Don Nickles: “I also wish to pay my compliments and accolades to Senator Dan Coats of Indiana. I have had the pleasure of knowing Dan…”

“I also wish to pay my compliments and accolades to Senator Dan Coats of Indiana. I have had the pleasure of knowing Dan Coats. He actually was elected to the House of Representatives in 1980, the same year I was elected to serve in the U.S. Senate. He had something unusual happen. When Dan Quayle was selected as Vice President and elected in 1988, Dan Coats was appointed to take his place in 1988. That almost sounds like it was easy, but it turned out he had to run for reelection in 1990; and he won. But that was only for a partial term, and so he also had to run for reelection in 1992. So he had the unenviable task of having really challenging races both in 1990 and in 1992 for the U.S. Senate. He won both, and deservedly so, because he has been an outstanding U.S. Senator. I remember Dan Quayle telling me, 'You're really going to like Dan Coats.' Dan Quayle and I were good friends. And Dan Coats and I have become very good friends. And he was exactly right. Dan Coats and his wife, Marcia, his family, are not only good friends of our family, but I would say anybody serving in this body--anybody--whether they be on the House side or the Senate side, cannot help but like Dan and Marcia Coats. They are a couple--they are a couple--in the greatest tradition of the Senate.”