[Pages S15794-S15818]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY LEADER

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The minority leader is recognized.
Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, after the news of Trent's retirement
had spread, a young farmer in Jackson had this to say about the man he
had called ``Senator'' most of his life:

He's a good person to represent the State, caring for
people like he does.

That farmer had it exactly right because whether Trent was making
sure an old man in Pascagoula got his Social Security check or ducking
into a kitchen in Tunica to thank the cooks after a political event, no
service was too small, no task too insignificant when it came to
serving the people of Mississippi.
One time, when Trent was a young Congressman, a constituent called
his office to have his trash removed. When Trent asked why he hadn't
called the town supervisor first, the man replied that he didn't want
to start that high.
Nobody ever saw Trent Lott as a Congressman or a Senator. To them, he
was just Trent. As he vowed last month, that commitment to the people
of Mississippi does not end here. ``I will work hard for the State, the
last day I am in the Senate,'' he said, ``and I will work hard for this
State until the last day I am alive.''
In a plaque on his office wall, visitors will find Trent's rules. The
most important one he always said was this: You can never have a
national view if you forget the view from Pascagoula.
He never forgot his roots. Trent dined with Presidents, yet he still
remembers facing the winters of his childhood without indoor heat. He
also remembers his first hot shower. And he never forgot the source of
that luxury. ``It came from hard work,'' his mother said. He would
spend a lifetime proving that he took her words to heart.
The love of politics came early, thanks in part to some lively
debates with his folks around the dinner table. They always treated him
with respect--``as an equal,'' he said--and they watched with pride as
he threw himself into his studies and everything else that was
available to a blue-collar kid growing up along the gulf coast in 1950s
America.
Trent was an early standout. His high school classmates voted him
class president, most likely to succeed, most popular, a model of
Christian conduct, most polite, and, of course, neatest. One friend
recalls that Trent was the only guy he ever knew who tidied up his bed
before going to sleep at night.
Of course, Trent's reputation for neatness outlasted high school. It
has been the source of a lot of jokes over the years. But some of those
jokes really are not fair. It is not true, for example, that Trent
arranges his sock drawer according to color every day. He is perfectly
content to do it once a week--black on one side, blue on the other.
In college, the connection to Mississippi deepened. Surrounded by the
white pillars and ancient oaks of Ole Miss, he formed lifelong
friendships and grew in respect for the traditions of honor, integrity,
duty, and service that had marked his beloved Sigma Nu from its
beginnings.
There was always something to do, and Trent did it all: frat parties,
swaps, campus politics, singing, leading the cheers at the football
games, and, occasionally, even studying. One of Trent's college friends
recalls that Mrs. Hutchinson's sophomore literature class was Trent's
Waterloo.
But after a less than impressive showing on her midterm exam, he
refocused--and one of the things that came into view was a pretty young
girl he had first met in high school band practice. One day Trent told
a fraternity brother he had met a girl he wanted to date. When he
showed him Tricia's picture, the friend said: Yes, I think you should
do that.
Then it was on to law school and marriage and private practice. Then,
in the winter of 1968, a surprise phone call

[[Page S15795]]

came that changed absolutely everything. It was Trent's Congressman,
Bill Colmer. He wanted to know if Trent would be interested in a job as
his top staffer in Washington.
It was a tough decision. Trent had never thought of coming here, and
the money was not good. But it seemed like a good opportunity. And, as
Trent says, he never made a choice in his life based on finances. So he
took it. And Tricia was behind him all the way. That spring, they
packed everything they could pack into their Pontiac and headed north.
It was the first of many gambles that would pay off for Trent Lott.
The new city and its temptations did not change the boy from
Pascagoula. He put his energy and his people skills to work, learning
the rules and customs of the House and cementing new friendships over a
glass of Old Granddad and a cigar--always a cheap cigar--by night.
The second big gamble came when Congressman Colmer decided to retire.
Trent wanted to run for his boss's seat, but he would do it his way.
Although more than 9 out of 10 Fifth District voters were Democrats,
Trent decided he would run as a Republican.
It was the hardest race of his life, but Trent loved every greased-
pig contest, every county fair, every parking lot rally, and every
conversation in every living room he burst into--often unannounced, and
usually uninvited. And the voters loved him back.
Buoyed by the Nixon landslide and a last-minute endorsement by his
boss, he won. And so at 32, Trent had achieved what so many others in
this country have experienced: the realization, through wits and hard
work, of an outrageous dream. The boy from Pascagoula would return to
Washington as the gentleman from Mississippi full of energy and ready
to put it to use.
A year later came Watergate, new wisdom, and soon the recognition by
Trent's colleagues that he was a leader.
It was an exciting time to be in Washington. The Reagan revolution
was about to take hold. As Trent later recalled: ``You could feel the
political ground shift.'' And he would play a leading role.
Rising up the leadership ladder, he revolutionized the House's whip
operation and found his place in the push and pull of counting votes.
The only Member in history to serve as whip in both Chambers, Trent put
his skills on display every day on the floor and in some close
leadership races over the years, three of which he won by a single
vote. ``If you win by two,'' Trent always said, ``you've wasted a
vote.''
But his special gift back then, as now, was his ability to bring
people around to his point of view. One of his college friends put it
this way:

Trent could carry on a conversation with a tree stump--and
make it feel good about itself.

His colleagues soon learned that Trent Lott's word was as solid as a
Mississippi oak. So armed with a reputation for honesty, charm, wits,
and a group of trusted soldiers--including an Arizona lawyer named Jon
Kyl and a young former Maine State senator named Olympia Snowe--he
turned minority Republicans into a potent legislative force, ensuring
some of the biggest victories of the Reagan revolution.
At the end of the Reagan years, Trent set his sights on the Senate,
and his opponent in that first race came right at him. But Trent was
ready for the fight. When the opponent said Trent's hair was too neat,
Trent politely offered him a comb. When he falsely accused Trent of
being an elitist, the pipefitter's son responded the old-fashioned way:
He and Tricia met just about every voter in the State that summer. The
voters could judge for themselves what kind of guy he was.
And, of course, they liked him, and they made him their Senator. And
he did not disappoint. Again, he rose quickly, becoming conference
secretary and then whip. Then came another retirement, sending Trent to
the top of the class again as his party's leader in the Senate. On
passing tough legislation, he did not understand the word ``no.'' On
working out deals, he was without equal.
We all saw it up close after Katrina, when Trent became a ferocious
advocate for the people of Mississippi and the wider gulf coast, many
of whom would rather live in tents than move away. And in a fight that
brought together all his skills as a politician and home State
advocate, he won.
We all know how valuable good staff is. Trent has always had the
best. We honor all of them today--past and present--for their
tremendous contributions. To those who stay behind, we are glad you
will be here. For those who do not, we wish you every success.
Trent has lived life fully, never afraid to reach higher and always
ready to accept whatever fate would bring. Who in this Chamber was not
impressed by the way he dusted himself off after stepping down as
leader? He never quit. And there is something deeply admirable in that.
To me, Trent has always been the perfect colleague. We have been in a
lot of tough spots together. He has always helped me in every possible
way, and he has taught me a lot.
Looking back on his beginnings, it is astonishing to think of how far
the son of Chester and Iona Lott has come. He leaves this place with a
remarkable 35-year record of accomplishment of which he can be justly
proud and scores of admirers from across the ideological spectrum. He
will leave a mark on this institution that long outlasts the political
fights of the day.
It is hard to believe Trent will not be around when we all come back
in January and the gavel drops on another session. But when it does, we
will remember at some point in the days and weeks that follow that
mischievous grin or a heavy slap on the back or some happy tune we
heard him whistle once when he passed us quickly in the hall.
Then we will be glad to have served with a man like Trent Lott, and
renewed in the hope that this institution and this Nation that he
loves--to borrow the words of another Mississippian--will not merely
endure, they will prevail.
Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed
to the consideration of S. Res. 409, which is at the desk.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report the
resolution by title.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

A resolution (S. Res. 409) commending the service of the
Honorable Trent Lott, a Senator from the State of
Mississippi.

There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to
reconsider be laid upon the table.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 409) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

S. Res. 409

Whereas Chester Trent Lott, a United States Senator from
Mississippi, was born to Chester and Iona Watson Lott on
October 9, 1941, in Grenada, Mississippi;
Whereas Trent Lott was raised in Pascagoula, Mississippi,
attended public schools, and excelled in baseball, band,
theater, and student government;
Whereas after graduating from Pascagoula High School, where
he met his future wife during band practice, Trent Lott
enrolled in the University of Mississippi in 1959;
Whereas Trent Lott pledged Sigma Nu, rising to become its
president; formed a singing quartet known as The Chancellors;
and was elected ``head cheerleader'' of the Ole Mississippi
football team;
Whereas upon graduating college, Trent Lott enrolled in the
University of Mississippi Law School in 1963, excelling in
moot court and as president of the Phi Alpha Delta legal
fraternity;
Whereas upon graduating from law school in 1967, Trent Lott
practiced law in Pascagoula, then served as administrative
assistant to United States Representative William Colmer
until 1972;
Whereas upon Congressman Colmer's retirement, Trent Lott
was elected to replace him in November 1972 as a Republican
representing Mississippi's Fifth District;
Whereas Trent Lott was reelected by the voters of the Fifth
District to seven succeeding terms, rising to the position of
minority whip and serving in that role with distinction from
1981 to 1989;
Whereas Trent Lott was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1988
and reelected three times, serving as chairman of the Senate
Committee on Rules and Administration from 2003 to 2006;

[[Page S15796]]

Whereas Trent Lott was chosen by his Senate Republican
colleagues to serve as Majority Whip for the 104th Congress,
then chosen to lead his party in the Senate as both Majority
Leader and Minority Leader from 1996 to 2003;
Whereas Trent Lott was chosen by his peers to serve as
Minority Whip for the 110th Congress;
Whereas Trent Lott's warmth, decency, and devotion to the
people of Mississippi and the country have contributed to his
legendary skill at working cooperatively with people from all
political parties and ideologies;
Whereas, in addition to his many legislative achievements
in a congressional career spanning more than three decades,
Trent Lott has earned the admiration, respect, and affection
of his colleagues and of the American People;
Whereas he has drawn strength and support in a life of high
achievement and high responsibility from his faith, his,
beloved wife Tricia, their children, Tyler and Chet; and
their grandchildren;
Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate
Notes with deep appreciation the retirement of Chester
Trent Lott;
Extends its best wishes to Trent Lott and his family;
Honors the integrity and outstanding work Trent Lott has
done in service to his country; and
Directs the Secretary of the Senate to transmit a copy of
this resolution to the family of Senator Trent Lott.

