thank you for revealing yourself to us through the faithfulness of the people we see each day to day we think of our senators labor for liberty thank you for their dedication thank you also for our doorkeepers who use exceptional diplomacy to assist the visitors who seek to view the legislative process thank you for our senate pages who remind us that we can excel in serving even in life's morning and that you are honored by you for enthusiasm we express our gratitude for the many staffers who served with unsung heroism behind the scenes bless all who serve you faithfully and whose work help make our lives meaningful and lord we pause this morning to remember our friend and colleague senator craig thomas console us console his family and console his staff during this time of  louisiana to perform the duties of the chair by robert c byrd president pro tem present the republican leader i would ask you recognize republican i'm sorry the republican leader majority leader the republican leader seeks recognition first madam president a visitor to the rodeo in cheyenne wyoming just last summer would have seen a strong confident seventy three year old man holding the range under a cowboy hat riding past the grandstand with a smile a few weeks earlier this year is to rustic cody wyoming would have saying the same tough cowboy lyle thomas racing all three ninety five near the fourteenth street bridge in another kind of mustang on his way to the capital for our day's work in recent years craig thomas led an effort here in the senate to honor the day and the spirit of the american cowboy and his very full american life came to a sad  last night we his friends and colleagues remember him as the modern day embodiment of the cowboy ideals he celebrated and a lot he was raised on a ranch just outside cody the rodeo capital of the world in the big horn basin a windy town in the northwest corner of the cowboy state he grew up in the shadow of heart mountain to the north and carter mountains to the south and under the memory of cody's founder william frederick cody known to history and to schoolchildren from butte to boston as buffalo bill he was a humble man with an adventurous spirit from a lonely corner of the country who put his family his country and his state above all else last few years was being invited out to susan school to speak to her students and he was the proud father of four children lexie patrick greg and peter who today mourn their father's death craig was its much at home on horseback roping and wrenching as he was in a committee hearing room how many times he must have daydreamed about being back home at a suit with a rope in his hand and a stare in his si had served in public office twenty two years when he fell ill of the church service with susan last november and casper shortly after that the people of wyoming elected him to his third term in the senate with seventy percent of the vote a born fighter craig's doctor said he'd be back here in january he beat their predictions about a month he was here in december craig suffered quietly over the last half year as all of us hoped for the best it wasn't to be every year craig pressed for a day that would memorialize the iconic status of the cowboy in american history a day that honored their courage hard work honesty and grit i can think of no better way of honoring that spirit than by honoring this man embodied it to the full by his devotion to family country constituents and friends craig lyle thomas showed us what it means to be in america he embodies the best ideals of all wild and cowboy and made the senate and those who had the privilege of knowing him far better for it we mourn with susan craig's children and craig staff here in the senate we honor them today too for their model of professionalism and caring concern and i've shown over the last difficult restored in body and flashing a smile as he goes i really appreciate the remarks of my distinguished counterpart i think that his words conveyed how we feel about craig thomas and a present we hear often said that this is a senate i can remember early last december i called and talked to craig and hospital he said i'm getting better and he was and he did get better just in last and we are feel so bad about that and i remember craig thomas for his legislative efforts by only like nevada has a public wyoming has a lot of public land issues dealing with federal agencies my c his colleague here mike enzi i can remember working with sam on an issue that was to most people seem like not much but to the two senators from wyoming and to the center for me that it meant a lot we were dealing with some place called mars cove and either even senators from utah were called in to see if we could resolve this and we were able to resolve eventually but craig was really tough when it came to public lands issues i can remember as can we all know of craig thomas persistence and a piece of legislation dealing with potash a mining company in wyoming he would ask us how this is that we've been able to get it cleared he asked us the ask us once of being a senator i would have to say it was just proud of a no brainer and has brain core service were certainly commendable he was in the marine corps in the late fifty's fifty five to  nine he went in as a private came out as a captain he's a graduate never said what wyoming degree in agriculture and that's why as if he was one of the leading experts in the senate and the congress i should say and i called her  of course issues affecting rural communities fifteen p m today the time until three thirty be divided that is between two fifteen and three thirty be divided between the managers and the amendment proponents of the votes occurring beginning at three thirty with all of the provisions of immigration legislation when my plane touched down last night i received an e mail that told of the fate of a great man who was a tremendous surprise to me and i just completed a week in wyoming of explaining to people that he even time just chemotherapy so that he didn't have to miss votes and how tough and strong a man he was craig thomas was a marine at heart but he was a cowboy in his so he was quiet he was focused he was independent he was hardworking he loved the senate and he loved the marines and he loved his work has the presence of the the flags have been lowered and there's a great deal of sadness in our hearts today as we mourn his loss and celebrate his life that a lot of thoughts i haven't had a chance really to put them together they come gushing back along with the a lot of tears for those of us from wyoming craig thomas was more than just our senator who is our voice in the senate and he was never one to back off from a fight especially when he was battling two things most dear what was best for wyoming and what was best for america craig had long wyoming roots and he was very proud of them and grew up in cody and became friends without simpson and later on the two of them would serve together in the senate after he graduated from the university of wyoming he immediately began his service to the country he loved to join the marine corps and i'm convinced that that experience helped to shape his character and molded his destiny his history only resolve and firm will took shape i think during those days that had to help guide him and prepare him for the battles that would come later in his political life but in craig's service in the marine corps was through he began what was to be his life's work which was serving the people of wyoming to ensure their best interests were taken care of and their needs were addressed his first efforts from wyoming brought him to the wyoming farm bureau and the wyoming were electric association he was proud of the service with both of these organizations that kate kept him actively involved in issues that matter great deal to them and more importantly it kept him in touch with the people of wyoming in their day to day problems it also set him on the road to doing anything and everything he could to make life easier for his fellow citizens in wyoming i remember days we served together in the wyoming house and i was a mayor and had your miscible electric experience he was with the rural electric association and we worked a lot of electrical bills together at that time and we could bring both perspectives and find the middle ground and make sure that all of the people rural and urban use the term urban for wyoming rather loosely but urban wood to be able to have a low cost electricity and consistent electricity but nobody knew the energy or electricity better than craig and that led him to running for the wyoming house dick cheney was appointed secretary of defense and  ran and ran for and won his seat it wasn't an easy victory but it showed what a fighter and a battler as he took on that challenge which is done in a relatively short period of time the executive committee just as a few days to select candidates and then there's a very short time for an election for the position in the house and he used his usual staff which shows how people get along in wyoming to no one's surprise greg focused on the wyoming issues on the of this in the house and he was reelected and then when malcolm wallop decided to retire craig was such a popular choice he didn't have any opposition in the primary he did face another battle in the general election but once again his fighting spirit prevailed and he found a way to win an interesting one i don't know if the person that he defeated in the general election was a very popular governor of wyoming who was just handing in his term he was later that that governor was later appointed ambassador to ireland by president clinton and craig thomas is credit later two years later i ran for the senate and surveys he's one of the few wyoming residents who ever served both in the house and in the senate it is not going to tradition in wyoming to move from the house to the senate but i was elected and then got a chance to work with me been remarkable man of vision on how to make wyoming and our country better places to live and he spent a good deal of this time traveling wyoming he was one of the most ardent travelers we've ever had in the senate going back virtually every weekend traveling to different part of the state talking to people and trying to get their vision for the future one of his efforts on that was called vision twenty closer to twenty twenty and i think the state is moving toward the vision that the that he predicted at that time it was legally cherished and fought for in many of the things that the invasion and for the people  wyoming invasion have been achieved through efforts on the senate floor greg thomas will long be remembered as one of