Mr. President, I rise to join my colleagues in saying thank you to a great senator, a great American, a wonderful leader, and a dear friend, Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota. In Hawaiian we say, mahalo nui loa,. "Mahalo" means thank you; "nui" means large; and "loa" means wide. It is used to convey profound and deep gratitude. I want to say mahalo nui loa to Tom Daschle for his great service to our country and to the Senate as an institution.

During his 26 years in the House and Senate, Tom Daschle has epitomized the ideal that we can disagree without being disagreeable. His prairie optimism and can-do attitude served his constituents well.

I have always marveled at the fact that despite his responsibilities as Majority Leader and Democratic Leader, Tom Daschle always kept the needs and interests of South Dakotans as his top priority. He never lost sight of the people back home. Perhaps that is best reflected by his annual "unscheduled driving" tour, when he drives across his home state, visiting every county, with no staff and no schedule, just Tom, stopping to visit his constituents and hear what is on their minds.

As Senator Daschle has said, these visits remind him where he came from, and why he came to Washington -- to put the priorities of America first. For that, and for so much more, I say mahalo nui loa, Tom Daschle. Godspeed.