Mr. McCONNELL. I yield the floor.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Mississippi.
Mr. COCHRAN. Madam President, the decision made by my State colleague
to retire from the Senate has left me with a deep sense of loss. I
respect his right to leave the Senate, and I know he will enjoy a well-
earned respite from the demands and challenges that go with this job.
Trent Lott has served with distinction, and he has reflected great
credit on our State and Nation. I have enjoyed his personal friendship
and the opportunity to come to know his family, his wonderful wife
Tricia and their two fine children, Chet and Tyler.
Trent and I were elected to serve in the U.S. House of
Representatives in 1972. At that time, he was serving as the
administrative assistant to Congressman William Colmer, who was the
chairman of the Rules Committee in the House. So I looked to him for
advice and counsel because of his experience on the Hill and his
insight into how the House really worked, as only an insider such as he
would know.
We became friends right away. We were the first Republicans elected
from our districts in Mississippi since the Reconstruction period
following the Civil War.
In due course, we were elected to serve in this body, and we have
worked together over the years on the many challenges that have
confronted our State.
I will truly miss serving with Trent in the Senate. I have come to
respect him and appreciate his legislative skills and his great
capacity for hard work. He is a tireless and resolute advocate for
causes and issues which he decides to support. In a word, he is a
winner. He gets things done.
I know Trent and his family will enjoy the new opportunities they
will have following his great career in the House and the Senate. They
have certainly earned the right to new, less burdensome, and more
rewarding experiences in the years ahead.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Oregon.
Mr. SMITH. Madam President, I have been privileged to serve as a U.S.
Senator now going into the 12th year of a second term. In all 12 of
those years, it has been for me a great privilege and a high honor to
serve as a colleague of Trent Lott.
Over the course of those 12 years, Trent Lott has told me many times
that he has visited every State in the Union except Oregon.
Notwithstanding that, this Oregonian feels great pride today in
speaking for Trent Lott.
I hope Trent will come to Oregon someday, and when he comes to
Oregon, there is a place I would like to take him. We have in Oregon
many groves of very ancient trees. It is tall timber. These trees go
back 2,000 and 3,000 years. But because they are old, occasionally one
of these sequoias will fall. And when they fall, a hole in the huge
canopy in the sky is opened.
When you are in one of these groves, you feel something of the
presence of the sacred, a sanctuary. That is a feeling that I often
have when I come to the floor of the U.S. Senate. Occasionally, some
tall timber leaves our presence--through retirement or death or from
other causes--and when that happens, a great hole is left in the
Senate. That is the feeling I have as I contemplate the retirement of
Trent Lott. In this sanctuary, a great hole in the canopy will be
opened.
Madam President, when I think of the men I have known, the women I
have known in the Senate, they are people of extraordinary ability, but
one stands apart in my mind as how to get things done, and that is
Trent Lott. I have never seen his equal in the cloakroom. We have all
felt his warm slap on our back, a steely look in his eye, and a strong
urging to vote this way or that. But it was always done with
understanding that we represent not just a party but our country and
our States, and that is where our obligation lies.
It was because Trent was so good, in my mind, that he is still, and
will forever be, something of an ideal because he was my first leader.
What I saw in him was someone who knew this institution deeply, who
worked relentlessly, who could define differences and help us to reach
honorable compromises so that when we went home, we could look back on
something of an accomplishment.
I am proud of the example my first leader set for me. It is a high
standard. I thank you, Trent, for that standard. It is the gold
standard, in my mind.
I was halfway around the world when an event befell Trent Lott that
shook me deeply. I was celebrating my reelection and on vacation. I
watched over international news as his words were misconstrued--words
which we had heard him utter many times in his big warm-heartedness,
trying to make one of our colleagues, Strom Thurmond, feel good at 100
years old. We knew what he meant, but the wolf pack of the press
circled around him, sensed blood in the water, and the exigencies of
politics caused a great injustice to be done to him and to Tricia. It
was a wrong, but it was a wrong that was righted.
I was privileged to be asked by Trent Lott to speak for him when he
ran for whip. On that occasion, as I thought of Trent, I thought of
more than my leader, my first leader. I thought of him as something
much more. I thought of him as a friend and as a father figure. I
recalled on that occasion words I spoke regarding my own father at his
funeral that seemed to define the man--the man I called dad and the man
I called my leader. They are words that were put into the mouth of the
character Anthony by the great writer Shakespeare. Shakespeare said of
Caesar, when Caesar had fallen, these words:

His life was gentle and the elements so mixed in him that
nature might stand up and say to all the world: this was a
man.

I am privileged to call this man my friend. May God bless Trent and
Tricia Lott and thank God for their service to Mississippi and even to
Oregon and to the United States of America.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The majority whip is recognized.
Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I join my fellow Senators in wishing my
colleague, Trent Lott, the best of luck as he begins the next chapter
in his life. You are getting to hear your eulogies today, Trent, and
they are pretty good. Most of us never think we will have that
opportunity.
Senator Lott and I sure have had our differences in the 11 years I
have served in the Senate, and I guess we always will when it comes to
some issues, but serving together this past year as whips for our
respective parties has given me a chance to work closely with Trent on
a number of issues and this I can say: Trent Lott is a committed
Republican. He can be a partisan, but he cares about the Senate. He
understands that politics, in the Senate and in life, is the art of
compromise. He has been willing to reach across the aisle to try to
find a way to make the Senate work and make our Government work and I
respect him very much for that.
F. Scott Fitzgerald famously declared that: ``There are no second
acts in American lives.'' Well, Mr. Fitzgerald obviously didn't meet
Trent Lott.
In the first act, Trent Lott began his career on Capitol Hill working
for a Democratic Congressman from Mississippi. He then, of course, was
elected as a Republican Congressman from the

[[Page S15797]]

same State. He spent nearly four decades in Congress serving the people
of Mississippi. As a leader in the Senate, he helped steer America
through some of the most turbulent chapters in our recent history: Two
shutdowns of the Federal Government, an impeachment trial, a 9/11
terrorist attack on our Nation, and anthrax attacks on the U.S.
capital. With my friend, Tom Daschle, he negotiated the delicate terms
of our Nation's first-ever 50-50 Senate split.
Seven years ago this week, Trent Lott stepped aside as majority
leader. Some wondered then whether Senator Lott might be through with
the Senate. But he stayed and he managed in a short time to write one
of the most remarkable second acts in this Senate in recent memory.
I know Trent must be feeling mixed emotions as he leaves the Senate.
I can assure my fellow whip he has left a mark and will be remembered
for a long time, not for seersucker Thursday, not for wearing kilts on
the floor of the Senate, Trent Lott will be remembered because he is
one of us.
I wish Senator Lott and his wife Tricia and his family the best of
luck as they begin another new act.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from North Carolina is
recognized.
Mrs. DOLE. Madam President, Harry Truman was wrong. Truman famously
defined a statesman as ``a politician who has been dead for 20 years.''
It is a good line, but it wasn't true then, as Truman's own career
attests, and it is not true today. That said, we can never have enough
statesmen and women to validate our democratic creed, which makes our
sense of loss all the greater when an authentic statesman leaves this
place.
For 35 years, Trent Lott has served the people of Mississippi with
distinction, never forgetting their interests, even as he advanced our
national interests: Economic development for Mississippi, meeting
transportation infrastructure needs, persuading businesses to build
plants and provide jobs. His effectiveness is legendary, whether
championing a strong national defense, encouraging entrepreneurship in
a dynamic economy or expanding both educational opportunity and
accountability. Through it all, Trent kept faith with the people who
sent him here. Just as he long ago earned their trust and confidence,
so he impressed Members on both sides of the aisle with his integrity
and his decency.
The only person ever to serve as a party whip in both Houses, Trent
soon became much more than a party leader. To his lasting credit, he
helped convince us tax cuts were the road to economic revitalization.
At the same time, he argued for a bipartisan approach to education
reform. In the bleak aftermath of 9/11, Trent appealed to what Abraham
Lincoln called the better angels of our nature. Similar to Ronald
Reagan, he wears an optimist's smile, for he never confused an
adversary with an enemy. Trent Lott will be remembered as someone who
preferred to narrow our differences rather than exploit them.

The junior Senator from Mississippi has scaled the heights in his
political career and he has experienced life's valleys as well. With
dogged determination, he made adversity, whenever it occurred, a
strengthening experience. As one who has shared Senate Bible studies
with both Trent and his beloved wife Tricia, I know that his has been a
profoundly spiritual journey and one that is far from over.
In a town where talk is cheap--indeed, it is the only thing that is
cheap--Trent prefers solutions to sound bites, and he has never
mistaken civility for weakness. One of his basic principles is to
respect others whose views might differ. More often than not, he found
a way to distill the best of each, which to me is the definition of a
statesman.
His ability to get things done--to work effectively and foster
relationships with colleagues from both parties--resulted in his
numerous triumphs as the Senate majority leader. In his first year as
leader, he personally led his colleagues to pass two landmark
legislative items: Welfare reform and the budget compromise, which
resulted in the first balanced budgets with surpluses in 30 years.
Of course, the Senate is also a family, and on this day, I must
mention some of my most cherished memories in the Dole family album, of
Trent and Tricia campaigning for me in Rocky Mountain, NC, in the
autumn of 2002; of Bob Dole showing up for the Spouses Club, presided
over by Tricia, though begging off on a tour of the Capitol since he
said he had already seen the place. Nor will I ever forget sitting in
Trent's cherished rocking chair on the front porch of his Pascagoula
home--a home that would vanish on a brutal morning a little more than 2
years ago, when a tempest named Katrina scoured miles and miles of
Mississippi coastline.
Similar to so many who looked out on the gulf, the Lotts lost
everything that day--everything but life and love and the faith that
gives to them both a meaning that no storm can wash away. In the years
since, the victims of Katrina have had no more passionate advocates
than Trent and Tricia Lott. No one has worked harder, longer, to ensure
that we honor the promises made to our fellow men and women along the
gulf coast. As the mayor of Gulfport said about Trent:

Although suffering catastrophic personal losses himself, he
has tirelessly fought our battles and won our wars for us
time and again. His legacy will be recognized in every corner
of our great State and the pages of history will reflect the
honor and service of the Senator from Pascagoula who restored
hope in the citizens of Mississippi.

I would add I have great respect for Tricia's enormous efforts to
provide needed supplies and hope to the Katrina victims.
Houses, we have learned, are vulnerable to the fury of nature.
Supremacy in politicians is even more transitory. Majorities shift
similar to the sands of Biloxi. But some things endure. Honor endures.
True leadership generates its own legacy. True leaders stake their own
claim to posterity's gratitude. That is the stuff of statesmanship, and
that is the essence of Trent Lott.
The gentleman from Mississippi has had a lengthy and purpose-driven
career in this institution, and he will be greatly missed. With deep
admiration and respect for a trusted colleague, I wish Trent and his
family all the best.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Utah is
recognized.
Mr. HATCH. Madam President, when I came to the Senate after the
election of 1976, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee was a very
distinguished gentleman from Mississippi named James Eastland. I can
remember the first time I met Senator Eastland as a citizen newly
elected to the Senate, when nobody thought I was going to make it. I
was invited into his office and the first thing he did was offer me a
cigar. I said: ``Well, I am sorry, sir. My faith does not permit me to
smoke.'' He said: ``Well, then, have a drink.'' I replied: ``Well,
sorry, sir, but my faith doesn't permit me to drink.'' Senator Eastland
then exclaimed very loudly: ``What the expletive is the matter with you
Mormons?''
I want everybody to know Senator Lott has never offered me a cigar
nor has he ever offered me a drink, although I think he has been
tempted a few times.
Let me say this: I have such admiration for Senator Lott and his wife
Tricia and for the love and respect they have shown to all of us and
this institution, and for all of their hard work.
It is no secret that I bitterly resent the way Senator Lott was
treated after Senator Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday party. It was
wrong, and it was hitting below the belt. It would have crushed any one
of us to go through what he went through, facing such harsh attacks
knowing that he certainly did not mean to say what others tried to put
in his mouth. But Trent fought his way back, kept his head high, became
a friend to everybody in the Senate again the very next day, and, of
course, won the respect of virtually everybody who has ever known him
or what he stands for.