wyoming's toughest and first advocates craig knew that much of our work gets done and committee and so he pursued those committees that would help him fight for wyoming in the senate he served on the critical finance committee he was a staunch fiscal conservative anybody very strongly the people in wyoming and across the nation know better how to spend their hard earned money than the federal government does use this position on the committee to lighten the tax burden and make our tax code more fair he was the ranking member on the indian affairs committee he served as chairman of the nash park subcommittee where he was a tireless advocate for our park system i think you visited most of the parks and ea rlier when a republican leader was talking about horseback it was even possible sometimes to see him with the the park policeman on horseback taking a look at the parks of the capit and i would mention that usually when you saw him on horseback you also saw his wife susan on horseback she was a tireless traveler and an outstanding campaigner and another person who searched for the vision know who they were i would mention that she was thrown from a horse a couple of times to bands and horses don't always go well in hand but as craig always said she was the real campaigner in the family she actually liked it's been real active on all of the ag issues and international trade particularly country of origin labeling he supported our cattlemen with grazing rights and responsible environmental quality incentive programs for runoff the issues  he's worked tirelessly to get changes in the endangered species act he realized that that was a national program with national goals and it should not punish individuals or counties or even the states and that there ought to be  responsibility at the federal level with energy he was the lead sponsor of our soda ash royalty relief bill it was a lot of lead sponsor on direct relational fee demonstration program that allowed national parks people higher percentage of the were received on public lands where they were collected specifically his efforts to include section four thirteen of the energy policy act which authorizes federal cost share for the building of the coal gasification project above four thousand feet that would help get a clean coal plant built wyoming which would prove the technology with wyoming coal at high altitude we have huge resources of co over a million tons a day and that the reason we ship so much coal is because it's very little sulfur and he was providing a mechanism to be able to have some assurance that coal gasification in this clean coal would be included in projects that we did in the united states but help to prove the technology at high altitude and show the viability and make a difference for the united states and all their energy in the future he was also instrumental in writing the electricity title of the e p a act recently as efforts to get coal to liquid section of whatever energy bill will soon debate has been tireless although he was unsuccessful less far he advanced the debate to further this point  tourism and i think jackson is the only state that has that the only city in wyoming that has long distance direct flights most of them come through salt lake or denver or  minneapolis but jackson actually has flights that come from houston and atlanta direct he also did a lot for wyoming with two big transportation authorization bills to assure that the large land area  low population states received a fair amount of highway funding and as i mentioned on fiscal issues to the stance of conservatives who believe that the people knew how to spend their money better than the federal government now a few months ago craig shared his medical situation with this it was in for another difficult fight but he was used to them he's been a battler all us life took a fierce determination that you are in disagreement and brought it to this is latest battle against leukemia and fortunately it was a battle this great fighter was not to win a low that last battle of his life was lost there were so many victories in this life that we will long remember great died to see live with his spurs on fighting for wyoming to the very end i'm sure we all have our favorite instant replay memories of craig and his unique style i've always believed that you can get a lot done if you don't care who gets the credit that was craig never one to seek the limelight or to draw attention to himself he was the one working in a committee to ensure that the voice of the wyoming people and america were heard and heard clearly for me i'll always remember craig spirit for his spirit and life was a great illustration of the spirit of wyoming his life became a living portrait in the american west he saw the world from the saddle of his horse and from under the brim of his cowboy hat he was proud of wyoming in wyoming was proud to be represented by him greg was my senior senator he was my confident mentor but most of all he was a very good friend but i added i will always feel that appreciation for the fact that craig and susan made us a part of their family in our prayers are with susan and their family during these difficult times i'll miss him but because he was just national presence in my life and for so many others i have a long list of instant replay memories i'll always cherish it when the times we're out on the campaign trail the legislation we worked on together and more importantly the impact that he had on my life personally as he did with so many others wyoming is a different place today because of this great loss of ours there's a great sadness in the state and also a great joy as we celebrate the life of one of our special so citizens  was with us for all too short a time but he'll never be forgotten i received a book called give me mountains for my horses by tom reed but what i always ask for is that they give us men to match our mountains and our horses and that would be craig and i want to share just a little piece of this because i know that craig's already riding in that far better place there is a taste of this place this time nothing is behind you everything is ahead but you don't really think about what's ahead you only think it now for this partnership you ventured into is one of the moment now now has you in a saddle on the baby horse heading up a trail of pines and spruce and mountain stream and meadow behind you connected by only your hand in the lead rope but carrying everything important to you is another baby horse and almost identical match the one you're riding you call them nicknames as if they were human compadres drinking buddies you cluck and coo and talk to them as if they give a damn about what you have to say you think they do and maybe just maybe they do right now they're stepping out heads nodding down the trails through the stream and all you have to do is ride so you ride that evening his desk brings the mosquitoes out of the willows same desk that put the horseflies to bed you choose a camp it's a good place save for the bugs with room for the horses in the broad deep very meadow and camp back against the lodge poles and your kitchen down always so easy off the baby's back and stretch your muscles with that st hard working feeling and ugandan love the pack horse talking to him thanking him in a while he has on his hobbles and is out there with his buddies snorting contentedly in the tall grass and swishing the long cold blacktail at the mosquitoes it goes like this for days that ride the squeak of the saddle leather the smell of dust the taste out of it on your tongue the smell of course wet and your own then the soft muzzles muzzling you after a long day good camp after good camp sweat in your hands and your mouth is dry boy what a beautiful animal the next morning moose walks the same path you haven't seen another human in days but there's a jet contrail reminding you that yes this is the modern under previous order the leadership brand is reserved and of the previous order there will be a period for the transaction of morning business up until the time of two thirty pm senators are permitted to speak for up to very early phone call from my daughter in italy coursera time is six hours ahead of ours and they heard about craig before we did and i've listened to some of my colleagues talking about about craig and you know some people you have more in common with than others and i can recall craig and i both came to the house of representatives about about the same time and then we both decided that we would run for the senate in one thousand nine hundred four that was a decision we and he would say things just to say antagonistically is just defensively as i would accept people who loved him when he said it and they hated me what i said and i was never able to master that and i watched him day after that is in a the meeting let me correct you because he was much more at home on a horse than he would be in that committee meeting i i can remember seeing him staring off and it would go over and visit some people were testifying perhaps on the other side and he'd river and i fell in love with that town and for the next seven years that i served in that capacity of being mayor i'd always purposely stop saratoga oil and one of the things that i noticed when i was elected and i went up to him and said in the morning when we heard about trade she said you probably forgot this but when you're in voting on the day that we had the spouses dinner that was two weeks ago today on tuesday i saw him walking across the parking lot while i was waiting for you to vote and he's walking a little slower than usual and i thought across the aisle is that hey handsome and his whole face lit up and he came over and he embraced and and that's the way that he is and was too to a lot of people so let me just say this to peter gregg patrick king let's see if you susan you know susan we have you have so many people who have heard from this morning who just dearly love you and would love to have some way of comforting you and we know how difficult it is will pray for you for your kids but i have to say this also i don't think it's been said said yet about craig craig thomson what is probably the most consistent  member of the senate for breakfast he always does there and mike enzi knows this because he's the chairman of this now and he was always there i give the scripture at this thing so we know if we don't see craig thomas any place else during the week we'll see him at the set of prayer breakfast at a prayer breakfast is like a lot of these things it's based on acts two forty two x two forty two is the genesis of these meetings you do on a regular basis that you get together and you do four things eat together  