Jon Kyl: “Craig was a wonderful friend of all of us. In my case, being a fellow Westerner, I had a special affinity for Craig. He…”

“Craig was a wonderful friend of all of us. In my case, being a fellow Westerner, I had a special affinity for Craig. He was a fellow I could talk to-- without talk. Particularly a cowboy such as Craig can communicate with you in a real Western way that doesn't require a whole lot of ``jibber-jabber,'' as he would say. Craig was a man of the earth. He really was a cowboy, and a good one at that. He took that kind of set of Western values, of not talking a whole lot but meaning what he says and saying what he means, into the political life. When he came to the Senate, I think everyone appreciated that quality in him. By the way, I would say he reminds me of my colleague, the Senator from Alabama, in that regard. You never have any doubt about where the Senator from Alabama stands and you never had any doubt about where Senator Craig Thomas stood. That is a quality we need in our public officials today. Craig's wife Susan is a wonderful friend of mine and of my wife Carol. Our hearts go out to her and their family tonight.”