[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 12] [Senate] [Page 16745] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]WELCOMING ZELL MILLER TO THE U.S. SENATE Mr. REID. Mr. President, today we welcome a new colleague to this body, former Governor, now Senator Zell Miller. We welcome Senator Miller at the same time that we mourn the passing of his predecessor, Paul Coverdell. So it is a bittersweet moment. Zell Miller isn't replacing Paul Coverdell. He can't be replaced, rather, I prefer to think he is following the footsteps of a consummate and formidable legislator. I worked closely with Senator Coverdell to move legislation when people thought legislation couldn't be moved. And I look forward to working with Senator Miller in that same vain. In thinking about what I would say about Senator Miller's arrival to the senate, I ran across a quote by the great Senator J. William Fulbright. He talked about what it takes to be both a legislator and an executive and I think it is a fitting characterization of the work of both Paul Coverdell and Zell Miller. Fulbright said: ``The legislator is an indispensable guardian of our freedom.'' ``It is true,'' he said, ``that great executives have played a powerful role in the development of civilization, but such leaders appear sporadically, by chance. They do not always appear when they are most needed. The great executives have given inspiration and push to the advancement of human society, but it is the legislator who has given stability and continuity to that slow and painful progress.'' Zell Miller, to borrow Senator Fulbright's eloquent words, appeared in Georgia when he was most needed. As Governor, he advanced the prospects of the people of Georgia by creating the HOPE scholarship program. The initiative was so successful that President Clinton and the Congress made the HOPE scholarship initiative a national program. As a result, not only do Georgians have the opportunity to pursue their dreams through higher education, so do millions of Americans. Looking at his career, you learn that Zell Miller also understands Sam Rayburn's dictum that ``you cannot be a leader, and ask other people to follow you, unless you know how to follow too.'' Whether it was his service in Marine Corps, his tenure in the Georgia State Senate or as Lieutenant Governor or Governor, he learned leadership by following those who walked the walk before him and then by focusing on what matters most to the American people. The central focus of Zell Miller's career has been on what he aptly calls ``kitchen table issues.'' The issues that affect the daily lives of the American people--education, taxes, crime, and health care. Some may be surprised to learn that Zell is fulfilling a childhood ambition of serving in the U.S. Senate. According to a recent news report, he wrote to his boyhood friend, Ed Jenkins, in their high school yearbook that ``we will be friends forever until and unless you decide to run against me for the U.S. Senate.'' His friendship with Ed Jenkins, someone with whom I served in the House, is still intact, and Zell will start a new chapter in what has been an extraordinary career. Finally, Mr. President, Zell brings the attributes of both a legislator and an executive to the Senate and I believe they will serve him well. And like Paul Coverdell, who through his work brought stability and continuity to the Senate, I know that Zell will bring great credit to this institution and will serve the people of Georgia well. We welcome him to the U.S. Senate. ____________________