S7442 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE June 11, 2007 CREATING LONG-TERM ENERGY Durbin Lautenberg Salazar We also worked to safeguard our con- ALTERNATIVES FOR THE NA- Ensign Leahy Sanders stituents’ livelihoods—establishing the Enzi Levin Schumer TION ACT OF 2007—MOTION TO Feingold Lieberman Sessions wool trust fund, keeping open global PROCEED—Continued Feinstein Lincoln Shelby beef markets, and making sure that Graham Lott Smith our trading partners played by the CLOTURE MOTION Grassley Lugar Snowe rules. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under Gregg Martinez Specter Hagel McCaskill We worked together to safeguard our Stabenow the previous order, pursuant to rule Harkin McConnell Stevens natural resources, improve rural en- XXII, the Chair lays before the Senate Hatch Menendez ergy infrastructure, and plan for a sus- the pending cloture motion. The clerk Hutchison Mikulski Sununu Tester tainable energy future with clean coal will report the motion to invoke clo- Inhofe Murkowski Inouye Murray Thune technologies. ture. Isakson Nelson (FL) Vitter These and many other accomplish- Voinovich The legislative clerk read as follows: Kennedy Nelson (NE) ments will be Senator Thomas’s leg- Kerry Pryor Warner CLOTURE MOTION Klobuchar Reed Webb acy. It is a legacy for which he deserves We, the undersigned Senators, in ac- Kohl Reid Whitehouse recognition, remembrance, and honor. cordance with the provisions of rule Kyl Roberts Wyden It is a legacy for which our Nation is XXII of the Standing Rules of the Sen- Landrieu Rockefeller grateful. ate, hereby move to bring to a close de- NOT VOTING—8 But many will remember Senator bate on the motion to proceed to Cal- Bayh Coburn McCain Thomas more for who he was than for endar No. 9, H.R. 6, Comprehensive En- Biden Dodd Obama what he did. They will remember some- ergy legislation. Brownback Johnson one with a quick wit, an easy smile, Jeff Bingaman, Dick Durbin, S. White- The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this and a generous helping hand. house, Blanche L. Lincoln, Jon Tester, vote, the yeas are 91, the nays are zero. I will remember Senator Thomas as I Robert P. Casey, Jr., Patty Murray, Three-fifths of the Senators duly cho- met him when he first joined the Sen- Daniel K. Akaka, Jack Reed, Mary sen and sworn having voted in the af- ate in 1989. Back then, I recognized in Landrieu, Max Baucus, Mark Pryor, firmative, the motion is agreed to. him something very familiar. Senator Ron Wyden, Joe Biden, Pat Leahy, Claire McCaskill, Amy Klobuchar, Ken Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I Thomas was a man of the American Salazar. suggest the absence of a quorum. West. He embodied the values and the The PRESIDING OFFICER. The The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unan- character of the people whom he rep- clerk will call the roll. imous consent, the mandatory quorum resented. The assistant legislative clerk pro- You always knew where Senator call has been waived. ceeded to call the roll. Thomas stood. Like many in the West, The question is, Is it the sense of the Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I ask Senator Thomas was quiet, unassum- Senate that debate on the motion to unanimous consent that the order for ing, and unpretentious—but he was proceed to H.R. 6, an act to reduce our the quorum call be rescinded. never intimidated. Nation’s dependency on foreign oil by The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without He was gentle and decent. When he investing in clean, renewable, and al- objection, it is so ordered. gave you his word, he kept it. And as ternative energy resources, promoting f we all saw in these final months of his new emerging energy technologies, de- life, when he had to, he could fight like veloping greater efficiency, and cre- MORNING BUSINESS hell. ating a Strategic Energy Efficiency Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I ask That is the man I will miss and it is and Renewables Reserve to invest in al- unanimous consent that there now be a the man I wish to recognize today—an ternative energy, and for other pur- period of morning business with Sen- honorable Senator and a great man of poses, shall be brought to a close? ators permitted to speak therein for up the American West. The yeas and nays are mandatory to 10 minutes each. Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, this under the rule. