Chuck Hagel: “this is a sad day for all of us. Wyoming and the Senate have lost Craig Thomas. He was a neighbor. He was a friend. He…”

“this is a sad day for all of us. Wyoming and the Senate have lost Craig 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: Oh, yes, that State of Nebraska; that is where Wyoming sends all of its wind. He said other things as well. Many times, he and Senator Enzi were responsible for stealing Nebraska's water. Other than those obvious flaws, Craig Thomas was one of those unique individuals whom we have heard his colleagues speak of this morning. None have exaggerated in their descriptions of this remarkable man. He, as has been noted, was a marine. He was a straight shooter. He was born and raised on a ranch in Wyoming. When you add all of that up, what else could he be but a straight shooter? He worked hard, as has been noted here this morning. 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. No one was ever better prepared when he spoke, more knowledgeable of the subject matter, and more a joy to be around because he never lost the most important element of each of us; that is, a 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 I think that is what most of us admired most about him.”