[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 122 (Thursday, August 6, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8976-S8978]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    COMMENDING SENATOR NORM COLEMAN

  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to my 
good friend and colleague an extraordinary public servant and tireless 
advocate for the people of his cherished State of Minnesota, Senator 
Norm Coleman. I want to express my most sincere gratitude for his 
longtime friendship and my enormous admiration for him and his 
impressive litany of accomplishments. And although I am saddened by his 
departure from this esteemed Chamber, I know with utmost certainty that 
Senator Coleman's exceptional contributions to Minnesotans and the 
American people will continue well into the future.
  I am proud to say that Senator Coleman and I served together over his 
6 remarkable years in the Senate, and I would like especially to 
express my immense gratitude for his pivotal role on the Committee on 
Small Business and Entrepreneurship over that span of time, where I 
served first as chair and now as ranking member. Senator Coleman was 
always a reasoned and passionate voice on the committee, and his 
indelible impact is indisputable. Whether it was our work together on 
The Small Business Health Fairness Act of 2005, The Small Business 
Disaster Response and Loan Improvements Act of 2006, or a number of 
other measures and issues, Senator Coleman, true to the founding 
tradition of the U.S. Senate, continually addressed the concerns of his 
constituents, while at the same time making the best decisions for this 
Nation.
  And I especially well recall our joining forces over the winter of 
2006 when natural gas and home heating oil prices had skyrocketed in 
Maine, Minnesota, and numerous other cold weather States, turning a 
crucial problem of years past into an urgent crisis that required 
immediate congressional attention. With the level of funding allocated 
in the budget, states could not maintain the Low-Income Home Energy 
Assistance Program, LIHEAP, an initiative I have long championed which 
provides vital funding to our country's low-income families and 
elderly.
  Recognizing both the plight of Minnesotans and all affected Americans 
from the beginning of this crisis, Senator Coleman and I, among others, 
battled to shed light on this emergency early by calling for the 
passage of a bill to provide additional LIHEAP funding to states. 
Senator Coleman was an instrumental catalyst in our successful effort 
to pass this bill to the benefit of countless Minnesotans, Mainers, and 
other untold Americans across this land. And for that, I will be 
forever grateful!

[[Page S8977]]