I have tremendous respect and love for Trent and Tricia for the
sacrifices they have made for their State and for this country. He and
Senator Cochran have been one of the best duos in the history of the
Senate--two real gentlemen, two strong, tough people. But, they are
also two people who have shown respect for this body and all of its
members in ways that not many others have.
All I can say is I wish Senator Lott and Tricia the best of luck in
all of their future endeavors. While I am certain he will be an asset
to any effort

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with which he becomes involved, I am equally certain the Senate is
going to be a lesser place without him.
Supporting Senator Lott throughout his time in the Congress is one of
the most beautiful and noble women in the history of the Senate. Tricia
Lott has been the quintessential Senate wife, and I doubt Senator Lott
would have been as great as he has become had it not been for his
relationship with Tricia.
Elaine and I are going to greatly miss you, Trent. I know I am not
supposed to refer to you by your first name, but I am going to make an
exception in this case. We will always be pulling for you, your
success, and your happiness in this life. This old Senator is going to
miss you greatly. We are going to miss the efforts you put forth. We
are going to miss the talents you have. We are going to miss the energy
you bring to the Senate. And, we are most certainly going to miss your
ability to bring us together, making better Senators out of us all.
God bless the Lotts. We in the Senate will surely miss them.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Arizona.
Mr. KYL. Madam President, about exactly 21 years ago, after I had
been elected to the House of Representatives from the State of Arizona,
my wife Caryll and I came to Washington and almost immediately met
Trent and Tricia Lott. In fact, we have a photograph that is displayed
in our home with Trent and Tricia on which Trent made a wonderful
inscription.
I learned from the very beginning that Trent Lott was a leader--a
leader in the House of Representatives and a leader among his
colleagues. I have been following Trent Lott ever since as House whip,
as Senate whip, as Senate Republican leader, and as a colleague in
battles too numerous to mention.
Chaplain Black began this morning asking that we come here to serve.
No State has ever been served better than by their representative Trent
Lott. He always puts Mississippi first, yet always is able to balance
his devotion to his constituents with the national interest and with
his responsibilities in representing his colleagues.
That he came to serve, again to use the Chaplain's word, is best
illustrated by his decision to run for reelection a year ago. Many of
us knew Trent had come to believe that he had to prioritize his family
responsibilities and had concluded it was about time for him to leave
public service. But the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina hit the coast
of Mississippi, destroying not only the Lotts' home in Pascagoula but
so many of the homes and businesses of his friends in Mississippi. It
did not take Trent too long in pondering what he faced to conclude that
he owed it to his constituents in Mississippi to continue to use his
skills in Washington, DC, to represent them, to help them recover from
the devastation that had been visited upon them. It was this service,
after he had already concluded that his time had come to move out of
public service, that I think illustrates perhaps better than anything
else his devotion to the people of Mississippi, to his friends there.
He did not decide to leave the Senate until his work was done, and for
that the people of Mississippi, I know, will be forever grateful to
Trent Lott.
Trent has always been known as being a person who has been able to
find the common ground among his colleagues. That is a very special
skill. Some people call it dealmaking. Some people talk about it in
terms of the art of compromise, frequently talking about Trent's
ability to move across the aisle and to work with friends on both the
Democratic and Republican side.
I think his ability to do this, which is unprecedented in my 21 years
in Washington or unequaled, I should say, is due to a variety of
qualities. First, Trent's intelligence; second, his boundless energy;
third, his knowledge of the institutions, of both the House and the
Senate. Again, I know of no equal in terms of the knowledge of how
these bodies work and how we can achieve great things by working with
people in both bodies.
His knowledge of the nature of man--this is something my father
taught me and I have tried to learn from people such as Trent Lott--
what makes people tick--you can find that common ground and achieve
great things if you understand people. I think that is one of Trent's
greatest qualities and one which will be missed in this body. And, of
course, his commitment to what he has always believed was right for
Mississippi and America. Also contributing to his success is his faith,
and it sustained him more than we will ever know. And finally, of
course, his family.
It is interesting that everybody who has commented about Trent's
service in the Senate has quickly moved to also comment about his
commitment to his family and in particular his wonderful wife Tricia.
It has to say something when that is one of the first things people
think of when they think of you. I know if that is the way Trent is
remembered, he will be a very happy man.
Trent Lott has been serving almost his entire adult life. The people
of Mississippi, the people of America, his colleagues in the House and
Senate, and I have been honored to serve with Trent for 21 years. I
have learned a lot. Most importantly, I have enjoyed my time with
Trent, especially quiet time.
Now it is time for Trent to serve his family more in accordance with
his priorities, and no one can argue that he has not earned that right.
So Trent Lott, a man for all seasons--Representative, Senator,
servant, leader, husband, father, and grandfather, proud American and
Mississippian and friend--thank you. God bless you.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Pennsylvania.
Mr. SPECTER. Madam President, I noticed the Senator from California
and I rose virtually simultaneously. I yield to her.
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Madam President, I thank the Senator from
Pennsylvania very much. It is very generous of him. My remarks are very
brief and they are very personal.
Trent, I want you to know how much I have enjoyed working with you. I
have enjoyed your friendship, I have enjoyed your sense of humor and,
yes, I have even enjoyed your singing.
(Laughter.)
I have found you to be both forthright and truthful. I have found
that when you give your word, you keep it. I tend to judge people on
two bases: how they go through the tough times and whether I would want
to be in a bunker with them in a real debate.
I watched you go through the tough times. I remember you showing me a
picture of a chair that had gone a mile from the home that blew down in
the hurricane. I remember your fight with the insurance company, and I
can only say to that insurance company: Give up, you are going to lose.
I want you to know how much I treasure the relationship we have had.
You have a great future. For you and your family, you are probably
doing the right thing. For us, it is going to be a real loss. I want
you to know how much I enjoyed the times we had socially, the
seersucker caucus, seeing you turn up here in white bucks, all clean,
spotless, a seersucker suit, a pink shirt, and a pink tie. No one in
seersucker quite equals you, Trent Lott. For me, a westerner, to see a
southerner at his peacock best was incredibly special.
I thank you for your contributions to the Senate. I thank you for
your friendship. I wish you well, and may the wind always be at your
back.
I yield the floor.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Pennsylvania.
Mr. SPECTER. Madam President, I join my colleagues in expressing my
heartiest congratulations to my good friend, Senator Trent Lott, on his
historic career of 35 years as a member of the U.S. Congress. I also
express deep regrets that following the new year, we will no longer
have Trent Lott as a member of this body. His announcement that he will
be retiring was a shock to some of us here in the Senate. Trent has
been the embodiment of what's good in this body for so long, that it
will be difficult to think of the United States Senate without the
Senator from Mississippi. I applaud Trent's outstanding service to the
people of Mississippi, and the nation which he has successfully
undertaken in both wings of the U.S. Capitol.
Trent Lott was born on October 9, 1941, in Grenada, MS, the only
child to a shipyard worker, Chester Lott, and a school teacher mother
Iona. Trent attended a high school which in later

[[Page S15799]]

years would bare his name, the Trent Lott Middle School. Lott went to
the University of Mississippi where he achieved an undergraduate degree
in public administration in 1965 and a law degree in 1967. During his
time at college he met and married his wife Patricia Thompson in
December 1964. Together the couple had a son and a daughter, Chester
and Tyler.
After graduating from law school, Trent began a law practice in
Pascagoula, MS, but leaving after less than a year when he was offered
a job working in Washington as an administrative assistant for
Congressman William Colmer, a Mississippi Democrat. When Congressman
Colmer announced his retirement from the House of Representatives,
Trent Lott announced his candidacy as a Republican to seek the vacant
office. Lott, even as a Republican, won Colmer's endorsement, vowing to
fight the increasing power of Government that was developing in
Washington. Lott went on to win the seat with 55 percent of the vote.
The next 35 years would mark a series of extraordinary moments in
history as Trent Lott begins his career as a Member of Congress.
I have had the privilege of serving with Trent in the Senate for the
past 19 years. I have watched him throughout his Senate career develop
into a strong and effective leader, mastering the art of compromise, a
feat which is hard to accomplish in these times. These qualities served
Trent well as he climbed the ranks in House and Senate leadership: he
served as House minority whip from 1981 to 1989; Senate majority whip
for 5 months in 1995; and in June of 1996, he succeeded my good friend,
Senator Bob Dole, to become the 16th majority leader of the Senate.
Trent served a brief stint as minority leader after the 2000 elections
produced a 50-50 split in the Senate, with Vice President Al Gore still
being the tiebreaking vote. As the Bush administration came into
office, with Vice President Dick Cheney now being the tiebreaker,
control went back to the Republicans and Trent resumed his duties as
majority leader. Later in 2001, Trent would once again become Minority
Leader as Senator Jim Jeffords, a Republican from Vermont, became an
Independent and caucused with the Democrats, allowing them to regain
the majority. Presumably, Trent will leave the Senate while serving in
his most recent leadership position; he was elected this Congress to
serve as the Republican whip. Senator Trent Lott is the first person to
have served as whip in both Houses of Congress.
Drawing on his impressive experience as a legislator and a
negotiator, majority Leader, Lott was instrumental in promptly moving
legislation from Congress to the President's desk. Working harmoniously
with the executive and legislative branches of Government, the country
witnessed landmark bills being signed into law. Major policy
initiatives, such as the Welfare Reform Act of 1996 and bringing
balance to the Federal budget for the first time since 1968, were both
accomplished under Trent's leadership. However, I was most impressed
with the role Trent played in the impeachment proceedings for President
Bill Clinton. Working with him during this difficult time in our
country's history was an experience I will always remember.
Aside from a distinguished career as majority leader, Senator Lott
has been a champion for his own State of Mississippi. Recognizing that
the top priorities in Mississippi are an expanded transportation system
and innovative education, Trent time and time again proved to the
people of his State his ability to deliver. He has secured Federal
funding to improve Mississippi's transportation expansion and has more
than doubled research funding for Mississippi's public universities.
Recognizing Trent's leadership through public service, the University
of Mississippi in Oxford, where he received both his undergraduate and
law degrees, named its leadership institute after him.
On a personal note, I believe all my colleagues can agree with me,
that along with his remarkable accomplishments in Congress, what we
will miss most about Trent is his affability, commonsense persona, and
his enjoyable sense of humor. He brings a breath of fresh air to
Washington, a town which desperately needs it at times. No one
questioned Trent's motive when he revived a long-forgotten Senate
tradition known as Seersucker Thursday, a tradition which this Senator
has participated in, and will continue to participate in.
Senator Trent Lott's service and leadership were invaluable to this
institution. Truly a great Senator, he will be missed in this body. I
wish him, his wife Patricia, and all his family the very best in the
years to come.
I am pleased to join in this tribute to Senator Lott. My only regret
is that it is occurring perhaps 18 years too soon.
I would characterize Trent's attributes, among many, as his talent,
his character, and his flair. He has brought to this body enormous
intellectual capability and great street smarts. Ordinarily, the two do
not go together, but with Trent, they have been united to the great
benefit of the body.
We have watched Trent in his positions in the Senate before taking a
leadership role after his election in 1988, being the majority leader,
and the way he makes contacts on the Senate floor. We all move around,
none with the speed and alacrity of Trent Lott. There is always an
intensity to his conversations. He doesn't buttonhole people or he
doesn't lean over as Lyndon Johnson was reputed to have done, but there
is a real intensity. Usually at the end of the short conversation, the
other person is nodding in the affirmative.
At our Tuesday luncheons, the way he moves around from table to
table, it was almost as if he were in Club 21. Here again, moving in
and out with a great deal of speed and, again, the conversations and
what I surmise at some distance to be success.
He has been characterized as a deal maker, a term which is not always
used in the highest sense, but with Trent Lott it is. The great problem
with our body is there are not enough deal makers. Not enough Senators
willing to come to an accommodation. It is an understanding of the
varied points of view.
On the rare occasions when I have disagreed with a majority vote--may
the record show Trent is smiling--he has been understanding in his
leadership position, never conceding, and frequently advocating, but
always understanding.
If there is one thing this body lacks, it is a sense of
accommodation. That is evident by anybody who will take a photograph of
the Chamber today and note how many people on the other side of the
aisle have appeared here. I hope their numbers will be increased before
this proceeding is concluded.
The business about our political process being dominated by the
extremes of both parties is very much to the detriment of the country.
Those who are willing to cross the aisle, as the last speaker did on
the Democratic side, the Senator from California, the country owes a
great debt of gratitude to. And to those such as Senator Lott who have
been able to forge compromises, it is in the greatest tradition of the
Senate and the greatest tradition of the United States.
Just a word or two about his character. I attended the 100th birthday
party of Senator Thurmond on December 4, 2002. I have seen many
comments blown vastly out of proportion during my tenure in the Senate
and before, but never have I seen one blown as much out of proportion
as that one was. And I said so at the time. My record on civil rights
is one which no one yet has questioned. What Senator Lott said was in
no means out of line. And then to continue in the Senate and really
move as a Member without leadership credentials was to his enormous
credit. Then to come back and to run for another leadership position
and be successful was in the greatest tradition of the Phoenix rising
from the ashes. I haven't seen any greater display of character in this
body in the time I have been here.

