An act of absolute class was performed by Delaware's Sen. Chris Coons April 26. Sen. Coons’ action was so out of character with today's Washington ethic that according to news reports it brought a powerful Republican committee chair to near tears.
What did Sen. Coons do? Simply put, he acted in a very humane and courteous manner while sticking with his strongly-held policy position.
On a key committee vote, the nomination of a new secretary of state, a Republican senator had to miss the scheduled meeting to speak at the funeral of a close friend. Sen. Coons changed his "No" vote to "present," which allowed the committee to timely report to the full Senate. Absent that courtesy, the committee vote would have been delayed; the result would have been the same later; however, the presence of the new secretary of state at a key NATO meeting might have been disrupted and another senator's time of grief disrupted.
Our Senator Coons has demonstrated that disagreements on issues need not result in animosity or the diminishment of human kindness.
Hopefully, others in Washington will follow his lead. Sen. Coons, we are proud of you.
Tom Irvine
Lewes