[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 17] [Senate] [Pages 21854-21855] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]RECENT ELECTIONS AND LOOKING AHEAD Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I want to take a moment to comment on the recent elections and then a very brief look ahead. First, let me remind my colleagues in every year that we have waged war, our troops have fought to uphold certain ideals: the ideals of democracy, of liberty, and of freedom. They are those very same principles upon which this Nation was founded in 1776 and they are the principles we strive to live by today in 2006. We saw that play out in last week's election, a natural manifestation of those ideals. We saw democracy at work, an opportunity for the American people to speak, to influence Government. So while I, of course, was disappointed in the outcome, we are not discouraged, and people come back today not discouraged because, as I have said, this election was democracy at work. Change can be tough. Change opens the door, however, to new opportunity, and with that new opportunity comes new hopes. The American people have spoken and now is the time for us to move forward together. That is a very powerful message from the American people: Move forward and move forward together. For a number of my colleagues--and I think of this as I mention the orientation program that begins for our new colleagues for the next Congress--moving forward means concentrating in part on paving the way for their successors. For them, it is a time of transition. The next few weeks, the last of the 109th Congress, will be my final weeks serving as a Senator, but as most everyone knows, I self-limited my time as a Senator 12 years ago, so I have known every day--every day for the last 12 years--that I would be departing this body next month, and it [[Page 21855]] did help me to keep focused. It kept me grounded in the fact that those of us serving here only occupy our positions of service and that we don't own those positions. As Senate majority leader, my job is to focus on finishing the business of the 109th Congress, and that is where I will be concentrating my efforts. As I look back on this Congress, the Republican majority has accomplished many things of which I am very proud. We submitted the tax cuts for every American which have helped to create 6 million jobs in the last 3 years. We have waged a bold war on terror, which has prevented every potential terror attack on our soil right here in this country over the past 5 years. We have given seniors prescription drug coverage through Medicare for the first time, affordable prescription drug coverage. We confirmed outstanding judicial nominees, including two Supreme Court justices. We passed a forward-looking energy bill. We strengthened our commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS here at home and around the world. We have eliminated frivolous class action lawsuits. And we did all of this in one of the most challenging partisan political environments ever. But as we move forward--and that really does officially begin today-- we begin with finishing the business of the 109th Congress, and we must work together to overcome that partisanship we have seen in the past, that crippling partisanship that has plagued us in the recent past. America wants results and America wants solutions, and it is with that focus we enter the waning days of the 109th Congress. We must return to an era of working together in a civil, bipartisan fashion. It is my hope both parties, Republicans and Democrats, will work toward governing together to produce those solutions, to produce those tangible results for the American people. That begins here, and it begins now. This week the Senate agenda will focus, as we mentioned earlier, on completing the remaining appropriations bills, and in the days and in the weeks ahead, we will consider the nomination of Bob Gates as Secretary of Defense and, as we just stated, the Vietnam trade legislation and the U.S.-India civilian nuclear technology bill. Each of us has many ideas to contribute to the discourse and I know we will continue to do that. We must build on our successes, the successes that make America the best place--the best place--to raise a family, the best place to start a business, and the best place to get and keep a job. Now is the time for us to get back to work. ____________________