Then there is the matter of flair, which this body needs more of.
Always a smile, always a pat on the back, always the joviality, and the
great tradition of seersucker Thursday. It is always an interesting
time when people come, not recognizing seersucker Thursday. One day,
our leader, Bill Frist, went out and bought a suit--and I have a
picture hanging proudly in my outer office--and Bill couldn't get the
trousers adjusted, and the highlight of the picture is the unadjusted
trousers of one of our Senate colleagues.

[[Page S15800]]

Let me end on a note which I have debated whether I should comment
about, but it is relevant because of the response Trent made to a short
story I told recently at the celebrity comedy evening. I dusted off an
old story from mayor Bill Daley at the 1968 convention and made Trent
the object of the story. It went to the effect that when Trent came
back to the Senate after the losses in Mississippi, he was devastated
and very glum.
I approached him on the Senate Floor one day and said: Trent, why are
you so unhappy? What is wrong?
I knew, in one sense, but he seemed especially morose.
He said: Well, Arlen, not only was my entire property destroyed in
Mississippi, but my entire library was destroyed--both books--and I
wasn't finished coloring one of them, either.
Well, that little bit of joviality at Trent's expense was met with
his approaching me on the floor--and this part of the story is true and
what makes it perhaps relevant to these comments--and with a scowl on
his face, he said: Arlen, I thought you and I were friends. We have
been in this body a long time together. Now I hear you are making me
the butt of jokes at comedy hour, so I don't really understand. And
besides your unfairness and your incivility, you are wrong--I have more
than two coloring books.
In a sense, that characterizes Trent Lott's magnanimity, and we are
all going to miss him very much. He has made a great contribution. When
Trent decided there was another course for him and his family, I had
great respect for that decision as I have great respect for him.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Iowa.
Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, I had an opportunity to hear the first
half hour of this tribute to Senator Lott, and then I had to go on to
another piece of business, and I have just returned. But in all of this
conversation about Senator Lott, there has been some levity. I am not
going to be able to add to that because my wife always tells me every
time I try to be funny, I kind of screw up. So I want to add to the
business aspect of Senator Lott and the Senate.
I think most of the tribute I heard praised Senator Lott for making
the Senate work, the process of the Senate, moving things through the
Senate, making the Senate a great part of our institution of self-
government, and he does that. But I would like to talk about the
substance of policy I have seen Trent Lott bring to the Senate and
bring to the people, and whatever I talk about is part of the laws of
the United States to which I think he has contributed.
Like all of my colleagues, it is hard for me to imagine the Congress,
and especially the Senate, without Trent Lott being a part of it.
I met my friend Trent Lott when I was elected to the House of
Representatives in 1974. He had already been in the House of
Representatives at that time for 2 years. As has been said so many
times, he went on to become a very competent House Republican whip,
first showing what a successful national leader he would prove to be
again and again, as he is now in that position in the Senate.
I also remember talking with Congressman Lott 8 years after I came to
the Senate, as he was imagining whether he should run for the Senate.
But it has really only been in the last 12 years that I have had the
opportunity to work most closely with Senator Lott. He has been a very
strong ally, particularly for me as a leader on the Finance Committee,
but he has also, on occasion, been a worthy opponent.
Senator Lott has fought tirelessly for legislation that respects the
principle of less government and more freedom, particularly economic
freedom. His support for tax relief, expanded market opportunities for
U.S. manufacturers and for job creation, and for consumer-driven health
care has been essential to the many successful legislative initiatives
that have come from the Committee on Finance in recent years.
Back in 1997, as a new member of the Finance Committee, Senator Lott
worked for passage of the Tax Relief Act of 1997. This legislation
included a $500-per-child tax credit, a 20-percent capital gains tax
rate, the Roth IRA, and estate tax relief for small businesses. In
fact, Senator Lott was a leading proponent of capital gains tax relief,
and he remains unfailing today in his commitment to this vitally
important progrowth tax policy.
In 1998, Senator Lott was a key player on the Finance Committee in
putting together a final agreement on the highway bill.
In 2001, when I became chairman of the Finance Committee and we had
the opportunity to pass the largest tax relief bill in a generation,
Senator Lott was Republican leader at that time, but he continued as a
member of the Finance Committee and in turn an essential supporter and
contributor to what has become known as the Economic Growth and Tax
Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001. This legislation lowered rates for
all taxpayers, made the Tax Code more progressive, and created the
first ever 10-percent marginal tax rate.

Two years later, after September 11, we were at work on the Finance
Committee to pass legislation to stimulate the economy. Again, Senator
Lott was in the forefront as an advocate for reducing the capital gains
tax rate to 15 percent, where it is today. Senator Lott weighed in
heavily to get it done. Also, with lowering taxes on income from
dividends and capital gains, the Job Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation
Act of 2003 accelerated some of the tax changes passed in 2001 and
increased the exemption amount for the alternative minimum tax. These
initiatives encouraged economic growth and were vital to mitigating the
economic shock of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. By
spurring economic activity, those tax policies altogether resulted in
recordbreaking revenues collected by the Federal Treasury.
Senator Lott has brought tremendous energy to policy and tremendous
energy to getting the work of the Senate done. But I am going to
remember his contribution to the policy this Senate has made--very good
policy--and he has been there working very hard as a member of the
Senate Finance Committee to do that. The drive to get the work done has
helped me get my work done in the Senate.
Now, there is no doubt he served his constituents of Mississippi very
effectively. After nearly three decades in the Senate, he showed his
loyalty by staying in the Senate after a planned retirement just last
election. He decided to run for reelection in order to do what he has
done for an entire life as a public servant--to help the people of
Mississippi, and in this specific instance to help the people of
Mississippi recover from Hurricane Katrina. Mississippians didn't quit,
and neither did Senator Lott quit. He used his influence and power in
the Senate to help his State recover.
As a Republican leader in the Senate, Trent Lott's experience and
knowledge of the Senate and the Senate's procedures have proven to be
invaluable. It will be a long time, if ever, that we see anyone work
the whip process better than Senator Lott has.
Senator Lott leaves the Senate with a great legacy of
accomplishments. Woven throughout everything, though, is Senator Lott's
ability to lead. He demonstrated repeatedly his talents and abilities
for building winning coalitions. He led with commitment to getting
things done. He understood that there are different points of view but
that they can be brought together for the right approach that brings
results and, as a result, good policy.
I salute Senator Lott's tremendous success as a leader in the Senate,
and I am truly sorry to see Senator Lott leave the Senate. I will miss
him as a colleague and as a friend. Trent Lott has made the Senate, he
has made his home State, and, for sure, the Nation a better place.
Thank you for your service, Trent Lott.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Maine.
Ms. SNOWE. Madam President, I wish to join all of my colleagues,
sadly and regrettably, in a big farewell to my very good friend, a good
friend to this institution, a giant in this institution, as Trent
prepares to leave the Senate and usher in a new chapter of his much-
accomplished life. With his 35 years of distinguished service, his
leaving the Senate represents an enormous loss to our Nation and to his
beloved State of Mississippi, to the Senate, and to many of us
personally.

[[Page S15801]]