together fellowship together talk about the precepts of jesus together and we so we talked about the precepts of jesus together every every wednesday morning and so that's the comfort that i have with craig thomas so people you wonder if they're going to be there six recognitions senator from alaska share experiences and to get advice and although he came to the senate much after i did he was a wealth of knowledge he had a wealth of knowledge about the west and i had the privilege of marrying into a family that had small ranches in arizona and i talk to him often about the problems of small ranches and cowboys  the you were talking to a marine you know marines have something about them as far as i'm concerned just absolute stud thoughts steadfastness honesty and integrity and it's just it's hard for me to realize that he is gone just before i left to go home following the spat preceding this past recess i stopped craig and told him where we're really praying for him and to hang in there going to be able to beat it but i think everyone had dealt with him in the period since he's known he had this disease had to admire his courage just absolute courage and he has this concept and i've known a lot of westerners in my day but i never knew one who was just a consummate westerner like craig thomas we talked about horses we talked about some of the problems as i said a small ranch isn't and how they can possibly survive in today's economy and he did this as i do he he went from throughout his state from small places to not a small place that's off base he went home and we compared notes about how he faced problems many residents faced problems that are similar to those states such as alaska i think that the senate has lost really a great leader in terms of western values but we've also lost a man who's was a friend he had the qualities that everyone wanted in a friend and as the senator had said from oklahoma he was a devout man you couldn't talk to craig thomas without realizing the had a tremendous faith in our maker and he was guided by that faith and i think it was that faith that kept him going through these last few months so i know i wish of the first calls we had when we got home that we had lost craig thomas it is it is hard to realize that this disease is so so violent and i think if the anything i would add today to what's going to be said today is that we must do more we must do more about that decease i think we ought to try to learn as much as possible and apply us much research as possible because this is that this is just a tremendous battle that anyone guess that faces and very few people survive the team yeah i think of all people i really believe he might and when i left here i was really full of really good feeling thought he was going to make it and he was told me he's going into another round of chemotherapy and he had no no fear of that at all because of the state of this i would hope that the senate would take a lesson from craig thomas in terms of attitude in facing this adversity he faces problems that we we can only imagine in and and god and i would hope that we would join together and find some way some way to apply more of the funds we have for for research into cancer area so this deadly from illinois madam president i rise to speak in morning business the senate mourns the loss of our friend and our colleague craig thomas of wyoming we were awakened this morning to the news that he had lost his battle with leukemia late last night i reflected on my memory of craig thomas having served with him in both the house and the senate it's interesting how relationships emerge in this congress sometime it's by happenstance in this case craig's office was on the same floor as mine in the dirksen building and many times we'd be racing over for roll calls walking together and chatting and developing a kind of friendship around here that goes beyond the obvious i thought about it this morning and who he was and what he meant to the united states senate and a few words came to mind in a place  debate to heighten political excitement craig thomas was always a gentleman that says something and it's certainly something we will remember a time and place where we often raise our voices in anger and emotion craig thomas was always soft spoken but he was always heard at a time when many of us fail even our own standards in terms of integrity he was a man of high integrity honorable and humble and a place where many show weakness he always showed strength that quiet strength of that wyoming cowboy i think about his last battle his battle with cancer but we heard about it and you could tell when you saw him on the floor past him in the hallway that the therapy that he was taking had taken its toll on him personally and yet there was always a smile on his face that determination to overcome the odds and i'm very optimistic and positive word when i asked him how he was doing those of the things that i remember about craig thomas we started with many people here they come and go the annals of history do not record them always great but each one of us is lucky to be here and lucky to develop the friendships and relationships we do politically craig thomas and i were worlds apart but not being a starker contrast in voting records than my own and craig came down at quarter when i missed him smile and mrs courage but i'm gonna remind be reminded by his example of how we can all be a little bit better in what we do here in the united states senate i want to extend my sympathies to so well last night became the time that greg thomas left us and for that we're all sorry and extend our sceptically to susan and all his family the people of while me but for all of us today and for years to come will be a time for us to reap the benefits of having known great thomas and having benefited from his service as a colleague in the senate but for the people of wyoming is a great servant to that state i don't know if there are two finer people that ever serve in the united states occasion on the passing of a great senator and a great friend i know i will benefit and read for years to come from the service the passion and the integrity of craig thomas i honor his life  different florida i can address the senate in morning business i am without objection sadness we all are this morning by the passing of a good friend senator thomas i want to express my condolences to his family people of wyoming senator enzi and to all of us who knew him i loved him i have not served long with senator thomas it was a joy to hear this morning how he was described by senator and see who's known him for a long period of time my memories of him are of someone who always was kind always friendly offer me a helping hand on my first days in the senate and i know that he's been described as an authentic cowboy and i certainly always viewed him as that he seemed to be the real deal the real mccoy i remember speaking just before the break with the senator and telling him how good he looked and of course he already knew that he was  headed back to another about bout of chemo but didn't really dwell on that at all he just was telling me that he was looking good i'm feeling good and he did look good he looked a lot better than he had been and we were all encouraged by that and he certainly  believed in that assessment as well the last few months he's been just down the road here from us and he's been responsible for the for the candy drawer a little senator edition and just as we were good memories i know we're all sad today at this incredible loss my heart goes out to the members of his family to do all that we can to be of support to all those who loved him i feel the floor senator from new hampshire were speaking this in morning business without objection madam president on behalf of cass and myself we send our deepest condolences of this chamber together very often and susan because she was here in washington almost always the right out there right outside the door and that was a great smile to greet us even though we probably just but respect he was quiet but accomplished and understood the issues he was a man of inordinate common sense is look at an issue you cut through all the puffery all the theatre of which there tends to be a fair amount of around here and he gets the essence of the question and then he'd bring common sense to that question the conclusion would be as presented by greg i had the great good fortune i don't know how it happened but that was good fortune for me to end up spending almost every tuesday lunch where we do policy and all most every wednesday lunch where we do staring and get together says members of the republican senate to discuss whatever's happening to sit beside greg we just sort of gravitated to each other and that's sort of ironic being from new england and he being from wyoming but i think there is a certain hopefully identity of our approaches to things i would certainly be proud to say that and the the  that not only did he have this wonderful common sense but he had an extraordinary sense of humor and he would listen to statements made sometimes often by our leadership i did not wish disparaging here i'm simply being kind and he would make some smiling thoughtful comment that was usually fairly humorous and and a touch irreverent about comments made by our leadership as to what we should be doing and you could have because he was a he was a person who had a sense of self a sense of humor and a real focus on what was right what was wrong what life should be about and this just passed away last night and to express my sympathy to susan is wife and to his family and to the people of wyoming john and i and my staff feel we have had a very special relationship with craig and susan and his staff two weeks ago the senate passed senate resolution one thirty the clarion july twenty eighth as national day of the american cowboy this was the last piece of legislation that senator thomas pushed through the senate and it is so true to his fair senator thomas was himself a cowboy a rope he understood that is a symbol of the american west cowboys represent much more than just man on a horse they stand for courage determination hard work respect for nature they stand for the west itself and for those who wish to protect and preserve it is work on the energy and environment committees was a testament as well to his belief that the land we have been blessed with need st p and care that those who live on and work with the land are often the best at doing so great tried to take care of the land especially the wyoming he loves so much this connection with the west his concern for land management in the way of life of those who lived on the land this should be his legacy