Harry Reid: “if the words Hemingway said so clearly-- ``man is not made for defeat''--applied to anyone in the world, they certainly…”

“if the words Hemingway said so clearly-- ``man is not made for defeat''--applied to anyone in the world, they certainly apply to Tim Johnson. He is a testament to this sentiment because he never ever acknowledged defeat. He refuses to be defeated. Tim never lost an election. He served in the House of Representatives from 1987 to 1997--for 10 years. He served in the State legislature. They weren't all easy votes and weren't all easy elections. He won his election in 2002 by 524 votes. Hundreds of thousands of votes were cast, but he won by 524 votes. Senator Tim Johnson refused to succumb to defeat because he knew he was fighting for the people of South Dakota. He fought for South Dakota jobs when he fought to keep Ellsworth Air Force Base open and running. It was based near Rapid City, and he saved it from closing. He worked to this end, saving thousands of jobs, preserving a thriving economy based on that Ellsworth Air Force Base. During his tenure in the House and Senate he fought for water, which is so important. People from so many other States don't realize how important water is to States such as South Dakota and many Western States. Water is something you always have to keep your eye on. He secured funding for the Mni Wiconi Rural Water Project and the Lewis and Clark Rural Water System. Combined, those two projects provided clean drinking water to some 400,000 people. That is half the population of the State of South Dakota.…”