There is no question that it speaks volumes about his dedication and
commitment to his beloved State of Mississippi when he could not and
would not leave the Senate until his State found solid ground and
footing in the aftermath of the horrific devastation of Hurricane
Katrina.
I must admit I feel as if I bear some responsibility in Trent's
leaving the Senate. You see, a few weeks ago, prior to the recess,
Trent said: Olympia, if you don't vote with me, I am leaving the
Senate. Always the straightforward approach. Trent, I just didn't
realize you were serious. So I am a little relieved to know it wasn't
about me.
But, you know, I have known Trent for 28 years, since we first served
together in the House of Representatives, and I have always known him
to be an adept and thoughtful legislator in his various leadership
capacities in both the House and Senate. He forged the template for
reaching out and solving problems and strengthening the respective
institutions in which he served.
I saw firsthand his masterful skills as minority whip when he was
elected in 1981. In 1982, he raised a few eyebrows when this
conservative man from the South named a centrist woman from Maine as
his chief deputy whip. That was groundbreaking at the time because it
was the first Republican woman to serve in that capacity. But in 1981,
we only had 192 Republicans in the House, and Trent demonstrated his
legendary abilities to cross party lines, secure the votes, and was so
instrumental to instituting President Reagan's agenda. So it was no
surprise that President Reagan would frequently call Trent and his whip
organization to the White House, because he knew Trent was central and
crucial to securing those early threshold victorious for his key
initiatives.
For those who served at that time in the House of Representatives, we
had epic budget and tax-cut battles. We were rebuilding our hollow
forces after Vietnam and of course the Cold War was in full force.
Indisputably, Trent rose to the occasion time and time again. He was a
consummate coalition builder. He created what he described as the buddy
system, bridging the political divide, understanding that there would
be regional, political, and philosophical differences that would divide
us, but he would find a way to unite us.
At that time we had, what was it, Gypsy Moths, which were the
Northeast-Midwest Republicans, those of us who were there, Republicans,
and then the Boll Weevils, who were southern Democrats. I will leave it
up to you to decide whether it is appropriate to name Members of
Congress after insects. Nevertheless, that was the regional divide and
it was Trent's challenge to bridge that divide, and he did it time and
time again. Even after the 1982 election--we lost 26 Republican seats
in the House of Representatives, now we were down to 166 Members of the
House--he managed to secure votes that would have eluded others. In
fact, we were able to obtain a 100-percent increase in defense spending
in 5 years. That is what he was able to accomplish, because he
systematically and mathematically as well as philosophically worked
with people across the political lines to make it work. As he says
himself, he is a congenital doer, who wants to solve the problems of
this great Nation.
It is no surprise, then, that he would be the first person elected to
whip in both the House and Senate. He rose rapidly here within the
ranks of leadership, with the culmination as Senate majority leader in
1996. He characteristically wasted no time once again applying the same
formula for coalition building and achieving the passage of watershed
legislation, as has been mentioned--whether it was the minimum wage,
Kassebaum-Kennedy legislation on health care portability, the landmark
welfare reform, even after it had been vetoed twice by the President.
We all know during that period of time as well his tenure was
bookended by unprecedented and historic events--the impeachment trial,
a 50-50 Senate for the first time in 120 years, and the worst attack on
American soil. He managed to achieve the first balanced budgets in
probably more than a half a century. He, as we all well know, guided
this institution with dignity and skill during those tumultuous times.
On a more personal note, one of the crowning achievements of his
persuasive powers is when, as others have mentioned here today, he was
determined to dedicate Thursday, one summer day, for Seersucker Day. He
approached me with the idea. He said, Olympia, are you going to wear a
seersucker suit? I said, Trent, be serious; I am from Maine. We don't
wear seersucker suits and I will not wear it. Not over my dead body.
Of course, when Seersucker Day arrived, I showed up in a seersucker
suit, to his surprise, alive and well. But that is an indication of his
ability to persuade.
Finally, I think there can be no discussion of Trent's legacy without
paying tribute to his extraordinary wife Tricia. Theirs is truly a
special partnership. I know Trent would be the first to say he could
not have done any of it without Tricia. She in her own right has
contributed immeasurably, in both the House and the Senate, and their
wonderful children as well.
To the Senator from Mississippi, Senator Lott, you have been a
pivotal and positive and powerful force for the good for our first
branch of Government, bearing a close resemblance to what our Founding
Fathers had in mind--Madison in particular--when he said he expected of
the Senate ``to prefer the long and true welfare of our country.''
It is with profound gratitude we say farewell and wish you well. God
bless you and Tricia and your entire family.
I yield the floor.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Michigan is
recognized.
Ms. STABENOW. Madam President, I rise today also to express my
friendship and gratitude to the great Senator from the State of
Mississippi. When I think about comments that have been said about his
effectiveness, I have to say from this side of the aisle, we have
lamented his effectiveness from time to time--and appreciated, as well,
the desire and the practical side of the Senator from Mississippi, to
want to get things done, to be able to make things work. I, for one, am
very grateful for that.
I am assuming some of that comes from having been on the staff side
as well as having been in the House and the Senate and learning how
things work and valuing governing, valuing relationships, and wanting
to get things done.
Back in my home State of Michigan, when I talk about the legislation
Senator Lott and I have championed, folks raise their eyebrows. What
are you two doing working together on something? I talk to them about
the fact that if it weren't for Senator Lott and his leadership,
joining with me, we would not have achieved something important earlier
this year based on legislation we introduced to provide more
competition in the area of prescription drugs, and to lower the price
of prescription drugs through the ability of generic drugs to come into
the marketplace. We were successful in amending the FDA bill. It got
tough in conference. A lot of folks didn't want to see those loopholes
closed. I thank Trent for hanging in there or we would not have
achieved that. Businesses around the country will benefit from lower
prices on prescription drugs for their employees as a result of your
leadership. Seniors will benefit as a result. I thank you for stepping
up at the time when it was not easy to do.
It has been a great pleasure to work with you in many different ways.
I have to say also, always to me you have been a southern gentleman. I,
too, never thought in my wildest dreams I would wear a seersucker suit.
Along with Senator Snowe, and with the help of Senator Feinstein--who
chided and pushed and persuaded all of us, and helped all of us be able
to find seersucker suits--we have all joined and had a great time every
year being able to come together for that great picture I have in my
office.
I know you will be missed on both sides of the aisle. We understand
that you understand the process. I know your book ``Herding Cats''
reflects what in fact it is oftentimes in the legislative process. But
you have been able to do the herding and been able to get people to
come together, and you will be known for being an extraordinary leader
in the Senate.
I rise today to congratulate you, to thank you, to wish you and
Tricia and your children and grandchildren nothing but happiness as you
move to the

[[Page S15802]]

next chapter of what I am sure will continue to be a very meaningful
and exciting life.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Utah.
Mr. BENNETT. Madam President, one of the words we often hear as
people talk about relationships is the word ``mentor.'' It is always
assumed that the older person mentors the younger person. The record is
clear that I am 8 years older than Trent Lott. But the record is also
clear that he has acted as my mentor as I have come here to the Senate.
We have all heard about his legislative accomplishments. I wish to
pick out three items of my relationship with Trent where he has taught
me things that have been valuable. When Trent ran for the whip
position, I worked for the election of Alan Simpson. I didn't know
Trent all that well. Alan and I were friends from long ago. We first
met up in the family gallery when our respective fathers were being
sworn in as Senators. He introduced me to his child bride and I
introduced him to mine. He made the Simpson-like comment. He said:

Having married younger women, this means in our older age
we will smell perfume instead of liniment.

After I got to know Trent and appreciate his abilities, I made the
comment, If I had known you to have been as good a leader as you are, I
would have voted for you in the beginning. He corrected me and said,
No, your relationship with Simpson was so strong and so personal that
you should have supported him, and I didn't even ask you because I
respected that relationship.
That was a very important thing he taught me there about
relationships and commitments that I have tried to remember ever since.
Second: As a freshman Senator who was sure I understood the
institution, I moved out aggressively in a variety of circumstances and
suddenly found myself caught in a vice between two very senior, very
powerful, very opinionated Senators, whose names I shall not disclose.
I didn't know what to do. Whatever I did, I would offend one or the
other and both of them had reputations for very long memories and
determination to take revenge. In my moment of great panic, I called
Trent and laid this before him, more or less seeking some kind of balm
or salve, and received instead a solution. He, with his expertise, knew
how to maneuver between these two giants, and what was in some ways my
most difficult day in the Senate became, with Trent's help, one of the
better days I experienced in the Senate, as I watched these two clash
together, with me on the sidelines, staying out of it because of his
help. He taught me again: Don't get yourself into that kind of problem
in the first place.
Finally, emotions run high around here. People get all wrapped up in
the issue of the time. We had one of those, where some members of the
Republican conference deserted leadership and there was a sense of
great anger. Some people were talking about retaliation. Trent taught
me this great truth. He said: The most important vote is the next one.
Do not allow your concern over that vote to damage your relationship
that you may need on the next vote.
Those among us of the Republican conference who wanted to retaliate--
Trent did his best to say to them: No, don't carry that grudge, don't
carry that forward. Understand, the most important vote is the next
vote.
Those were the three things I wanted to highlight that I have learned
from Trent. But I want to point out that he himself, when the blow
fell--as Senator Specter has said, in a vastly overblown reaction to an
appropriate comment--he himself demonstrated in his own life his
commitment to those principles. He did not allow anything that had
happened as a result of that to destroy his relationships, the
friendships he had built. Even if there were some who could have been
attacked for having abandoned him, he did not attack those
relationships. He did not show any desire to retaliate. He may have
felt it. Indeed, he would not be human if he didn't. But he came back
to the Senate with his optimism showing, his determination to stay
calm, his determination to stay engaged and not allow a sense of
revenge or retaliation to take him over. That, of course, served him in
good stead when he was returned to leadership by the same massive
majority that he had when he took the whip's job the first time--by 1
vote.
This is a man we shall miss. This is a man who has taught us a lot.
This is a man who served as a mentor to me, and because of him, I now
own a pair of white bucks.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Tennessee is
recognized.
Mr. ALEXANDER. Madam President, once upon a time in the spring of
1968, even before Ted Stevens was a Senator, a young man with carefully
combed hair came from Pascagoula, MS, to Washington, DC, and he moved
into a spare bedroom in the house at the corner of Klingle Street and
Foxhall Road.
It was almost 40 years ago. I remember it very well, because I was
already in that house along with four other single young men in our
20s. Our new resident from Mississippi was different in several ways
than the rest of us. No. 1, we were single, and he was married. Tricia
and Chet, then a baby, were still back in Mississippi. No. 2, he was a
Democrat and we were Republicans. But at that age, that did not matter
to us very much.
And No. 3 is--and this is hard for anyone in the Chamber to imagine,
for me even to say--I remember him as quiet.
Maybe it was because he did not stay long, because he remembers that
we were noisy--playing the piano, staying up late, as he said
yesterday, having parties, and then getting up at 6 a.m. in the morning
and going to work.
So for whatever reason, maybe because of those differences, our
friend from Mississippi moved out after a few months. Tricia and Chet
came to Washington, I believe, and he continued his job with Mr.
Colmer, the Congressman, from the area where he grew up.
My other roommate was Glover Robert, who was from Gulfport and who
had introduced us all to Trent, and who later was Trent's campaign
manager in his race for Congress. I can remember Glover saying at that
time that everybody in Mississippi knows Trent Lott is one of two young
men in Mississippi who is going to grow up to be Governor of
Mississippi. The other young man who Glover talked about was Thad
Cochran, who we also met that year in 1968. He was also a Democrat in
1968. Neither of them grew up to be Governor of Mississippi, at least
not yet. But one became the chairman of the Appropriations Committee,
and one became the leader of the Senate, and both are our friends.
Now Trent, after 35 years in Congress, is moving on to the next
chapter of his life. I understand his decision. We talked about it. As
far as anyone can say from outside the Lott family, it looks like a
wise decision on a personal basis. But on a personal basis too, I am
truly sorry to see him go, because over those 40 years, we have been in
different places most of the time--I mostly in Tennessee, he mostly
here--but we have stayed in touch in many different ways.
When our roommates got together at the Governor's mansion in
Tennessee in the 1980s, I remember reading to the group after dinner
from a book on manners. When I came to the Senate, I received a book,
``George Washington's Rules of Civility,'' that was inscribed, ``To my
friend, Senator Alexander, the history professor, Trent Lott.''
In 1986, I became a little bit exasperated with the House Republicans
from a distance and I called up Trent and said: What is going on? Are
we Republican Governors and the House Republicans on the same page? He
introduced me to Newt Gingrich, and a group of the Governors and the
Republican leaders in the House met at Blackberry Farm in the Smoky
Mountains for a whole weekend and had a terrific weekend, in terms of
charting the future course for our party.
A few years later I came to Washington as Education Secretary and
immediately turned to Trent--who was always in some sort of leadership
position, usually some different one--for advice and support.
Those who follow the Senate know that Trent has, along the way,
taught all of us various lessons. He has especially taught me lessons,
particularly how to count. It is because of Trent

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Lott that a year ago, it was necessary for me to write 27 thank-you
notes for 24 votes in the race for whip. I have worked hard to learn my
lesson from him over a period of time.
About 6 weeks ago, Trent and Tricia invited my wife Honey, me, and
the Greggs down to their home outside Jackson. We spent a weekend. It
was following up a nice weekend we had had in the mountains of
Tennessee sometime earlier. Most of the remarks today about Trent have
been about Trent in Washington, DC and they are all very appropriate.
And here in the Senate we often think of Trent as having the wiliness
of Lyndon Johnson and the joyfulness of Hubert Humphrey--two other
great figures in Senate history--but it is more fun to see him in
Mississippi. Going through the airport, every single woman in the
airport in Mississippi wanted to talk to Trent Lott, and he talked to
them all of the way through the Jackson airport.
To see the number of buildings in Mississippi already named after
him--and he is not even dead yet--and to see the beautiful home they
have outside Jackson, MS is something to behold. Judd and I counted
five different tractors in his garage, and we rode in most of them. We
should have known, or I should have known, from seeing how happy he is
there and how much he loves to do this, that his mind was probably more
on becoming farmer of the year in Mississippi than it was on spending
another 5 or 10 years in the Senate.
Trent, transitions--I have had a number of them--are not always easy,
but they have been for me the most rewarding parts of my life. I
believe for you and Tricia this next transition will be the same--
liberating, not entirely easy, but perhaps the most rewarding period of
your life.
I tried to think of some words that would describe it, and I thought
of words that better describe the Smoky Mountains where I am from than
the Mississippi area where you are from. But the thought still applies.
They are words from Emily Dickinson, which say:

Goodbye to the life I used to lead and the friends I used
to know. Now kiss these hills just once for me, for I am
ready to go.