great road forward to the end of his life so bravely that most of us never knew how bad his health was really he told us how bad his health really was he told us he was seeking treatment but the name came quickly and for him story really was always a pleasure serving with senator thomas first in the house of representatives then the united states senate where he where we collaborated on a whole range of issues the proximity of our home states and our shared interest and passion for natural resource and energy issues provided many opportunities to pardon partner on legislative efforts during the two thousand and one anthrax attack on the hart senate office building that pushed several senators out of their offices i was happy to offer senator thomas and his staff space in my office for several months until his office was deemed safe again during that time i was able to get to know him and his staff even better i would like to offer my condolences now to his staff it was the type of man who was not just a boss but a friend as well and i know they are heard it will be remembered for being the quintessential wyoming cowboy a gentleman with a quick wit and humility of spirit that endeared him to his colleagues and made him a joy to us all any man who can list cowboy united states marine husband and father on his life's accomplishments lived a life well the senate has lost a gentle giant who served his state a nation with honor and distinction john and i are keeping susan in the family in our thoughts and prayers i will miss my friend greg thomas  first we all have an opportunity in the next few days and weeks to speak up about the senator who is your colleague who left us last night and we all have an opportunity to speak with you and seen you a little i'm more ok since then this to express to you kind of our heartfelt sorrow for the loss of your her my wife loved her i called her this morning early after i heard it and i was so pleased that she answered the phone or self i thought where will i get her and we will get caught up in the names of the day and maybe i won't come to him till tomorrow but maybe nancy won't be able to mature enough and question today eight thirty this morning that we were able to talk to her first words after knowing who i was you didn't hear of him a lot on the national news because he was busy doing what he thought was the best for him as a senator and that was representing that great state of wyoming and what a state it is i want to senator they had from my standpoint i served with him on two committees i want i know most of them and i remember most is the one we served the longest on and energy and natural resources which the occupant of the chair serves on with us on the other side of the aisle but when it came to this man he frequently worked with democrats on serious issues because he wanted to get things done if there's one thing i noticed as we worked together shoulder to shoulder on this committee was that he was impatient because he didn't understand what where we wasted time when he didn't understand what why we were doing some certain things he would ask why don't we get on with what we're supposed to do what we talking about this or this isn't policy we're talking about a bunch of little things that we are not be involved in and i think i remember that somebody to listen to him about the unfairness and to help solve it and i didn't get to serve with him on the finance committee and out of committees that he served on but it would be my my guess that he was the same way  of them and he showed up as when he should and did his job as best he could and that when the chips were down you could count on him when the chips were down he did what he said he voted the way ted you and he worked the way the way a dedicated person works so for me and my wife on this day shortly after his death i want to say here in the senate that wyoming sent us a truly truly man i don't know whether it was the marines maybe a man maybe not a man on what it was but he was truly different it was tough minded he was quiet but he was impatient and he wanted to get good things done and i am positive that to his great his relatives and his great state we'll never forget him he will be remembered by damaged stein's we remember him and he will be able to lead them and they will have a big voice without a question been such a wonderful presence in our lives in the senate what has been said and quite correctly so about senator thomas of the cowboys and certainly he was attention of senators in the same way this morning one of which is that ok thomas was a person who was vitally interested in the far east he served for a period of time on the foreign relations committee and during that period of time as i recall was either the subcommittee chairman or heavily involved in the hearings and then was working with our ambassadors to countries in asia  for variety of reasons because craig always sought opportunity to serve while me and whatever committee assignments seemed the most appropriate at the time his service on foreign relations committee was not a long one but he continued that service by holding a breakfast and his office i was privileged to be invited to those breakfasts in which famous people from abroad especially from the far east were his guests these are lazing gentlemen he had met during his foreign travels are during his work in wyoming and which they might have been a value add to his state it was really an extraordinary set of experiences and i stressed experiences because there were many of these breathless i encouraged him to continue on i enjoyed the fellowship of the people he brought together as well as senators that he brought into an orbit of understanding about the far east through his own ministry in this case i've been impressed in addition speaking of breakfast and the fact that thomas was a regular at the aspen institute breakfasts that are held the right here in the capital on wednesdays and thursdays frequently throughout play study of the year i'm advised as many as twenty four of these breakfasts are held on the subject so much the aspen institute's congressional group is focusing on monday of the same as on which the group has been focusing in recent years has been problems of russia and  the balkans the developments in eastern europe the problems certainly in education generally is a subject for our schoolchildren in this country the problems in latin america the problems of the it was there on time listen to the lecture are the paper that was being given by the speaker freak when they have proceeded on perhaps to another breakfast or another appointment without really questioning either of other members of congress or the speaker at the time but intensely interested in because we frequently saw and listened to the same people this led to many rich conversations which i was privileged to have with him but i would ask somebody what did you think of your impression of that speaker today and he always had a very concise impression but  thing i said i want to mention in addition of these breakfasts was the sense of good humor with which those impressions were cast he had his own unique sense of humor and yet it was clearly there and very much a part of the personal association each one of us enjoyed with a sense her and likewise a sense of humor that was shared by susan appropriately i can remember so many times just outside the door to this chamber susan would be standing there about six thirty at night or some such time it was obvious that she in the center of a going to dinner or had some activity but one of the delightful things was that so many of us had been visiting with susan over the years we had a lot to say to her and she to us always in who had her own vocation as a very remarkable teacher as somebody who understood the needs of children it was not surprising that craig would attend the aspen education conferences in addition to the far flung interests and agents and most importantly obviously the land use and the and the remarkable ability of people to make a living off the land in his home state and it was finally in that capacity that i enjoyed the best conversations with craig thomas because he was deeply  come from very different kinds of agriculture and yet there was a profound understanding of the challenges and the joys that people make their living from the soil and likewise from indiana of we both understood the nature of that encounter the nature of the challenge and the importance of state and federal legislation that pertains to those farmers and so i will miss those conversations especially because that is a heritage of the land in which both of us have been involved in our families and i suspect that his will continue and our thoughts are with the family today we are never prepared for such a day and that is why many of us for have are our rambling now i want to cajun in our thoughts as we collect them about this outstanding senator and wonderful friend but it really is a privilege to have this opportunity on the floor of the senate it's a tribute to my dear friend paid thomas i thank th president to from nebraska thank you madam president than a president to this is a sad day for all of us wyoming and the united states senate thomas he was a neighbor he was a friend he was an individual whose life was committed to his country and his state often when he would refer to my state of nebraska he would say that oh yes that state of nebraska that is where wyoming sends all of  when he said other things as well many times he and senator enzi were responsible for stealing nebraska's water other than those  as flawed as greg thomas was one of those unique individuals that we have heard his colleagues speak of this morning but none have been exaggerated born and raised on a ranch in wyoming and when you add all that up what else could he be but a straight shooter he worked hard as has been noted here this morning the chairman lugar outlined some of the participation of craig thomas on the foreign relations committee where i too had an opportunity to serve with him that no one was ever better prepared when he spoke more knowledgeable of the subject matter and more a joy to be around because they never lost the most important element of each of us and that is the humanness the human dynamic he had a special humanity that is not always easy to retain in this town and in this business but that is what craig thomas was and that i i think is what most of us get mired most about him that a president of service to america is one of america's highest and important values they are prayers to susan under their family he served with great distinction and always put others first the last memory of great thomas for