[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Page 3484]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        CONGRATULATING SENATOR THAD COCHRAN ON HIS 10,000TH VOTE

  Mr. SHELBY. Madam President, before I get into what I want to talk 
about this afternoon at length, and that would be Iraq and our military 
operation there, I would be remiss if I didn't say a few words about 
our colleague and friend, Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi, the 
former chairman and now the ranking Republican on the Appropriations 
Committee, who cast, as we all know from our colleagues' talks today, 
his 10,000th vote in the Senate. I have known Senator Cochran for 28 
years, since I first came to the U.S. House of Representatives. I can 
tell you, without any reservation, he is a gentleman. He is a bright, 
very engaged Senator. He knows the appropriations process, but he is 
courteous to all of us. He will always listen to us, although his 
position might be 180 degrees from what we are talking about.
  I congratulate him for this achievement. This is a milestone in the 
Senate. I don't know if I will ever be here for 10,000 votes. Not many 
people, as Senator Byrd mentioned this morning, have. So this is a feat 
in itself. I congratulate Senator Cochran for his diligence and his 
service to the Nation and to the people of Mississippi in the Senate 
and, before then, in the House of Representatives, and also as a naval 
officer, as a young man out of Old Miss Law School.

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