It is a reassurance for us to know that you are not going far. I hope
it will be reassuring to you to know that you are not going far, that
your old friends are still here and we are still your friends.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Vermont.
Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, let me note--it has probably been noted
here on the floor already--that it is so much nicer to hear your eulogy
in person than afterward. In many ways you know it is more heartfelt
because the Senator from Mississippi is here and has the ability to
correct it, something he would not have 40 years or so from now when he
might rejoin his Maker.
I think, though, about Trent Lott. Trent is one of those Senators who
has great respect on both sides of the aisle. I think it is because he
is from the old school. I do not want to damage his reputation in
Mississippi to have one of the more liberal members of the opposite
party praise him, but I do it easily. Because, as I told Trent within
an hour after he made his announcement--we were on the phone, and I
told him that one of the things I liked about him is he followed that
rule Mike Mansfield told me my first week here in the Senate: Senators
should always keep their word. Every time Senator Lott and I have
worked together, to find our way, sometimes through a very tangled
parliamentary or legislative morass, we got through because I could
always count on him once he made a commitment to keep his word and he
would keep his commitment. I think he knows I did the same with him. As
Senator Mansfield tried to instruct all of us, those of us who were
here at that time, this is the mark of what a real Senator should do.
Because while you may disagree on one issue, you are going to be allies
the next day on a different issue. And that is what makes the Senate
work best.
Marcelle and I have had the opportunity to travel with Trent and
Trish, and I must admit this is a great deal of fun. I think he even
has some of the photographs I have given him from some of those trips.
As they have told me in Vermont, on occasions when he came up, a number
of Vermonters came up to me afterward and said, ``Boy, the Senator from
Mississippi is really good looking.'' I said: ``Well, yes, he is.''
``He has got all of that hair.'' I said, ``Yes, he does.'' And they
said, ``He can really sing well.'' And I said, ``I do not need to talk
with you anymore.''
They would go on. Those trips--and I will close with this--one of the
reasons why more of us should take such trips, bipartisan trips, is you
find that you have so many things in common. Trish and Marcelle would
talk about children and their hopes for them growing up. All four of us
would talk about the difficulties in maintaining homes in our home
State and in Washington, and doing it if you are not wealthy. We would
talk about those things where we felt the Senate should come together.
We talked about our backgrounds, our faith, our hopes for this country.
I think somebody listening in would have been hard pressed to know
which one was the Democrat and which one was the Republican.
I have served all these years with Trent Lott. I will miss him as a
colleague, but I might say I will miss him especially as a friend.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Casey). The Senator from Texas.
Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, my State, like many States, has produced
some political giants: Lyndon Johnson, Phil Gramm, John Tower, many
great political figures. But one I recall specifically: Bob Bullock, a
Democratic Lieutenant Governor in what was generally considered the
most powerful political position in State government. I remember one
time he said that there are two types of politicians: one who wants to
be somebody, and the other who wants to do something. Most decidedly,
Trent Lott is of the latter category.
I have heard comments today about his great ability to compromise. I
think compromise is in and of itself overrated. Compromising with
principle, looking for common ground while staying true to your
convictions and your principles, is an art and one that Trent Lott has
practiced throughout his congressional career.
Since the foundation of our Nation, Congress has been the workplace
for many men and women who have come from modest beginnings and who
took it upon themselves to shoulder great responsibilities. They have
undertaken the noble yet difficult work of governing in the best
interests of the American people. This has always been the defining
characteristic of our country. In Lincoln's phrase: Government of the
people, by the people, and for the people. This year, after more than
three decades of public service in the Congress, we bid farewell to a
man who has embodied this notion.
Trent Lott from Pascagoula, MS, always took to heart his
responsibility as a representative of the State and he has never lost
touch with his roots. We have heard reference to his memoir, ``Herding
Cats,'' which I told him, after reading it: It was surprisingly good.
He said: Why were you surprised? I said: I am not going to go there. It
was surprisingly good.
But he answered one particular critic in his memoirs by saying: I
ascended to the leadership of the Senate because I was from the
Magnolia State. I found this to be a telling statement about a man who
not only represented his State's interests but sought to represent its
character and was literally impelled to public service.
As we know, he served Mississippi in both the House of
Representatives and the Senate, in the majority and minority, through
the administrations of seven Presidents. He has experienced just about
everything a life in politics has to offer--the good, the bad, and the
ugly. When his beloved home State was hit by a natural disaster named
Katrina, he made it his top priority to see that the people of
Mississippi were shepherded through the most difficult of times.
Throughout his life and service, Senator Lott has served his home of
Mississippi with unflinching resolve. His principled and dedicated
service has earned him a national reputation as a strong leader. His
fervent desire to solve some of our Nation's biggest problems has put
him at the forefront of national politics.
Trent has always sought to find common ground on important
legislation, and there is no doubt in my mind his absence will be
profoundly felt. But as many have already observed, Senator Lott has
paid his dues. He has

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done his time. He has served his State. He served his country. So while
it is with sadness we say goodbye to a colleague and a statesman and,
most importantly, a friend, it is with great joy that I wish Senator
Lott the best of luck in the next stage of his life.
Trent, thank you for everything you have done for our country, for
the Senate, this great institution, and for everything I have learned
from your example. I know you and Tricia have a bright future ahead,
and I know you especially look forward to spending more time with your
children and grandchildren. We wish you the very best.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Colorado.
Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, I rise to say a few words about the
retirement of my friend and colleague, Senator Trent Lott. Trent has
visited Colorado. However, he complained he was kept busy and couldn't
appreciate Colorado's vistas. Now he will have time to appreciate the
great State of Colorado, and I invite him to revisit us because he will
have time.
Trent was majority leader when I came to the Senate in 1997. A large
percentage of the views I have of how this body should work and how we
can best come together, despite differences of opinions and goals, was
formed watching Trent Lott shepherd through legislation organizing 100
competing agendas into a manageable schedule. I have always felt we
were sent here by the people of our States to solve problems and
achieve results. I know ideas can and do vary as to what solutions are
or even what the problems are. That makes the end goal of finding
solutions most of us can agree to that much harder and the skills
required to do so much more rare. The Senate has been lucky to have
Trent in our midst as we worked through the pressing issues of these
times.
It should be noted Trent has done his work here, all the while
remaining a genuinely decent man and a true gentleman. He is, everyone
agrees, a fundamentally nice person who enjoys the human contact and
personal relationships that come with his position. He enjoys working
on behalf of the people of Mississippi. He has represented their
interests well, and they have made it clear they approve of his
service.
Trent attended Pascagoula Junior High, which is now called Trent Lott
Middle School. He is truly an example for future Americans to emulate.
I join my colleagues in thanking Trent and his wife Tricia for their
service and thank God for providing him to public service in the
Senate, where I personally know of his service.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Louisiana.
Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, I rise to pay great tribute to Trent Lott.
Similar to so many on the floor, I felt compelled, had a great desire
to come to the floor because of my deep respect and affection for
Trent. I mean that.
It is probably a great testament to Trent, given those very deep and
sincere feelings of mine, to remember how we were introduced
politically. I was running for Congress and he endorsed my opponent.
For a lot of people, it would have meant that person would never have
built a strong working relationship with the other or it would have
taken a long time. For Trent, it took about 5 minutes. After I won, he
called me and congratulated me and explained that my opponent was a
former colleague of his and a friend and he felt loyalty and affection
for the person. But the past was the past and the future was the future
and he wanted to build that same friendship and sense of loyalty with
me. So that was that.
It wasn't just words. He put that into action and made it perfectly
clear from the beginning he was sincere. That is Trent. That is
probably the first and one of the most important lessons he imparted to
me.
I will always feel privileged to have learned other lessons in two
particular settings. One, I was honored to be asked to join his whip
team over the last couple years, and I did so. I have learned an
enormous amount as a member of that team. I will always remember his
being very forthcoming in asking me for advice and ideas and what I
thought about this or that, all the while paying compliments about my
insight into things. I will remember it not because any of those
compliments were true but because it showed his spirit and
effectiveness at including people, getting the best out of them and
bringing folks together.
As a member of his whip team, I will also always remember and
appreciate his taking me under his wing and trying to help me develop
relationships and friendships with other Senators more and, as he would
put it, be able to ``schmooze'' more effectively. I hope, Trent, you
continue your work with me, as you join the private sector because
obviously we still have a long way to go. But I appreciate the spirit
of that work.
The second setting that is so important, in terms of my personal
experience with Trent is, of course, the experience of Katrina and
dealing with that horrible hurricane. There couldn't have been allies
in terms of our recovery work than Trent and Thad. I will always be
deeply indebted to them for all their work on behalf of the entire gulf
coast. In south Louisiana, occasionally in the press there would be
some story or comment resentful toward Mississippi in terms of the
recovery, saying they got this per capita and we got this; we didn't do
well enough. I would always explain that, boy, they got it exactly
wrong. Because our best allies throughout all that horrible experience
were Trent and Thad. Were it not for them, we would not have fared
nearly as well. I will be the first to admit that. I thank them on
behalf of my State for their tireless efforts on behalf of the entire
gulf coast.
So, Trent, I join everyone in wishing you and Tricia and your family
all the best. You deserve it. I know this is not the end of anything.
It is the beginning of new great things. I look forward to our
continuing tutorials on schmoozing and maybe even getting me to wear a
seersucker suit someday.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia.
Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. President, those of us who come from the South
take great pride in our heritage. Part of the heritage we are very
proud of is the fact that whether it is the State of Mississippi that
sent John Stennis and Senator Eastland to this body or whether it is my
State that sent Richard Russell and Paul Coverdell and Sam Nunn, we are
very proud of the folks we have sent to the Senate. Come January, we
are going to add the name of Trent Lott to those great men who have
represented the South in this body.
When I think of Trent Lott, I think about something that a lot of
people probably can't relate to, but he and Thad will directly relate
to. Trent is the epitome of the genteel southern gentleman, married to
a beautiful belle with whom he went to college.
In the fall in Oxford, MS, there is a special occasion that takes
place on football Saturday afternoons. They have a place down there
called the Grove that is unlike any other area I have ever been to on
any football afternoon. The Grove is what one might think. It is truly
a beautiful spot with trees and green grass. All the University of
Mississippi football fans gather in the Grove and, instead of backing
up SUVs and pickup trucks with beer kegs on the back, as we do in
Athens, they pull out silver goblets, white tablecloths, chandeliers on
the table, and they enjoy a great festive atmosphere. Trent Lott brings
that same gentility, that same mannerism of our part of the world to
the Senate.
A couple of quick personal anecdotes that somewhat relate to that.
Trent has a way of being able to look at somebody and, whether it is
trying to figure out how they are going to vote, what they are feeling
like that day or whatever it may be, boy, he can get right to the heart
of it. I am reminded of when I was thinking about running for the
Senate back in 2002. Trent came to me in the summer of that year. I
remember this conversation like it was yesterday.
He said: Look, I know they are working on you to run for the Senate.
You and I have been good friends for several years during your House
days. I don't think you have got the fire in the belly. Unless you do,
you better not run.
He was exactly right. About 6 months after that, he came to me again
and said: I have heard you speak more and more about what you want to
do, and you have the fire in the belly. It is the time to run.
The other anecdote I will never forget about Trent is that during my