me in one nine hundred ninety six when i was campaigning for my first elective office united states senate and when there was a very legitimate question of whether i was worthy of a lot you know whether i could win or not i craig thomas flew over from wyoming to central nebraska and spent a day campaigning with me and ninety six and craig was the first united states senator to help me to come into my state and dad that day i spent with him talking about water issues agriculture issues the marine corps service to our country inspired all who were around him and i noted those ranchers and those water resource specialists and others that we visited with that campaign to where that day responded to him in a way that was rather special i later than learned through my almost eleven years in the senate why people responded to him and such a special way we will miss h that president will miss craig thomas craig thomas would want it to be said that he was a he was a conservative he enjoyed expressing conservative views on this floor he enjoyed expressing conservative views in our energy committee on which we served together senator from louisiana and i served with senator thomas and he kept his feet firmly planted on the ground in wyoming from which is conservatism came he obviously well represented the people  wyoming because you barely notice there was an election out there last year when craig thomas ran he was elected by such an overwhelming margin craig thomas was a conservation he was chairman of the national parks subcommittee during the time i served on the energy committee and he enjoyed that very very much i'm not a bit surprised because he took great pride the fact that yellowstone the great premier park  can say that even though we have a great smokies in tennessee that yellowstone which has such a special place in the heart of all americans this is a mile me and craig thomas took special pride in his jurisdiction of that responsibility and he was hon by the national park association a couple of years ago as it's craig thomas was awarded the singular honor of the national parks association for his stewardship of our of our national parks craig thomas was no nonsense that came from several places i suspect one was as a senator from nebraska know this he was a marine and was that he was a cowboy  wyoming citizens i've noticed don't waste words they think about him before they say and they often don't say they don't feel any need they don't feel a need to fill every vacuum with a string of words which is an unusual characteristic on the floor of the united states senate but craig thomas was such a person and i think the fact he grew up in wyoming came from wyoming lived in wyoming kept his feet planted while being helped contribute to that leveling no nonsense approach to life that he had which enriched our senate floor here craig thomas was also interested in working across party lines senator lieberman and i and others began earlier this year a breakfast on tuesday morning at eight o'clock for those senators who had time to come not for the purpose of passing legislation but for the purpose of getting to know each other better across party lines so that we could perhaps come to solutions more quickly and in other areas it was interesting to see who came to that wreck was we all are busy we all have a tremendous demands on our time and we started off with forty senators of both parties and sometimes it got to be ten or twelve or fourteen but almost every tuesday morning at the bipartisan senators practice craig thomas was there and he always had a consummate bhushan to make he was there ten days ago madam president two weeks ago and the week before our recess which is why it was so surprised to learn that he died yesterday because when he was there he sat quietly but you could tell he had something to say and he finally said it before he left the subject was on immigration he had some questions he had some comments he looked a perfect picture of health he looked like he'd last forever that was the last i saw of craig thomas we are family here in the senate we say that often to one another but it's true we have breakfast together as we did this morning at the bipartisan breakfast or as we will tomorrow morning at the prayer breakfast where we will remember craig thomas we have lunch together which we are about to do republicans on one side and democrats on the other we have committee hearings and meetings all day long in the little visits and then in the evening of that weren't enough while we get together and we go to reception for each other that's how we live our lives here so it is it is a surprise to us to suddenly find ourselves with that great time so we sought breakfast and we saw the luncheon we saw during the day committee meetings and then we saw in the evenings we will miss him we greatly respect his his presence here in the senate for such a long period of time when he got sick last year we heard that he was soon doing fingertip pushups again and so all of us thought least i thought well craig's going to be fine he's going to be fine but as will be the case with each of us in the end he his life is has come to a conclusion but it's been a life of public service one that i greatly respect to susan and to his family honey and i offer our our sympathy and our respect for his life we'll be thinking and praying for for them and will be remembering how much joy our friends friend craig thomas brought to the united states senate  and all of us here in the senate and his death this is a shock to this institution to all of us i heard the news this morning on the radio as many of us did i believe and was genuinely shocked to hear that he had died why last encounter with him was the week before we had a recess where i had the chance to be with him in the energy committee and and he was there and very much participating in that committee hearing and had a great deal to to say as he as he usually did and interest in what was going on i think the first thing that comes to my mind about craig is that  example that she is is presenting for the entire country about carrying on in the face of adversity after having been diagnosed as she has been and  think the american people appreciate that and understandably i appreciate it i'm sure everyone who's who's aware of her circumstance appreciates it greatly the same can be said about  craig was diagnosed with leukemia shortly before his reelection this last fall and i think everyone had to know that this was not this was not a  minor illness that was easily overcome craig took it in stride he was here working in the senate he went through the chemotherapy and he adversity i had the good fortune to serve with craig on two committees the energy committee where he was chair of the national parks subcommittee took a great interest in issues affecting not only national parks but our public lands generally  of course our energy issues as well i also had the good fortune to serve with him in the finance committee and the chairman of the finance committee this year pointed to a new subcommittee on energy and natural resource tax issues and i was fortunate to be named the chair of that and craig was named as the ranking member so he and i spent a lot of time together both in the energy committee and in the finance committee sitting in hearings talking about the agenda of the committee and generally interacting i had the other great good fortune of taking a trip that senator warner  levin sponsored a trip to iraq and into afghanistan this last year in april of two thousand and six with craig thomas craig and i were both invited to a to be on that trip and so i got to spend time with the i'm interacting in afghanistan in turkey where we made a short stop and also in london where we met with some british defense officials and craig  three three things came through to me that that i think our our my recollection of craig thomas first his decency as a human being when you're with a person for a substantial period of time you get a sense of their decency as a human being and i've spent a lot of time with craig thomas in this senate and on that trip that i just alluded to  d i can vouch for his basic decency he was always considerate he was always several he was always concerned about the feelings of others and their reaction  t the second characteristic i would allude to is his ability to ask tough questions craig was he like to think themself as a conservative but i guess i would characterize him as much as anything a sort of a skeptic whenever the experts were telling us exactly what the solution to a problem was or what their analysis of the problem was craig was one who stand back a little bit and say wait a minute let's can some of that expert advice and expert analysis which are giving us and that's very much needed that's very much needed by people in public office you need people who will  tough questions and craig thomas asked the tough questions and third i think the characteristic that others have spoken of here and that is that he was a straight shooter he was straightforward in his views of of the issue and to the people of wyoming and to the country and i consider him a superball vic's servant i think the people of wyoming were extremely well served by him the people of the country were well served by him and the senate was well served by having him as one of our distinguished members so i extend my condolences to susan and the family and of course to all the people who are the absence of a court clerk will call the ro guys that i called on from time to time to seek his advice and seek his counsel because in the area of well meaning in the western part of the country they grow different kinds of crops and what we grow in the southeast craig was always willing to give us time to talk to me about the thoughts of farmers and ranchers in his part of the country and what we need to do from a policy perspective on the ag committee relative to to  d to his farmers and ranchers that would also be beneficial to to my farmers and ranchers and i just can't overemphasize the value of that kind of relationship with a member of this body i grew  had the opportunity to talk about this issue and long term policy relative to providing electricity and other assets to people in rural america and whether it's rule wyoming a rule george it makes no difference  craig was an advocate of making sure that people in rural america all across our great country had the opportunities that folks in the urban part of america have and i had a special opportunity to work with greg i heard some folks come up earlier and talk about his his love for the country and love for the land right now both outdoors and he used to love to ride a horse