  With a career in public service of more than 30 years, begun in 1976 
when he was chief prosecutor for the Minnesota Attorney General's 
office, Senator Coleman possessed an unfailing determination to 
advocate on behalf of the people of Minnesota that has never faltered 
or waned. Prosecuting cases around the State while further developing a 
growing concern for community issues, Senator Coleman was eventually 
named Minnesota State solicitor general. And his outstanding trajectory 
of leadership was just taking off, for it was then--in 1993--that Norm 
became mayor of St. Paul, during which time, with his hallmark 
optimism, he steered the course of the capital city through a 
transformational revitalization effort.
  And so, it came as no surprise that Norm Coleman, after he was sworn 
in as a U.S. Senator, hit the ground running. And let me say from the 
outset, Senator Coleman's was a welcomed voice in an era of increasing 
partisanship, especially at a time when ideology has been held in 
greater value by many of our Nation's elected officials than service to 
the American people, when too often the slogans and sound bytes of 
campaigning never stop, and the governing all too frequently never 
begins, and where public disenchantment with politics runs high. 
Senator Coleman's desire to look beyond this regrettable status quo, 
embracing instead the long-held tenets of collaboration and 
cooperation, could not have been more central as our chamber sought to 
enact laws to genuinely improve the lives of Americans.
  As I reflect on my friend's illustrious tenure in the Senate, I 
cannot help but recall in instance after instance on imperative matters 
of far-reaching consequence how Senator Coleman was able to transcend 
party politics and seek solutions and results for the betterment of his 
State and country. For example, Senator Coleman, along with Senators 
Durbin and Lincoln, was a leading proponent, supporting The Small 
Business Health Options Program Act or The SHOP Act which would once 
and for all finally level the playing field for American small 
businesses and the self-employed and allow them to pool together 
nationally to receive a host of new, affordable, and quality coverage 
options.
  Norm, like the rest of us, understood all too well that health 
insurance market reform and coverage policies in The SHOP Act must be 
included in broader health reform legislation. We will miss his voice 
as the health care debate moves forward and as we strive to build a 
consensus on landmark, health care legislation. But make no mistake, 
Senator Coleman was integral in helping lay the foundation for 
achieving meaningful and sustainable health care reform.
  Placing his country and constituents above political expediency, 
Senator Coleman and I joined together in support of passage and 
eventual enactment of The Fair Equity Act, bipartisan legislation aimed 
at increasing pay equity in America and protecting victims of wage 
discrimination into law. We have labored to extend key, renewable 
energy tax credits to expand the indispensable State Children's Health 
Insurance Program or S-CHIP. We stood side by side in the fight to 
allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices, and we joined together 
to help block proposed cuts in Medicaid. I want to thank Norm, who has 
truly been a stalwart soldier in arms, for his resolve and will on a 
cross-section of issues that have defined his term in the Senate as a 
model of governance that ought to be more prevalent.
  In that vein, I cannot convey enough what a privilege it was to serve 
in the Republican Main Street Partnership with Senator Coleman--an 
organization that my husband, Jock, formerly chaired. Founded in 1998 
to promote thoughtful leadership in the Republican Party and to join 
with individuals, organizations, and institutions that share centrist 
values, the partnership has unfortunately witnessed a decline in our 
ranks in recent years. But the message and impact of the organization 
are intrinsically connected to our capacity to truly achieve 
bipartisanship and garner results on behalf of those who elected us, 
and Senator Coleman embodied that ethos with integrity and distinction.
  In fact, Senator Coleman characterized the Main Street's message well 
when he said, ``this isn't about marching to a single tune. This is 
about being able to listen and work with like-minded colleagues, bring 
those perspectives, and hopefully play a role in the resolution of 
things that bottom line are good for the people of Minnesota.'' Well, 
his actions not only aided Minnesotans, but also Mainers and Americans 
of every stripe and background across this great land.
  And yet, despite all of his exemplary achievements, his greatest 
accomplishment is undeniably his wonderful family and the love and 
devotion he has for his wife Laurie, and their two children, Jacob and 
Sarah. So, it is with a profound honor that I join with his family, and 
his many friends, in praising Norm for his tireless stewardship of the 
common good and phenomenal commitment to public service, and for a 
tenure that enfolds his legacy into the rich, longstanding Senate 
tradition of Minnesota.
  And so to my colleague and good friend, Norm, let me say, you have 
been a shining example of bipartisanship and comity that transcends 
politics, and you will be sorely missed. As you embark on this next 
chapter and as you consider your next endeavors be they public or 
private, I urge you, in the immortal words of the poet Alfred Lord 
Tennyson, ``to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.''
  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I join my colleagues in appreciation and 
admiration of Senator Norm Coleman. Norm has been a faithful public 
servant to the people of Minnesota, a principled leader, and a good 
friend. He made a difference here in Washington, and I feel privileged 
to have served with him in the U.S. Senate.
  Norm and Laurie arrived in Washington at the same time as Sandy and 
me. We experienced many of the same challenges and adjustments that 
freshman Senators face, and we encouraged each other by facing them 
together. Norm and I found we shared a common approach to solving 
problems, and partnered to advance legislation whenever we could.
  Norm said his best ideas came from the people of Minnesota, and they 
can be proud of what he achieved in Washington. Norm supported 
conservation programs to protect his State's lakes, rivers, and 
woodlands. He had a real heart for children, especially those suffering 
from cancer or waiting to be adopted into loving homes. He was a 
champion of private-sector initiatives in alternative energy, including 
clean coal, wind power, and biomass technologies. Norm exposed fraud at 
the United Nations, waste in the Medicare Program, and tax evasion by 
defense contractors. Norm voted to put John Roberts and Samuel Alito on 
the U.S. Supreme Court. Norm consistently supported our troops in Iraq 
and Afghanistan and he believed in their mission.
  Some of my strongest memories of Norm were formed during our trip to 
Iraq in January of 2008, about a year after President Bush announced 
our surge of forces there. Norm had joined many Senators in supporting 
the surge, despite the political risk that support entailed. He 
understood that the strategy and leadership of GEN David Petraeus was 
America's best chance to succeed in Iraq.
  Norm and I, along with Senator Johnny Isakson, visited Baghdad 
together. We had dinner with General Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan 
Crocker, and discussed how we could facilitate political reconciliation 
in Iraq. We met with General Ray Odierno to discuss the new mission of 
population security, as well as the progress they were seeing in 
reducing violence and U.S. casualties. We toured a marketplace in 
western Baghdad, where U.S. and Iraqi forces had helped bring back 
shopkeepers and their customers by driving out insurgents and 
terrorists.
  During our visit, I got to see the Norm Coleman that Minnesotans know 
very well. At Maverick Security Station in Baghdad, I saw Norm honor 
troops who hailed from the Twin Cities and throughout his State. At a 
meeting with Iraqi civilian leaders, I saw him offer encouragement to 
Sunnis, Shias, and Kurds working to build a free and democratic nation 
in the heart of the Middle East. And wherever we traveled, I saw his 
easygoing manner, his wry sense of humor, and his appreciation of the 
honor bestowed on him by his fellow Minnesotans.
  Norm ran a tough race for reelection last fall, a race that lasted 
far longer

[[Page S8978]]

than the Minnesota winter. He mounted a legal challenge based on a 
clear principle: no Minnesotan should be disenfranchised. As chairman 
of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, I was proud to support 
Norm as he pursued his case in the courts. And once the courts had 
spoken, I respected the grace with which he conceded the race, and the 
optimism he has shown for his own future, and that of our country.
  Norm accomplished much in Washington, but I think he remains proudest 
of what he achieved closer to home. After Minnesota's hockey team moved 
to my home state of Texas back in 1993, Mayor Norm Coleman of St. Paul 
led the effort to bring the National Hockey League back to the Twin 
Cities. Since the first puck dropped in 2000, the Minnesota Wild have 
sold out every game they have played, and every fan owes a debt of 
thanks to Norm Coleman.
  I too am thankful for Norm Coleman, because he set a good example for 
all of us. He never let public service go to his head. He always put 
his faith and family first. He fought hard to keep his seat, but never 
failed to keep his cool.
  I wish Norm and Laurie the very best, as their journey together 
continues.

                          ____________________