The U.S. Senate took an hour out of its time Thursday to honor former Sen. Norm Coleman. Here are video clips with the complete tributes to Coleman from 10 senators (seven of Coleman’s fellow Republicans and three Democrats, including Amy Klobuchar), as well as transcribed highlights of their remarks — with particular attention to what they had to say about their former colleague’s future.

In the order in which they spoke, listed below are the 10 senators who gave Senate-floor testimonials to Norm Coleman on Thursday. After each name is an text excerpt from and full video of the senator’s speech. Click on the senator’s name to see the full transcription of his or her remarks.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.):

Today we honor our colleague and friend for that long career that we hope is far from over. And we punctuate an incredibly hard fought campaign that some people thought might never end. In the end, it didn’t turn out the way many of us had hoped it would. … And I have no doubt that this is not the last we will hear from Norm Coleman.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.):

I enjoyed serving with Norm … I wish Senator Coleman the very best in his future endeavors …

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.):

If Norm Coleman could have found some way to make the 2000 Presidential election Bush v. Gore v. Coleman, Norm would have been a participant in every single one of the most spectacular political races of the last decade. … He proved to be determined and courageous and, in the Minnesota tradition, a happy warrior in attempting to make sure that every Minnesota vote counted in the race, which was decided by just a few votes.

Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.):

Norm and Laurie are my friends. I wish them the very best as they go forward in their lives. I know they will find other opportunities to be of service to the people of Minnesota and to the people of the United States, and I might daresay also to the people of Florida because Norm has a great affection for my State, where he has spent a lot of his time.

Sen. Robert Bennett (R-Utah):

I simply add my voice of gratitude for the opportunity of serving with Norm Coleman and my best wishes for him in his future activities. He is a young and vigorous enough man that I think we will hear far more from him in the years ahead.

Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.):

So to Norm Coleman I simply say we will miss you in the Senate. We are not going to let him go away, though. I still talk to him on a regular basis and will continue to do so and will seek his advice …

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Me.):

I had the opportunity to talk with Norm right after the supreme court in Minnesota ruled against him. I was struck, once again, by his determination to do what he felt was best for his state, even though it was not best for him. I was also touched by his commitment, once again, to his constituents and to moving on and ensuring that they had two Senators representing them.

Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.):

He was always very courteous and always a gentleman with me. I never heard him say a negative word about me. I cannot ever recall saying anything negative about him. … [H]e is a relatively young man, and I am sure with his educational background and his notoriety in Minnesota, he will have a bright future.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.):

Second only to his family has been his dedication to public service. It has literally defined his adult life. Maybe it was sheer destiny that he found his way to the Senate. After all, he is a graduate of James Madison High School in Brooklyn, which is also the alma mater of two of our Senate colleagues — Chuck Schumer and Bernie Sanders. Norm hit the ground running in politics, and he has not stopped.

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.):

If he were here, I think he would tell you that in coming to the Senate–and I would tell you the same thing — he can now look back on some of the things he was involved in getting done, such as being involved in the big debates over the confirmation of Chief Justice John Roberts or Justice Sam Alito — these were big debates in which we were all involved in seeing good people put on the Supreme Court of this country.

Norm Coleman Photo: WDCpix

Former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman “deserves an easy, humdrum, conventional political race some day,” said his former colleague, Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee. The remark was part of a bipartisan, tag-team series of testaments to Coleman that consumed an hour on the Senate floor this morning. Sen. Amy Klobuchar thanked Coleman for bowing out of his election contest with Al Franken.

“Senator Coleman made a very difficult decision and he did it with such grace,” the Minnesota Democrat said, adding:

He could have appealed that [Minnesota Supreme Court] decision. He could have gone to federal court. It was his right. But he made a decision which he felt was best for the state of Minnesota, and the state thanks him for that. I personally thank him for that.

In Sen. Harry Reid’s tribute, the Majority Leader said Coleman had been courteous and gentlemanly in his interactions, which included a protracted post-election standoff in which Reid several times backed down from vows to seat Franken early.

If Coleman agrees with Alexander about seeking something more humdrum than three wild statewide elections so far, he may not decide to enter the already crowded 2010 race for Minnesota governor. Last week, he said he’d announce his plans soon after the Fourth of July.

(WDCpix)

When Al Franken started putting “Sen.-elect,” before his name, former Sen. Norm Coleman’s spokesman Mark Drake responded by calling it a “joke,” and staffer Luke Friedrich followed it up by claiming Franken was merely “pretending to be a Senator before we know who really won.” I’m curious, then, what the pair have to say about the fact that Coleman — no longer a senator — is still attending Senate Republican Conference meetings, including a party lunch meeting today. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) told TPM that Coleman, whose term expired seven weeks ago, is “always welcome,” and that “we still think he has a very good opportunity” to win.