Jon Kyl: “except for those who knew Paul Coverdell and his constituents in Georgia, I suspect it is very hard for others who may…”

“except for those who knew Paul Coverdell and his constituents in Georgia, I suspect it is very hard for others who may be watching here today or who hear other tributes to Paul Coverdell to appreciate the depth of sadness that all of us in this Senate family feel by the loss of Senator Paul Coverdell. Paul Coverdell was a special man. He was so active in nearly everything going on in the Senate that it is impossible to believe he is gone. The images of Paul smiling, gesturing, counseling, are still so fresh. If there was an indispensable Senator, Paul Coverdell was it. Paul was a doer, as we all know. He was successful not because of his energy alone--though that was considerable--but because he was trusted by all and he sought no recognition for himself. His judgment was sound, his intelligence keen. He was always kind and cheerful, never critical. The word 'helpful' does not even begin to describe the aid and assistance he was always so ready to provide. I have lost a real friend and a confidant. Georgia and America have lost a great leader. Paul's family's loss is incalculable, especially for Nancy and his mother. Our sense of grief is tempered only by the faith that the Lord has His own purposes. We take comfort in the wisdom of Abraham Lincoln who said: Surely God would not have created such a being as man, with an ability to grasp the infinite, to exist only for a day. No, no, man was made for immortality. Godspeed, Senator Paul Coverdell.”