm was elected mayor of St. Paul. I was elected mayor in my 
hometown of Gillette, WY. We both had some tough challenges to deal 
with as our communities felt the aches and pains of growth and we were 
fortunate enough to put together a good team who helped us to deal with 
the needs of the people who were counting on us to solve some pretty 
vexing problems.
  Looking back, Norm was able to compile quite a record and he became a 
very popular mayor. His administration promoted policies that helped to 
spur an increase in the number of jobs in the St. Paul area. He also 
helped to oversee a downtown revitalization that came at a time when 
many other similar areas across the country were downsizing and 
becoming a shadow of their former selves. He also managed to help 
engineer the return of professional hockey to Minnesota. The presence 
of the Minnesota Wild soon became a source of great pride to the people 
of his State. He was able to do all of that and so much more without 
increasing property taxes. That was the result of careful planning, and 
it understandably earned him the respect and admiration of his 
constituents.
  Then, with a key election approaching, Norm was giving some thought 
to his political future. There were a lot of rumors as to his next run 
for office, but the people of Minnesota made it clear that they wanted 
him to run for the Senate, so Norm began what was to become a very 
difficult and emotionally charged race. When it was all over, Norm 
Coleman had defeated a Minnesota political icon and was sworn in to 
represent the people of his home State in the Senate.
  Ever since that day, Norm has been working to serve the people of 
Minnesota and do whatever was in their best interests. Always focused 
on getting results, he supported the President when he agreed with him, 
and he never hesitated to speak up when he felt there was another way 
to get things done that ought to be taken up as part of the mix.
  Of all his accomplishments during his service here in the Senate, 
there are two that I will always remember. The first was a factfinding 
mission we took along with several of our colleagues to Africa to 
determine what we could do as a nation to help combat the AIDS epidemic 
there. For both of us our visit turned out to be a great cultural 
shock. There were barriers of all kinds we had to deal with--language, 
customs, and technology. All of the things we take for granted here are 
virtually nonexistent there. The lack of any regular distribution of 
the written word, like a community newspaper, makes getting the most 
basic of information to the people an incredible challenge.
  When we returned to the United States we joined with our colleagues 
on both sides of the aisle to develop a program that has been producing 
tremendous results for the past few years. The great strides that have 
been made have not eliminated the disease, but they have greatly 
increased the quality of life there. Our efforts have also helped to 
make people more aware of what they can do to ensure they don't get 
AIDS, or if they are already infected, what they must do to avoid 
transmitting the disease to anyone else.
  We both learned from that experience the truth of the old adage--you 
may not be able to save the whole world, but you can always make a good 
effort to save part of it, and the results we have achieved in Africa 
and the lives we have saved will be part of Norm Coleman's legacy of 
service in the Senate.
  Another part of the change he brought that will be felt for many 
years to come is the leadership he showed as the chairman of the 
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on 
Investigations. In 2006, Norm led the effort to determine how safe and 
secure our Nation's ports were. The results of his investigations were 
unsettling and soon became the subject of headlines across the country.
  Norm wasn't looking for headlines, however. He was looking to craft a 
workable solution to the problem, and he did when the Senate approved a 
program that authorized the use of pilot technology to screen incoming 
cargo containers for their contents. As a result of his efforts, people 
all across the country will be better protected from those who might 
wish to do us harm. Thanks to Norm, that once open door has now been 
closed.
  Norm will not be a part of this current Congress, but his impact will 
continue to be felt for some time to come. He was a tireless worker for 
Minnesota, and although I don't know what the future holds for him, I 
have every confidence that we haven't heard the last of Norm Coleman. 
He has been and will always be an individual of vision and action. That 
is a combination that can't help but produce results, and I am certain 
he will continue to set new goals in his life and achieve them--one 
after the other. Good luck, my friend, and keep in touch. We will 
always be interested to hear from you and to benefit from your take on 
our work in the Congress to make Minnesota and the rest of the Nation a 
better place for us all to live.

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