a lot i like to shoot a shotgun at quail  the few other things that the been blessed to be able to do over the years and we talk about our enjoyment of the outdoors of on any number of different occasions and craig is the chairman of a piece a proper property as a heritage designation in georgia and i've worked on this fourth sheet about six years and we got right up to the brink last year and all of a sudden we ran into a roadblock and and craig is chairman of that committee set out with me and he said sex he hears the problem and he went through it and explained a very complex side of the issue that i had never thought of before and what it made me realize about craig was that he was a lover of the land of america irrespective of whether it was and well meaning george or the state of new york and he wanted to make sure that future generations had the same opportunity to enjoy badly as our generation and previous generations have just say and we're going to leave this land for future generations and craig was such a great ally in this process and at the end of the day i remember when he gave his consent to  and i sat right here he used to sit right there now he moved behind me here we sat right across the aisle and had a long conversation that night about this particular piece of property that he had now come to have a great appreciation for and it's was always a delight it is to be able to make folks happy i mean you this is a very simple and easy way to really encourage and get a smile and face the senators as we walked in the  the end of the day we are family and we truly do have susan and all of her other family and our thoughts and prayers as they go through what we know is a very difficult time greg and i also had in common through both cancer survivors i went through a process about three years ago greg was one of the first ones to come to me and give me his his thoughts and his encouragement which i really respected and greatly appreciated then it's the kind of family thought process that we go through here so as a team as we reach just day when craig is lost that last battle and boy did he ever fight some good ones through the years and and he felt this one very well too but as we think about him today knowing his love of the outdoors and conversations about his riding horses even if riding horses with the capitol police out on the grounds of the capitol i'm always going to have those very fond memories of greg thomas as a great friend a great member of this institution and a truly great american and we know that he's riding off into the sunset for a better life even as we speak t to president senator from louisiana thank you mr president i have the great depth privilege of presiding this morning as i've got to listen to many of our colleagues come to the floor to pay tribute to our friend she really an outstanding senator into a wonderful man craig thomas from wyoming so many things were said this morning but i just wanted to add a few first of all as i sat in the chair to listen to the tributes i want to give a compliment to the solder from wyoming we spoke on behalf of his colleagues i've heard many tributes in the ten years that i've been here in the senate but to me it was really one of the most beautiful tributes that a partner a colleague has made for another senator and the will continue to carry on the great traditions of the state and i'm sure he as we all have will be inspired by his friend that we lost and it was added that in his heartfelt and beautifully executed remarks this morning i wanted to just rise as a member who served with senator thomas on the energy committee someone who worked fairly closely with him although we're not of the same political party to reiterate just a few things about his character this the life that we choose to live in public life is not the easiest life to live and sometimes it's harder on our families than it is on us individually it's a life that we choose because we want to serve our constituents we believe that we can do that job but as i heard so many of our colleagues rise to really pay tribute to the senator but mentioned susan his wife and i wanted to just restate for the record how inspirational their relationship has been to me and to many of us not only did susan wait for him many times at side of his door to greet him always with a smile and encouragement they often were able to travel together as a couple to share both the joys and the burdens of this life and i think that is a tribute to both of them and particularly to creg thomas who shared his life in such a special way with his spouse inspiration to  all and susan to him i also wanted to us say what a strong and steady voice unflinching champion for wyoming he was in fact even in the twilight of his life within the last few weeks as mentioned some of us were with him at the prayer breakfast some of the four with him at the bipartisan conference some of us were with him and one of his last energy committee meetings i will still have that memory of his voice although weak in body strong and spirit fighting for wyoming talking about coal talking about new energy policy talking about how the country depended so much on the resources of wyoming and how he was determined to continue to fight and provide that point of view on our committee so on the energy committee we will miss him always there always on time always steady always strong and never forgetting the state that he came to represent and did says so completely and so consistently and finally some of us have mentioned the inspiration that he's been to us in terms of his quiet and gentle spirit knowing that he was facing a very difficult time and perhaps his time was not that long to be here although as many of our colleagues said he never complained he always said well he was feeling and how much better and how thankful he was for his doctors for his family support and thanking us for being there when we could but i wanted to mention the frank of his spirit and having come to terms and peace in his life that god was his friend and he had a great faith in god almighty and it was evident by the way he walked not agitated and not nervous not anxious and not afraid but basically quiet confidence of a person who was at peace with god and with whatever god would have in store for him as i think  those of us in the senate family for all that we remember of him as a cowboy as a marine as a senator will always remember the last few weeks of that quiet confidence of a man who knew come to the floor today to join my colleagues in a tribute to the memory of a wonderful friend senator craig thomas from wyoming for me great thomas was not only a member of the senate family he was also a neighbor to the north in the state of wyoming and because of the similarity between wyoming and colorado in terms of the rural nature of our state we had the opportunity to work on many matters during the time that we he and i both served in the u s senate i want to comment on two or three of those things that were very important to us as we worked on them together the first of those was that we saw senator craig thomas as someone who was truly a fighter for  the last water and people of this nation and the people of the state of wyoming i remember very clearly the debate we had in the senate energy committee and the park whether or not we are going to abandon the hundred year principle that have guided the conservation philosophy of our national parks and it was senator craig thomas who was at this point of the spear in making sure that the conservation doctrine of our national parks policy remained intact i also remember the leadership role that senator thomas got in the last several years where there were efforts to try to sell off our public lands in order to make that part of the deficit reduction for our nation and while he was a true fiscal conservative he also understood the importance of the legacy of our public lands and protecting our public lands and making sure that those public lands were not used simply for deficit reduction and it was through thomas efforts for poor rural america and there are some significant differences really between the senate family and and the house family i think the house family the house of representatives because of the makeup of that body many of them come only from the metropolitan and urban areas here in our chamber we come from many of our states that are very rural in nature and there are very few states that are as rural has that great state of wyoming and so it was natural for senator thomas to be a champion for rural america and it was my honor to join with him in working on a number of other things where we stood together and said that the forgotten america that had been forgotten by so many that rural america was never going to be forgotten on the floor of this united states senate and it was in that vein that senator thomas a leadership role long with our good friend senator larry craig from idaho to make sure that we were doing right with payment a little of taxes so that those rural communities in the west the so that are so dependent upon payment a little taxes or labs or so on by the federal government that we would be providing them the kind of compensation to keep them afloat was also in that regard i had the honor of joining senator thomas last year and senator craig moving forward with the creation for the first time ever of the office of rural veterans affairs and that's because senator thomas understood that there was a great disparity in how veterans were being treated in the urban suburban areas of our society and those from rural community the fact is that the v a had done a study that demonstrated the great disparity in health care services that w forthcoming from the v a to those veterans who lived in the urban communities and those who lived in rural communities and so was his effort in his leadership to help us lead to the creation of the office liberal veterans affairs and finally his work on the agriculture committee you know when you think about wyoming a state that i have often traveled a state where i have often work i think about its natural resources and i think about its people and i also think about its agriculture bates and certainly senator craig thomas will always be remembered for his great advocacy for agriculture and making sure that we have sustainable agriculture here in our in our nation finally i would like to thank senator thomas were the contributions that he made to my state even though i am a very new senator here in this body we worked on a number of different things and it was through his leadership that we were able to hold hearings and move forward on legislation that created the sun to decrease the