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without last Saturday, I traveled with my wife The clerk will call the roll. objection, it is so ordered. Nancy and many of our colleagues in The assistant legislative clerk called the Senate to Casper, WY, for the fu- f the roll. neral service of my friend Senator Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the REMEMBERING SENATOR CRAIG Craig Thomas. Senator from Indiana (Mr. BAYH), the THOMAS During the service I was particularly Senator from Delaware (Mr. BIDEN), Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I honor impressed by the words of Minority the Senator from Connecticut (Mr. a colleague, a friend, and a great Sen- Leader MCCONNELL and I would like to DODD), the Senator from South Dakota ator, Senator Craig Thomas. thank him for so eloquently eulogizing (Mr. JOHNSON), and the Senator from No words that I can speak will ease Senator Thomas. So appropriately did Illinois (Mr. OBAMA) are necessarily ab- the sadness of this loss. Nothing my his words honor Senator Thomas that I sent. colleagues and I say can fill the empti- hope all our colleges in the Senate will Mr. LOTT. The following Senators ness that his passing has left or lessen take the time to read them. are necessarily absent: the Senator the pain that so many feel. I ask unanimous consent that this from Kansas (Mr. BROWNBACK), the I feel compelled to speak of Senator transcript of Senator MCCONNELL’s Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. COBURN), Thomas not for the effect of my words. comments be printed in the RECORD. and the Senator from Arizona (Mr. Instead, I speak to recognize the effect There being no objection, the mate- MCCAIN). of his words, his actions, and his serv- rial was ordered to be printed in the The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there ice. RECORD, as follows: any other Senators in the Chamber de- His were words, actions, and service SERVICE IN HONOR OF CRAIG THOMAS, JUNE 9, siring to vote? that have improved the lives and fu- 2007 The yeas and nays resulted—yeas 91, tures of Americans. His words and ac- Reverend [Moore], Susan, Lexie, Patrick, nays 0, as follows: Greg, Peter; distinguished guests, colleagues tions will leave a legacy long after our and friends of Craig Lyle Thomas. [Rollcall Vote No. 208 Leg.] sadness passes. There are people that we can’t ever imag- YEAS—91 Senator Thomas represented Wyo- ine dying because they’re so alive, and there Akaka Burr Collins ming effectively and with dignity. I are people we can’t imagine dying because Alexander Byrd Conrad was proud to work with him. they seem so healthy and so strong. Craig Allard Cantwell Corker Thomas’s death is doubly hard because he Baucus Cardin Cornyn We both loved the open beautiful spaces of our home States, and we was both of these people. But death has done Bennett Carper Craig its work, and so we come back to the place Bingaman Casey Crapo worked to keep them clean, safe, and that he was always so eager to return to, to Bond Chambliss DeMint sustainable. We collaborated to im- Boxer Clinton Dole accompany him on one last trip back. Brown Cochran Domenici prove the Endangered Species Act and It was here that he first heard his calling Bunning Coleman Dorgan the Safe Drinking Water Act. to serve in public life, and here that he first

VerDate Mar 15 2010 21:51 Mar 13, 2014 Jkt 081600 PO 00000 Frm 00026 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\2007SENATE\S11JN7.REC S11JN7 mmaher on DSKCGSP4G1 with SOCIALSECURITY June 11, 2007 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S7443 tasted the bitterness of loss. But Susan al- that full body laugh, and then went to the looked out at the majesty of the canyons and ways told him, ‘‘If you sign up to be a cow- White House with a tuxedo shirt of his own the falls of Yellowstone and knew there is a boy, you can’t complain when you draw a making. God. As a teenager he saw the hard work and raw, bucking bronco.’’ He couldn’t have The Gentleman from Wyoming took an of- dedication of his parents and learned that imagined in those early years that one day fice on the top floor of the Longworth Office giving is more admirable than taking. And he’d be known to America as the Senior Sen- Building, but he didn’t get too comfortable. as a man he could hear the rumble of the ator from Wyoming. But he was never one to Some members of the Senate boast about herd even from his desk in Washington, and dwell on his achievements. So it falls to us, visiting every county in their state over the know that the movements of men were noth- his friends, to speak well of this good man. course of a year. Craig visited all 23 counties ing compared to the power of the wild. One of the great things about this country in Wyoming—the ninth