[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Pages 21854-21855]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   RECENT ELECTIONS AND LOOKING AHEAD

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I want to take a moment to comment on the 
recent elections and then a very brief look ahead. First, let me remind 
my colleagues in every year that we have waged war, our troops have 
fought to uphold certain ideals: the ideals of democracy, of liberty, 
and of freedom. They are those very same principles upon which this 
Nation was founded in 1776 and they are the principles we strive to 
live by today in 2006. We saw that play out in last week's election, a 
natural manifestation of those ideals. We saw democracy at work, an 
opportunity for the American people to speak, to influence Government. 
So while I, of course, was disappointed in the outcome, we are not 
discouraged, and people come back today not discouraged because, as I 
have said, this election was democracy at work.
  Change can be tough. Change opens the door, however, to new 
opportunity, and with that new opportunity comes new hopes. The 
American people have spoken and now is the time for us to move forward 
together. That is a very powerful message from the American people: 
Move forward and move forward together.
  For a number of my colleagues--and I think of this as I mention the 
orientation program that begins for our new colleagues for the next 
Congress--moving forward means concentrating in part on paving the way 
for their successors. For them, it is a time of transition. The next 
few weeks, the last of the 109th Congress, will be my final weeks 
serving as a Senator, but as most everyone knows, I self-limited my 
time as a Senator 12 years ago, so I have known every day--every day 
for the last 12 years--that I would be departing this body next month, 
and it

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did help me to keep focused. It kept me grounded in the fact that those 
of us serving here only occupy our positions of service and that we 
don't own those positions. As Senate majority leader, my job is to 
focus on finishing the business of the 109th Congress, and that is 
where I will be concentrating my efforts.
  As I look back on this Congress, the Republican majority has 
accomplished many things of which I am very proud. We submitted the tax 
cuts for every American which have helped to create 6 million jobs in 
the last 3 years. We have waged a bold war on terror, which has 
prevented every potential terror attack on our soil right here in this 
country over the past 5 years. We have given seniors prescription drug 
coverage through Medicare for the first time, affordable prescription 
drug coverage. We confirmed outstanding judicial nominees, including 
two Supreme Court justices. We passed a forward-looking energy bill. We 
strengthened our commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS here at home and 
around the world. We have eliminated frivolous class action lawsuits. 
And we did all of this in one of the most challenging partisan 
political environments ever.
  But as we move forward--and that really does officially begin today--
we begin with finishing the business of the 109th Congress, and we must 
work together to overcome that partisanship we have seen in the past, 
that crippling partisanship that has plagued us in the recent past. 
America wants results and America wants solutions, and it is with that 
focus we enter the waning days of the 109th Congress. We must return to 
an era of working together in a civil, bipartisan fashion. It is my 
hope both parties, Republicans and Democrats, will work toward 
governing together to produce those solutions, to produce those 
tangible results for the American people. That begins here, and it 
begins now.
  This week the Senate agenda will focus, as we mentioned earlier, on 
completing the remaining appropriations bills, and in the days and in 
the weeks ahead, we will consider the nomination of Bob Gates as 
Secretary of Defense and, as we just stated, the Vietnam trade 
legislation and the U.S.-India civilian nuclear technology bill. Each 
of us has many ideas to contribute to the discourse and I know we will 
continue to do that. We must build on our successes, the successes that 
make America the best place--the best place--to raise a family, the 
best place to start a business, and the best place to get and keep a 
job. Now is the time for us to get back to work.

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