natural heritage area act legislation the park county national heritage area act legislation the rocky mountain national park park wilderness act the betty dhikr residence protection act and i could go on listing a whole number of other matters where those matters were moved forward because of the advocacy of senator thomas and lastly i would say this now we get to know each other in a number of different ways here on the floor of the u s senate and as we work together i fondly remember traveling with the senator reid and with  senator thomas into iraq spending eight or nine days with him in that troubled part of the of the world and i remember the conversations about his yearning for a more peaceful and a and a stronger world where we would create a legacy for our children that there but always know that craig thomas was there as a man of faith knowing that he was doing the duty of the people the duty of the people of wyoming and so from his neighbor to the south i conclude madam president by simply saying i'm proud of that cowboy and i'm proud of craig thomas and i'm proud of the contributions that he made not only to the state of wyoming but to the contributions that he's made to this nation and a president  well thank you very much madam president i would today take that comment with respect and honor around because i am here like many of my colleagues to join in speaking about the loss of senator craig thomas i friend from the neighboring state of wyoming over the course of years in working with craig on the floor of the united states house and here in the senate i must tell you that notice of his death late yesterday evening was a real loss to me and my wife suzanne and i say to his wife susan and their four children we stand in quiet prayer for strength for you through this difficult time in the loss of truly a marvelous america the senator from colorado just mentioned the word cowboy and i often times when add a gathering with craig and if the opportunity arose and i was the  speaker and he was the speaker and i was to introduce him and that happened on several occasions i would say and now ladies and gentlemen let me introduce the cowboy from wyoming and he would stand with a big smile on his face because he believed that as a statement of respect i think we westerners who work closely together on issues that are uniquely western i think appreciate and understand that expression a great came to the house in nineteen eighty nine just as i was leaving the house and so i got to know him then and of course when he came to the senate and came to the energy and natural resources committee where we both grew in seniority we began to work very closely together on so many issues that were important to the west but issues that were important to the nation c q congressional quarterly and it's political profiles of american politicians said this about craig and i think it is so typical of the man they said well thomas presume priscilla's his state interest he does it in a quiet methodical way that has made him remarkably few enemies after nearly two decades in congress known for his courtesy and diplomacy even on a bitterly contested issues he is no pushover and that's the craig thomas that we all got to know he could be tough and his position he knew exactly where he was on almost all issues and he very seldom gave but he would give ground when he knew it would bring the issue to resolution now i say that's the art of a talented policymaker and craig thomas representing his state of wyoming and the nation was truly that he filled big shoes when he came to the united states house he filled the shoes of the departing dick cheney and of course when he came over here he filled the shoes of the malcolm wall w well known here as a very clear conservative oftentimes very partisan member of the united states senate but in filling those shoes and more importantly he brought his own boots and he filled them and he made his own mark for his state and for the nation and so whether it was park issues whether it was natural resource issues whether it was differences between that boundary line that sometimes is fairly indistinguishable out west between idaho and wyoming craig thomas served the citizens of his state extremely well oftentimes known as a open multiple use advocate as both he and i are on the utilization of our public lands and their management when it came to yellowstone national park and the grand teton national park they were something special in craig's mind and off in time so i would say craig you're siding with the environmentalists on that issue you'd laugh or smile and say alright nothing's too good in protecting yellowstone national park and grand teton they are the crown jewels in the nation and they are a major part of my state so while we were very seldom in disagreement there were times when there was a bump up now and then as is typical amongst all of us who serve here in the united states senate even though on most issues we've found great compatibility i am one amongst miss craig thomas he was a friend of longstanding a colleague is wife susan and my wife has than had become good friends over the years as so many of us do while working in the united states senate wife and children we're going to miss craig a great deal here in the senate and i personally as a friend will miss craig thomas  socially and in business endings and we've had some great experiences together in other parts of the world and we were just so sad to learn that he had passed away it was i think in by the fact that he seemed to have done so well after his first round of treatment it was a great pleasure to come on the floor over the last couple of months and see him looking better every day he seemed to fail good and so i was really personally excited that he was going to whip this thing and that was his attitude as a true marine he was fighting the battle when he brought to the senate a special down to earth wyoming wisdom reflective of the unique part of the country he represented so well cody wyoming where he was born is a special place and craig was the epitome of the people in that part of our great country in a legislative body of some time showboats lightning rods mavericks craig was main engine of the senate he wasn't flamboyant they try to be he just kept plodding along trying to find a way to get the right results and they helped the senate do its job i've learned over the years that there are some people in life and some members of the senate that are tried and true that can be depended on no matter what the issue is greg thomas was one of those to get the senate on point when we straighten the big picture with this good is common sense and this affable manner is very easy to get fired up and to lash out in an institution that where we all come from so many different backgrounds and feel so passionately sometime about i but craig kept it cool have a level head and just kept moving forward when we drifted off message when we were too much into the weeds with our compelling agendas he didn't complain but rail will make demands he was wyoming to me in all its rugged zest for community nation and faith and i was particularly interested in hearing our colleague senator larry craig from idaho talk about his love of the outdoors in yellowstone and his effort to preserve it and improve that great national park it was one of the things that he truly did l and talk about himself very much but he spoke eloquently about the quality of life issues his mostly rural west neighbors he was after all farmer as well he got his degree and then college agriculture and of course he served his country for four years in the marines and that was going to how you approached his job here in the senate he came here to get things done to get results for wyoming in the nation and he was on committees to do that and he was on the energy committee and i thank all with him one time in particular i remember on the energy committee and i came away knowing that when you get in a tussle with craig thomas you better bring your lunch  it won't be quick it'll take a long time to work it out but work it out we did it they also served on the finance committee where i had the pleasure of serving with them and they provided again good solid counsel and  reliance that selflessness that burdett our attention from that tragedy and his family and that they were facing over recent months but that's how he wanted it he was riding the senate range keeping us on the trail and helping us to stay with the big picture to improve the quality of life of all those we represent gratian i extend our love our thoughts and our prior offenses and their children and craig's loyal staff we've lost a solid statesman and we will dedicate ourselves to keeping a spirit of goodness alive here in the senate for all of those because i feel the format of present and better president this is a sad time for the senate district as we continue with the important business of the nation we pause for a few moments to think about our common last one of our kindest most dedicated and most thoughtful colleagues senator craig thomas of wyoming all of us have our own private memories of our relationship with craig mine is of him as a really a kind of a silent leader kind of an atypical character if you will madam president here in the united states senate when i got here four and a half years ago someone alleged in this is sort of a broad characterization but someone said well welcome to the senate a place that has one hundred large egos and two hundred sharp elbows well i think what that person enough forgot to do was account for somebody like craig thomas that was never jockeying for the headlines and spotlight but always focused on his work and quietly every day made a difference i learned firsthand in recent months as i began working with a number of senators on this side of the aisle trying to encourage their active participation in the four debates craig understood that it is open debate and discussion in this the world's greatest deliberative body that protects and extends democracy indeed every week as we met senator thomas would simply ask what can i do john and it is that fundamental desire to serve the public the most basic and fundamental question of all that best characterized senator craig thomas he was a defender of american values from a service in the marine corps to his time in the house and the senate he served with courage and integrity  nowhere was that more apparent than in the way he served and handled his his final illness he never would have known that he had been through chemotherapy or that he was not feeling well the only way you would know is because his hair falling out as a result of the chemotherapy and it