largest state in I am not a cowboy. But I’ve come to know is that so many of its leaders come from America in just two weeks during that first and admire a few of them in my 22 years in such surprising places: a candle shop in Bos- August recess. He enjoyed every minute of the Senate. And I’ve come to know a little ton, a cabin in Kentucky—and a one room- it: driving west from Casper, looking out at bit about their pastimes. I’ve heard that school house in Wapiti, Wyoming. Senator the Wind River Range, and thinking about holding down a steer takes two kinds of rop- Enzi tells me that The Wapiti School is still what an honor it was to serve this big, beau- ers—a header and a heeler, and that there’s standing, but that it’s surrounded now by 10- tiful place he loved. an old saying that the header may be the foot fences and a ring of barbed wire—not to This was his home, and he loved it. He quarterback, but that the heeler makes the keep the kids in, but to keep the grizzlies loved the land, he loved the people. But any- money. The idea is that there may be more out. That fence wasn’t there when Craig was one who knew him knew what his greatest glory in roping the head, but that the heeler in school. They were tougher then. love was. has the harder, more important, and less Craig met Susan in 1978. She was working Craig Thomas was always the tough guy— glamorous job. No one who knew Craig on a statewide campaign, he was working for not tough to deal with, not tough on others, Thomas is surprised to know that he pre- the state Republican Party, and she invited just tough. When his family moved to Cody, ferred to be a heeler. he signed up for two sports: wrestling and him over to talk about the race. When she looked out the window and saw a man riding The most impressive thing in Washington football. One of his teammates on the foot- is also the rarest: and that’s a man whose po- ball team, Al Simpson, was also his neigh- toward her office on his bicycle, she turned to the woman next to her and said, ‘‘Now sition and power has no effect on the person bor. It may be the only time in American he was when he got there. I’ve never met a history that two U.S. senators grew up a who would that be?’’ She soon found out, and thanks to her loving support, so did the rest man who was changed less by what the world block and half from each other. calls riches or power than Craig Lyle Thom- There was a time when it was normal for of the country. Everything they did, they did together. She was with him for every race he as. tough guys to be studious too. And if you Now this great American life has come to went back to Cody in the 1940s, you’d find won. Craig always said Susan was the one who liked campaigning. an end. Yet we know it continues: This hus- the son of Craig and Marjorie Thomas as at- band, father, lawmaker, mentor, and friend tentive to his football plays as he was to They were like children, but they were deadly serious about their work. Craig goes to the Father’s house. We take comfort Mrs. Thompson’s English lessons. He’d re- entrusting him to the Lord of Mercy, who member and benefit from both many years viewed politics as a high calling, and he viewed Susan’s work the same way. He ad- tells us that in the life to come, every ques- later during hundreds of legislative battles mired her deeply. He never failed to mention tion will be answered, every tear wiped or on countless nights by the campfire along her. I remember my wife Elaine telling me away. And we are confident in the hope that the North Laramie River, reciting the ‘‘Cre- after giving the commencement speech one he will ride again, healthy and strong, along mation of Sam McGee.’’ a wider, more majestic plain in a land that’s As a young man, Craig would have heard year at Susan’s high school, how devoted to everlasting. about the days when an unwritten code of her the students there were. We honor Susan today for her devotion to honesty, bravery, and chivalry governed f Craig. We’ll miss seeing her outside the Sen- daily life in Cody. And he was inspired by ate chamber waiting for him to finish up his HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES stories of another code of bravery that guid- votes. The Senate’s a lonelier, less joyful ed young Americans of his own day in exotic TECHNICAL SERGEANT RYAN A. BALMER place without Craig. It’s already a lonelier, places like Guadalcanal, Bougainville, less joyful place without her too. Mr. BAYH. Mr. President, I rise Tarawa, and Guam. World War II cost the The people of Wyoming sent Craig to the today with a heavy heart and deep Marines nearly 