Tributes to Retiring Senators-Zell Miller

TRIBUTES TO RETIRING SENATORS -- (Senate - November 18, 2004)

ZELL MILLER

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, the late Senator Paul Coverdell was a great Senator and dear friend of many of us in this body. His untimely passing left a great hole in our hearts. But it also took from Georgia and from America a great leader.

At the time, none of us had any idea how we would ever manage without him. I remember when we were doing tributes to him after his death. There was great emotion on the floor of the Senate. I remember Senator Phil Gramm tearfully giving Senator Coverdell a farewell. We all felt great affection for him.

So when the Governor of Georgia, Governor Barnes, needed someone to step into Paul Coverdell's place to be the voice for Georgia, he called upon a fellow whom I had not previously met but had heard of for some time, former Gov. ZELL MILLER.

Happily retired and without personal ambition for further public office, ZELL MILLER responded to the call of duty. And what a difference he has made in this body. In a time of turmoil, a time of terrorist attacks, of economic challenge, of foreign war, when America needed somebody to lead, Providence blessed America with a great Senator, ZELL MILLER.

During his short tenure here, this old marine has been critical to our efforts to obtain economic opportunity, homeland security, and national security for this Nation. I can say with total certainty that Paul Coverdell would be proud-proud-of the accomplishments of ZELL MILLER. They have been good for Georgia, and they have been good for America.

A review of every major battle this administration had in the last 4 years shows that ZELL MILLER was in the middle of each one and the linchpin to each success. ZELL MILLER was instrumental to the economic recovery our Nation now enjoys. ZELL MILLER was the key to the homeland security our Nation has attained. ZELL MILLER was one of the strongest voices to harden our Nation's resolve to fully wage the war against terrorism. On these, the most critical issues upon which history will judge this Nation, this President, and this Congress, it was ZELL MILLER whose vote and voice made the difference.

ZELL made the difference when the numbers didn't add up to victory. Like our mutual friend, Phil Gramm, apparently being outnumbered was never a cause for concern to ZELL. ZELL served in the proud line of Truman Democrats. Like Harry Truman, he called for unity during a time of war and, like Harry Truman, gave hell to anybody who played games with our national security.

Like John Kennedy, he knew that tax cuts were not just good for the economy but they were good for the take-home-pay of workers and their families. But from ZELL we didn't just hear the thoughts of old-school Democrats, we also rediscovered the truths of our Nation. He showed us that integrity still matters, that nation comes before party, and that thinking first of our children and grandchildren is the right and proper way to judge national policy. Any time ZELL looked for his bearings, he gazed to those fixed stars of his favorite constellation: His wife Shirley, his children, his seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. This internal compass served him well because no one could ever accuse ZELL of being confused about what he believed in and why.

So ZELL MILLER heads back to the Appalachian Mountains of north Georgia, whence he came. He returns with his wife Shirley back to the base of Double Knob Mountains, where the ravines flow to the Brasstown Creek and then the Hiawassee River and on to the Gulf of Mexico. He returns to the dirt roads he walked as a lad, where he worked with his mother, to haul stones from a nearby field to build a rock-walled house with no rafter, no subfloor, and a ladder for a staircase in which he was raised.

From such modest beginnings, and such a modest man, the world is better because of his leadership. He stands as a lesson for all and for all time. Because of ZELL MILLER, I can say, be you a Senator, a college graduate, a single mother, or an elementary school student, never, never, never doubt the impact a single person with clear vision and a strong heart can make for your family, your community, your nation, and, yes, your world-not just for now but for generations to come.

So, Senator Miller, we will miss you around here.

Mr. President, we have had the privilege over the last 4 years to serve with a truly great American who has made a difference in a body in which it is very difficult for an individual Senator to frequently make a difference. Farewell, Senator Miller. We look forward to seeing you in the coming years.

I yield the floor.

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