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campaign, we had a farm bill we had finished in conference. It was a
late farm bill that year. It was in the early spring of 2002. I needed
to be all over my State campaigning. Unfortunately, I got stuck in
Washington for a weekend with the farm bill conference. Trent was
coming to Georgia to campaign for me. I told him: Trent, I am not going
to be able to go. I feel bad about this. He said: Don't worry about it.
Stay here and do what you have to do. Julianne and I will take care of
this.
So he went to Georgia, spent the whole day traveling around to five
different events in different parts of my State, drew big crowds
because he was Trent Lott.
He called me up on Sunday morning when he got back and said: Saxby, I
got this thing figured out. I know how you are going to win this
campaign. What you need to do is stay in Washington and let Julianne
and me take care of that campaign for you.
Trent is one of those people whom those of us junior Senators looked
up to from day one. As I think back on my class, Lindsey and a couple
of us served in the House together, where we got to know Trent. But
whether it was Elizabeth or Norm or Lamar or others in our class, from
day one, Trent has been one of those individuals whom we admired so
greatly because of his knowledge of the institution, because of his
ability to come to you when you knew you were struggling with an issue.
He could talk to you for 2 minutes and all of a sudden you would feel
better about whatever it was you were struggling with. That is the kind
of person Trent Lott is and that is the part about Trent Lott I truly
am going to miss.
His office happens to be right around the corner from mine. There is
many a day we will be on the elevator together going back after a vote.
He will start picking at me about something. He will say: I know you
have been worried about something. What is it? Invariably, again, he is
right. He has had the ability to say a couple words that all of a
sudden changed my perspective on whatever the issue was I was
struggling with.

So, Trent, we are mighty proud of you as a Southerner. We are mighty
proud of you as an American. And we are certainly mighty proud of you
as a Member of this body. You are truly going to be missed. But I
treasure the last 13 years of having the privilege of serving with you
in my House days as well as my Senate days.
God bless you, and may God bless your family.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alabama.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I appreciate so many of these remarks. I
would like to say a few things about Trent.
I think Trent's strength, first, is his roots. He knows where he came
from. He knows how he was raised. He is loyal to his constituents and
his people. He loves the people of Mississippi, and they love him. If
he chose to move to Alabama and run for the Senate, he would be a
winner there. He is well known in our State. He used to have a
television program with the three Congressmen from that region, the
``Gulf Coast Report.'' It went for 35 years. It ended last year. He
started that with former Congressman Jack Edward of Mobile and it had
such a tremendous following. In fact, it was front-page news in Alabama
when Trent Lott announced his retirement.
Secondly, Trent was at the forefront of what clearly has been a
historical movement of mainstream Republican thought in the South. It
has been a trend that has been steady and strong and has shaped the
Nation. It ended up helping provide a Republican majority in the House
and the Senate to accomplish things that would not have been
accomplished otherwise.
I am not that much younger than Trent, but I remember when he made
that fateful decision to run for Congress as a Republican in
Mississippi. Those of us who were following politics at that time knew
his decision was an important one. We young Republicans, throughout the
South in particular, all watched with tremendous interest to see
whether he would be successful. He and Thad both were successful that
year. It was a movement of significant historical importance because
many have followed his path.
Trent has had an incredibly wise way of dealing with people. I
remember sitting right over here, having not been here long, and a very
important bill was on the floor. A very critical amendment was being
decided, an amendment, if it had gone the wrong way, could have
derailed the entire legislation. I had reasons to vote against it, but
I had not made up my mind. There were a lot of reasons I could have
voted against it. Some good friends were on the other side. He sidled
up to me, and all he said was: Look at old Phil. This is his first big
bill on the floor. It would be a shame to see him lose that bill.
(Laughter.)
He did not say any more. Those simple words touched my concerns, and
I thought about them for a day and a half before I decided to vote with
Phil and Trent. He had a gift to sense your concerns, to know where
members were.
I will mention two other things I think were of historical
importance.
We could not agree on how to handle the impeachment. Trent was the
leader of the Senate. The Senate was supposed to try the House charge
of impeachment. The Chief Justice who sat back here off the floor was
asked: What procedures shall we use, Mr. Chief Justice? He leaned back
in his chair and said: Well, it is the Senate's job to figure out how
to conduct the impeachment trial. That is what the Constitution says.
It is your problem, not mine. And still we could not agree.
Trent thought and worried and did everything he could possibly do to
reach an agreement on procedure. That agreement could not be reached,
so he took an unprecedented step of calling the Senate together in the
Old Senate Chamber. Do you remember that? That is when we had, what
Trent called, the great epiphany when Ted Kennedy and Phil Gramm spoke
up and an agreement was reached. We did not embarrass the Senate. We
did our duty. We followed through successfully. We met the
constitutional responsibility we had. He was creative in trying to
impress on us the importance of reaching that decision.
I can think of another one from the Republican side. In our movement
in 2001 to reduce taxes the vote was close, with every single vote
critical. Senator Domenici was the Budget chairman at that time, and I
believe the critical vote was over the budget reconciliation. Trent
called a meeting of the Republicans in the Senate Chaplain's office.
(Laughter.)
The room has a high arched ceiling--so I guess we had a prayer
meeting up there. You could look down the Mall and see the Washington
Monument. Such a location had never been used before or since. There
were a couple of votes Trent had to have. He knew; he could count
votes. Maybe there was just one vote he had to have. So that meeting
was orchestrated carefully, and it worked. Our tax cuts passed, with
every vote crucial and ultimately on the floor the vote was a 50-50
tie, with the Vice President breaking the tie. For 10 years, however,
we will have had tremendous tax relief for Americans. It has surged our
economy.
Without a truly skilled leader in both those instances, this Senate
could have gone the other way and the history of our country quite
differently.
I have enjoyed my friendship with Trent Lott and Tricia. I think he
is a fabulous leader who has done remarkable things for our country. It
has been an honor to serve with him.
If you come to Alabama, you can have my Senate seat, Trent.
Thank you, Mr. President.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia.
Mr. ISAKSON. Trent, this is the time, on an occasion like this, where
somebody always rises and says: Whatever could be said about this
subject has been said, it is just that everybody has not said it yet.
But in this case, it is not true. We have only been talking for 2 hours
7 minutes. It would take a lot longer than 2 hours 7 minutes to say all
the things that could be said about your distinguished career.
But there are two things I wish to say, the two most powerful words
in the English language: Thank you--first, on behalf of the late Paul
Coverdell and his lovely wife Nancy.
I will never forget in March of 1993 meeting Paul--as I had for 20
years, as I led the Georgia House and he led the

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Georgia Senate--at the International House of Pancakes in Buckhead at 7
a.m., his first time back in Georgia after being sworn in. I had him
tell me about the place known as the Senate. All he could talk about
was Trent Lott. He said: Johnny, Trent Lott has the two Ls. He can
legislate and he can lead.
So on behalf of Paul, whose legislation--the Coverdell Education Act,
and many other things--was done here, thank you for what you did for
him. I know you always have shared with me how much you appreciate what
``Mikey'' did for you.
But, secondly, Trent, thank you on my behalf. If every one of us in
this room stood up and thought about it, we could take a specific
incident that in our career has been accomplished that would not have
happened were it not for your insight, your leadership, and your
commitment.
For me, it was the pension bill last year and the pension of 91,000
Delta employees in Georgia. We got down to the lick log, as they say in
Georgia, on the last day, in the last hour before the August recess.
Bankruptcy was pending, and it was almost over. Thanks to your tenacity
on Finance and your care and your willingness to be able to do what you
did, that legislation passed. I got the credit, but the benefit belongs
to you.
Thank you for what you have done for all of us.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota.
Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to my friend, my
encourager, my mentor. Mae West once said: Marriage is a fine
institution, but I am not ready yet for an institution.
Reflecting on the comments of my colleague from Georgia, I think when
we get here, I don't know how many of us are ready for the institution.
What I had--and what I know my other colleagues had--in Trent Lott was
somebody who put his arm around you. He shared with you the importance
of your word is your bond, the importance of family--more than things
you can read in a rules manual or a procedural manual but the history
of the heart and the soul of the institution, embodied by my friend and
my encourager, Trent Lott.
This Chamber has been home to some of the great statesmen in American
history. I say this not with hyperbole or superlatives, but I say it as
a matter of established fact: that among the great statesmen in the
history of this country, one is sitting in this Chamber today, who will
move on to do other great things, I am sure.
Similar to me, he governs from the bank of the Mississippi. It is a
little colder where I come from, the State I represent. But he is an
outstanding representative of the heartland, the heart and soul of
America.
On my way to the Senate complex, as I walk through, I sometimes stop
and take a look at the words that are written in one of the office
buildings by Everett McKinley Dirksen. I wish to read these words
because this is inscribed on the wall: ``His unerring sense of the
possible that enabled him to know when to compromise; by such men are
our freedoms retained.'' Such a tribute belongs to Trent Lott.
Freedom requires that we all express our views strongly and to do
that on the floor. But in the end, you need those who can knit
together, who can craft legislation. We all have stories of being in
Trent's presence and watching him do that. He truly is today's current
master of the Senate. He understands the art of what it takes to get
things done.
Some of us have said the worst sin in politics is not knowing how to
count. If that is the case, then Trent is pure as the driven snow
because he knows how to count. And not only knowing how to count, what
he does is use that in a way to kind of guide us to ultimately get
things done. That is what it is about.
I believe what we are suffering from in this country today is a deep
partisan divide. So the American public looks at and wonders about our
ability to do what we have been elected to do. If there is somebody
today who has the antidote to that infection, it is Trent Lott. Because
in the end, that is what he strives to do.
We all have our stories. I served on the conference committee on
homeland security to reshape the way in which we do intelligence, to
look at somehow getting rid of the silos that were problematic on 9/11
that the 9/11 Commission talked about, and to figure out a way to put
together a system of gathering intelligence which works together, is
seamless.
I watched time and again, when it seemed like we were not going to
get it done--and it was not, by the way, partisan; it was not just
Democrat versus Republican; sometimes it was House versus Senate--and I
can tell you, almost every time, on every occasion--and Chairman
Collins could tell you the same thing, and Ranking Member Lieberman
could tell you the same thing--at the moment you needed that, where it
seemed like it was not going to get done, the voice that arose was the
gentleman from Pascagoula, the Senator from Mississippi, who would
offer a little something that would kind of pull us back together and
move us forward. In the end, we passed the bill. The Nation is better
for it.
I had the opportunity earlier this year to be honored with Senator
Lott by the Ripon Society, with the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider
Award. That is, by the way, the progressive wing of the Republican
Party. Trent got up there, when he received his honor, and said: Before
I got here, I used to be called a conservative.
He is still a conservative, a principled conservative. But the reason
he was recognized by the Ripon Society--and I think by folks regardless
of what side of the aisle they are on, what side of the political
spectrum they are on--is because of his incredible ability to find
common ground, to pull people together.
In Minnesota, we all know of the Scandinavian who loved his wife so
much he almost told her. There are many in this institution who care so
much they almost get something done. But Trent Lott is one of those who
both cares so much and he gets things done.
I thank the Lott family for sharing him with our Nation. I know the
foundation of Trent's service is commitment to freedom, to faith, and
to family. That is about as solid a foundation as one could have. That
is something this first-term Senator has seen, has appreciated, and
carries in his heart.
I thank him for his lifetime of service to all Americans. I ask that
God continue to bless Trent, Tricia, and the Lott family.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia.
Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, there are others seeking to be recognized
and I shall be brief. But I think of my good friend in many ways, not
the least of which, we are two Senators who stood in the well in kilts
with our knobby knees showing and voted--to the astonishment of all our
colleagues.
You have helped me through the years in many ways, particularly on
the Defense bill. You have served on the committee. When that bill was
dogged, disparaged, cast aside, you always were there to bring it back,
sometimes six or seven times in the course of the spring, until we were
able to pass it, always, always being guided by your heart and your
concern for the men and women who wear the uniforms and their families.