87,000 dead and wounded. But Senate in 1994, and those of us who’ve served sense of gratitude to honor the life of a as a young man fresh out of college with his with him there are grateful they did. It was whole life ahead of him, Craig Thomas want- brave airman from Mishawaka. Ryan the first time since 1906 that every statewide Balmer, 33 years old, was killed on ed in. Fifty years later, he still proudly wore office in Wyoming was held by a Republican, the anchor and the globe on his lapel. and the credit, of course, goes to Craig. He June 5 while deployed near Kirkuk, He was happiest when he was here, but 18 led the ticket, and he worked tirelessly to Iraq, when an improvised explosive de- years ago history called him to Washington bring everyone else along with him. vice struck his vehicle. With an opti- and he responded dutifully. It was anything But again, he didn’t take the credit. And mistic future before him, Ryan risked but inevitable. His opponent in the campaign the victory and the higher office did nothing everything to fight for the values to replace an outgoing congressman who’s to change the man. If there was any chance done pretty well himself over the last 18 Americans hold close to our hearts, in of that, Susan made sure to nip it in the bud. a land halfway around the world. years had about 99 percent name recognition She made him hang a photo of himself fall- and had just lost an election for U.S. Senate ing off a horse. She knew the Scripture that Ryan has served in the Air Force by about 1,200 votes. The lowest point in the ‘‘pride cometh before a fail’’ But Craig knew since enlisting shortly after graduating race was the early polling, which suggested it too, and he wouldn’t disappoint. He was a Mishawaka High School in 1993. He was that Craig didn’t have a chance. But over the simple, humble son of Wyoming and he re- extremely proud of his military service next 40 days, the Marine and his staff pulled mained one to the end. and was nearing the end of his 6-month it off. Craig set the tone, he led the way, and He was always eager to get home. So eager, tour in Iraq when he was killed by the he let others take the credit. That was his in fact, that one time when his Mustang way. broke down on the way to the airport, he left improvised explosive device. In addi- Four days after the election, Craig and it on the side of the highway and hitchhiked tion to his military service, Ryan, the Susan packed their bags, headed east, and the rest of the way. They let him on the youngest of nine children, was the de- two days after that Craig was sworn in as a plane to Cheyenne without a ticket or any- voted husband of Danielle Balmer and member of the U.S Congress. It wasn’t the thing. He called his staff from the airport to the father of two sons and one daugh- easiest transition. As soon as Craig got to see if someone could get the car. When they ter. Washington, he froze with a sudden realiza- found it, the keys were still in the ignition. Ryan was killed while serving his tion—he didn’t have any suits. So he did They sent his clothes on the next plane. country in Operation Iraqi Freedom. what anybody from Wyoming would do. He We’ll never forget his toughness, his good- called Al Simpson, who told him where to ness, his humor, his steady reassuring hand. He was assigned to Detachment 113, 1st find one. Nor his kindness, which he always showed Field Investigations Region, stationed A few months later, he had a similar pre- toward everyone—from presidents to door- at Hill Air Force Base, UT. A good high dicament. He and Susan got an invite to the men. He was straightforward and honest. In school friend of Ryan’s, Dave White House and Craig didn’t have a tuxedo. a phrase that Craig might have recalled from Falkenau, told local media that, So he told one of his staffers to go to a dry Mrs. Thompson’s Shakespeare lessons, he ‘‘[Ryan] would go out of his way for cleaning store up the street and rent one— was not a man ‘‘to double business bound.’’ anyone; I wouldn’t be surprised if he but not to worry about the shirt. When the His only business was his duty—to God, died trying to save someone else from staffer came back, she found Craig in his of- country, family, and friends. And he fulfilled fice with a buck knife. He was cutting holes them beautifully. dying.’’ into his cuffs for where the cufflinks would He was strong, humble, and full of faith. Today, I join Ryan’s family and go. Craig just laughed that big laugh of his, And here is why. As a boy Craig Thomas friends in mourning his death. While

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