Don Nickles: “Senator Bob Kerrey from Nebraska, as most people know, was a former Governor of Nebraska. He has completed two terms in…”

“Senator Bob Kerrey from Nebraska, as most people know, was a former Governor of Nebraska. He has completed two terms in the Senate. I, for one, hate to see him leave the Senate. I have had the pleasure of working with Senator Kerrey on the Finance Committee. He has shown great courage. He is a person who has been willing to talk about difficult issues: Curbing the growth of entitlements, Medicare, and Medicaid. He worked on the commission that was also chaired, I think, by Senators Breaux, Frist, and Thomas, and was an outstanding member in saying: Let's make some of the tough choices; let's make some of those tough choices now. He is a person who has been willing to reach out and work in a bipartisan fashion, such as on personal savings accounts for Social Security, reforming Social Security. He has courage. He has conviction. He has shown it time and time again with his service in the Senate, with his activities in the Senate and outside the Senate. Everyone knows he is a Medal of Honor winner. I think of him as a competitor, as a friend, as a colleague. Some of us jog on occasion. Senator Kerrey jogs and jogs quite well. That is very inspirational because he also has an artificial leg. He has a great personality. I think he has made a great contribution to the Senate. He has helped improve the quality of the Senate, and certainly he will be missed. I think he has announced he is going to be a university president.…”