was almost back in its original form but you never would know from his attitude which was always up beat always positive never looking for sympathy but simply day in and day out doing his dead level best to represent the people of wyoming here in the united states  he was known as one of the people's most staunch advocates leading the charge against government waste and always fighting higher taxes in many ways senator thomas was an example to all of us and environment that can sometimes turn to nasty and friendly demeanor and its dedication to his country was always a reminder that public service is more than a duty it is a privilege and it can be conducted in a way that doesn't turn political adversaries into personal enemies could be done without bitterness without anger and with dignity i know craig was honored to be able to represent the state of wyoming and that's the state of wyoming was privileged to be served by such a man wyoming and the nation now mourn the loss of this great senator this great patriot this fine husband and father and this good man he left an indelible mark on the halls of the united states senate and america in general and he will be missed for susan and all of the thomas families sandy and i say to you you are in our thoughts and prayers as i know you are in the thoughts and prayers of countless millions of people all across this great land in these trying times we are all comforted by the strong faith in god that craig exemplified as well as the enduring  most americans see the partisanship and this is actually a political body so it's not unusual they'd be some partisanship but most americans never have the chance to see what the opportunity to see is the friendship this is a small community of one hundred members of the senate men and women who come from every part of our country who are elected to serve and there's a great deal of friendship that exists in this chamber even in the middle of all of the politics that exist in our political system i knew him as a member of the senate and a colleague in both the house and the senate but the last six months we worked together i asked chairman of the indian affairs committee and craig thomas as vice chairman of the indian affairs committee we sat next to each other hour after after hearing after hearing and i got to know a lot about craig thomas that i had not previously known as this work was upon he was quick with a smile a quiet man in many ways he cared deeply for his home state of wyoming care deeply about the future of this country craig was a proud son of the american west and he never ever forgot about the people that he represented his commitment to american indians and especially and particularly to those living in the wind river reservation in wyoming was evident as i worked side by side with him on the in the ferrous committee strong support for indian health care and for all of the other services to native americans i was really pleased to have the opportunity to work with him and get to know him and to admired his work and in recent months of course senator thomas faced some very challenging health care issues a very challenging illness and he met those challenges with courage and with grace never complain never heard him complain and if fact it was just about three weeks ago at a hearing i turned to him and i said to him you look great you really look terrific he said i feel good i feel great he was a person with that kind of attitude what a wonderful contribution to the united states senate i think all of us here will miss a really terrific friend let me end this i started by saying this is a political body and i know most americans see the evidence of that politics so they see sometimes the politics and the partisanship but most americans never have the opportunity to see is the friendship that exists on the floor of the united states senate yes even between those who from time to time our adversaries in debate but who understand each other and are friends with each other and i had the privilege of working with senator thomas for many many years in the house and in the senate in particular in the last six months as chairman and vice chairman of the committee and i will miss him dearly i consider senator craig thomas a friend and i my thoughts and first there with his wonderful family as well madam president i know that my colleague from kansas is wishing to say a word i'd like on behalf of the majority leader to ask a unanimous consent request i have five unanimous consent request for committees to meet during today's session of the senate if i got into a tough situation using the allegory a gunfight on front street in my hometown of dodge city i would want craig thomas by my side and i also knew that that he would be there in that regard it was only two weeks ago that he and susan his wife susan corralled a a group of supporters for me and we talked about his personal battle he was confident to all of us we serve together in the house where as in this body he was always a voice of reason a man of trust decency and commitment just this morning he was describe by a fellow colleague as a lovely man a description that doesn't quite jive with gray a rough hewn rancher with a gentle quiet wyoming demeanor that a term that is true to the man nevertheless i don't know of anyone who did not like or respect craig thomas and in this day of rough and tumble public service in the congress overflowing it seems and a cauldron of partisan discontent craig transcended all of that mr president in the end the only thing any of us would have the privilege of public trust has going for us is our word craig thomas set the gold standard in keeping his word and our trust and our admiration the senate wyoming and our nation have lost a steady hand and a man who has done much for his shal state he was dependable  sense of the word he never sought their center ring or the spotlight that was not his style the epitome of a work horse and not a show horse i remember and i tr hard times together especially when i first came to the senate we both agreed the length of a conversation doesn't tell anything about the size of the intellect we also agreed that no matter who says what you should not believe it if it doesn't make sense and craig made sense he did not need a decorated words to make his meaning clear he spoke wyoming and for that matter kansas would take the floor during morning business and if he is calm reasonable manner then discuss an issue of the day and you sort of had to sit on the edge of your seat and lean forward and as they say in his beloved marine corps less went up he talks off the talk low he talk slow is most appropriate as i said if anyone face trouble in their life the one person you would want by your side would be craig thomas madam president to i still miss him greatly as a personal friend and confidante and a supporter of both of the offices i have occupied in the senate were previously occupied by craig i just thought if they were good enough for craig i would fit right in there is a short book by big spender called a cowboy guide to life and and it he describes the code of the west and urges man of this common background to write it in their hearts to stand by the code and that it will stand by you ask no more and give no last than honesty courage loyalty generosity and fairness madam president craig thomas embody that go now while our minds up are full of sorrow and our hearts sons patrick and greg and his daughter lexie when i must leave you for a little while please go on bravely with a gallant smile and for my sake and in my name live on and do all things the same spend not your life and empty days but fill each waking hour even useful ways to reach out your hand in concord and senator from texas and the president we don't think about coming back to the chamber a week after we have all gone our separate ways back to our state that we will come back with one of our members not here there's a great hope for craig thomas chair and the beautiful flower arrangement but all of us who go through the day to day workings of the united states senate working with our constituents at home the pressures which we all know we feel being twenty four seven in a job that we love but we all the stresses and strains and therefore we bond because of the similarity of experience so when we all said goodbye at the end of last week we didn't expect to come back and have one fewer member so i want to rise today to express my sadness for the passing of senator craig thomas and to express the deepest sympathy for his wife susan and their family and the people of congress for eighteen years six years in the house and twelve years in the senate i've just been reelected to his third term but his service to the united states did not begin with public service in the elective since it began in the marine corps from nineteen fifty five to nine hundred fifty nine then he went back to wyoming after leaving the marine corps and began a career in public service when the wyoming house of representatives a large than five years later you want to special election to succeed then congressman dick cheney as a member of the u s house and five years after that in nine hundred ninety four then congressman thomas one election to the u s senate correct almost to use his real life world background to champion a positive agenda for america's world community as a former chairman of the national parks subcommittee frank thomas authored legislation to provide funding and management reforms to protect america's national parks in the twenty first century he was honored by the national parks and conservation association with their william penn park leadership award as a senior member of the senate finance committee senator thomas w the one that i really turn to the most to chair a meeting if i couldn't be there he would talk on the floor about the specific issues that we were wanting to focus on at the time he was so well liked by everyone in this chamber i cannot imagine anyone ever saying they didn't like craig thomas and he is a very special lady as well she works with children who have disabilities and she has made that her lifelong mission and she is so loved and respected in the teaching community for the great work that she has done so when all of us learned about craig thomas the illness late last year we all thought she's going to be a fighter he is going to november but we knew as we were watching him for granted that he was looking better and better and his color was getting better and better and then when we all left last week some knew that he was going back into another round of chemo many of us did not but no one in our body realized how serious it was but yesterday i did call him home