But I wish to speak of you in a very personal way. We had our
differences in elections. Like Bob Bennett, I was on the Alan Simpson
team. I remember sitting in your office discussing that and voting for
Simpson. You won, but you never held it against me or Bob or others.
That is the way you managed this institution.
But I think back on my own career, insignificant as it is, and I
reflect on the fact that I have been privileged to serve with 271
Senators in the 29 years that I have been privileged to serve. My dear
friend Thad Cochran and I have that record together as we came to the
Senate in the fall of 1968.
What I didn't know about the Senate--and surprisingly, I had the
opportunity as Secretary of the Navy to come here for 5 years and
testify many times and to come and respond to the calls of Members who,
for whatever reason, wanted to talk to the Secretary about their
particular problems--I never realized how all-consuming this body would
be in terms of it becomes your family, they are your friends, and those
bonds continuously grow year after year. When one Member is celebrating
exhilaration, accomplishments,

[[Page S15807]]

be they on the floor of the Senate or be they in private life or
whatever the case may be--winning an election, as Thad and I have done
five consecutive times--you share those moments. But you also share the
moments when a Member is faced with despair.
They often say the fall may be painful, but the road back is doubly
challenging. I have watched you in those situations, and the strength
that you and your lovely wife exhibited has been instilled in me. I
pray to God that I never face some of the challenges that faced you:
the devastation brought to your State, your graceful stepdown from the
leadership, and your comeback, your magnificent and courageous
restoration of your career in full--I say to you, Senator--in full. You
made a tough decision, as I have done, not to return to this body and
to our dear friends, but you did it on solid ground, and all of us join
in our hopes that in your next challenge in life, you will make a
contribution to this country you love, to the State you love, and to
the Senate you love. Thank you for your friendship.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Florida is recognized.
Mr. MARTINEZ. Mr. President, this statement comes from the back row
but no less love from us back-benchers. Let me tell you the Senate
career that, for me, now completes 3 years has known no better friend
than Trent Lott. I have certainly appreciated your willingness to
mentor me. I was astonished to hear that Bob Bennett considered you a
mentor. I thought you did that for those of us who have just gotten
here but, frankly, it looks as though you mentored about everybody in
the Senate. So I consider myself very fortunate.
I think back to when we first met. I was first here in Washington as
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and Trent was the leader,
the Republican leader of the Senate. We had occasion to meet, and
shortly thereafter we were building a habitat for humanity house on a
cold day, much like today, and I got the opportunity to know him on a
more personal level and get to know Tricia as well. That has only
endured and continued. I also very much appreciated you shepherding my
nomination as HUD Secretary through the Senate, which I know was no
easy lift, but you have my gratitude, in fact, then and now.
But, to me, as I look at my short career in the Senate, there was no
issue that punctuates my time more than the very divisive issue of
immigration. You didn't need to get involved in that--you really
didn't. I know a lot of people in Mississippi probably wish you hadn't.
The fact is, you saw a problem that needed solving. I remember you
saying: Is there a problem? In fact, there was. And does this bill
improve the situation from what it is today? And you said that it did,
which I agreed with. Then you went on about trying to solve the
problem, which is a quality that I greatly admire. You were moving the
ball forward. You were trying to do what in your heart you felt was
best for the Nation and something that would, in fact, move the ball
forward and get it done. So you courageously worked, I know, sometimes
against the grain. But I, for one, would rather have no one in a
foxhole than Trent Lott during difficult times when they are lobbing
them in at you.
So I very much appreciated the fact that you taught me a great deal
in that difficult time, but also throughout my time in the Senate. I
very much thank you for taking an interest in me and in my career, and
I very much thank you for what you have done for our Nation and for
your State.
As I look forward, my Senate career will be diminished by not having
the opportunity to continue to work and learn from you, but I am
grateful for the time I have had and what I have learned by your side.
Thank you very much for your service and all the best to you and
Tricia.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Mexico is recognized.
Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, let me first say of Senator Lott I must
make a slight confession. You know I am leaving next year, and one of
the reasons I am leaving is because I have an ailment that has an
impact on my brain. I say that in all honesty. I already told the whole
world that. The point of that is I have difficulty remembering some
things. I still am a pretty good Senator, so nobody is fighting about
that. I just know that you and I have gone through some incredible
legal situations, legislative situations, and I am trying to pull them
up now in the next few minutes just to share them with you and to share
them with everybody here.
I have been here 36 years, which is a little bit longer than Trent,
and that is six elections. You must know that I was in the middle of a
lot of things or I couldn't have been here 36 years. I am not a back-
bencher or an under-the-tabler. I am where the action is, and I lucked
out on the committee that did a lot of exciting things.
One of the things Trent Lott has taught me about leadership is that
it is quiet. It takes place without you knowing it is happening. That
is what you did. When we had to put together the votes for the balanced
budget and for the reconciliation tax bill, which was one of the most
monumental acts, and we had to use that Budget Act drafted by the
distinguished Senator Byrd and he didn't quite think we would be able
to use it the way we did, and we had that battle and we won that on a
vote, then we were using it to reconcile tax cuts for America. It is
hard to explain, when you would get everybody around and then you would
say: We are almost there, but we are not there. And here I am, I have
been working on it forever, and we have this very unique process, and
we just have to get the votes. We can't come back a second time on this
kind of thing. We will get killed. It has to go right now. He would say
we are one vote short or two, and you just knew that it was going to
happen. He knew what was there, and when he would tell us to go, we
would go, and sure enough, that is how it happened.

So I have had all kinds of situations, from the huge balanced budget,
to--I remember when we reformed welfare. Many of these things came from
the budget process, the way I used it on behalf of the Senate. We put
in the numbers so that you couldn't avoid--if you did the welfare
reform, you would get the protection of the budget. And I can remember
that was an exciting day because it all of a sudden became bipartisan.
Do you recall, Trent, that it didn't end up with just us; it was
them. They came to the party, and so ultimately did the President. It
was one great big party. But it was also, in the end, absolutely
imperative that we had the reconciliation instruction that came with it
that Senator Lott--he wouldn't fuss with me. He wouldn't ask me to
prove it. He would just say: Is that the way it is? I would tell him
yes. And he said: Well, that is what we will do.
It was just terrific to be a chairman of important matters and have a
leader like Trent who would say: If that is what it takes, that is what
we are going to do. We didn't redo it or rethink it because it got
tough. Many times the path I chose was probably the harder one. He
would say: If that is the way we are going to do it, we are going to do
it. It was rather terrific to be part of a team like that.
Now, I want to tell you, it works both ways because Trent Lott was on
the opposite side of something very important when he was over in the
House. We did a Social Security change here to permanently fix Social
Security--we thought--and Trent--we heard from over in the House that
the rocks and the stones weren't coming from the Democrats.
We said: Where are they coming from?
They said: They are coming from Trent Lott.
I said: Well, maybe I have to go over there and talk with him.
Then I said: Well, maybe I won't. Maybe I will just let him stew.
It was something Reagan was for and we were for, but his little team
wasn't for. I think they were right. I think we made a mistake. But we
didn't do that. We didn't get it done. Do you remember, Trent? It died.
You were over there and, clearly, you knew what you were doing, and I
don't think you liked it very much because it was Republicans against
Republicans.
But we did get back together, and for the one angst we had many
memorable pluses that are just terrific when it comes to thinking back
on the life of the Senator over a complicated, tough period of time,
when we learned how to use a Budget Act for innumerable

[[Page S15808]]

things. In fact, the Budget Act was used, over a period of 16 years, by
me, as chairman, with my staff, as an instrument beyond which anybody
ever thought it would be used. It changed how we functioned as a Senate
because it permitted us to do things through the reconciliation process
that were absolutely impossible without that act.
Then we got around to the balanced budget. That was the big monster
event of our time. We had to get that done, and we got it done, sure
enough, by reconciliation instruction that was really gigantic, and
then sitting down in a little room that I use over here that I call my
hideaway. I hope somebody puts a sign on it after I leave because that
little room was the room wherein we negotiated, four people negotiated
the balanced budget.
Trent was the guy who would come in every now and then to see if we
were making headway and see if we needed help. It was Speaker Gingrich,
myself, and somebody from the White House. Sure enough, when we were
through, he was right there by our side, having participated as if he
really knew what the budget was all about. He could put on a terrific
face. He didn't have any knowledge of what I was doing in there, but he
just asked: Is it going all right?
Yes, all right. Is it going all right? Fine. Then he would walk out
and have a terrific press conference. They would all think he really
knew what this budget was about. I mean, I have to admit, you don't
have to tell him very much. We were still a long ways from getting
there, and he would walk out and say: They are making great headway.
This is really moving ahead.
I would go home after having not slept for 2 weeks, and I would be
worried that he shouldn't be saying that because we were so far apart,
and all he would say is: Don't worry. Just give them a little bit of
optimism; we have to keep them alive a little bit.
I close by saying, Trent, I know what it is to sacrifice to be a
Senator. I did that. I came here, believe it or not, with my eight
children--and I am going to just mention it once because you had it a
little bit better, not much--but the pay was about $38,000 with eight
children, and we couldn't find a way to change the pay because we were
scared to. That is the kind of suffering we went through. Trent did the
same in his early days. When he and his wife came here, the Senate had
decided for a number of years that we did not want to pay ourselves a
salary, which is one of the worst things we did. A democracy should not
do that. We must pay people for these important jobs.
That wasn't what kept him going. He loved the place, and his family
loved it, it is obvious. His son was ambitious and rambunctious,
wanting to get ahead, and he did get ahead. He was able to do that
while his dad served here, and that is truly to their betterment and a
compliment.
I say thanks for the sacrifice for serving us, for serving in the
Senate, and for serving our Nation. It is important you are leaving at
a time when you are strong and have a lot of energy left. That means
you will have a second life and you will say to me what James Baker has
said at least 10 times. He said: Domenici, there is life after the
Senate. And I say that to you: May that life be as good as the Senate
or better, and may your family enjoy it as much as they have enjoyed
the Senate, and may it be successful for all of them.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Republican leader.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I know that under the previous order,
it is time for the policy luncheons. There are others here who may want
to speak. I see Senator Gregg may well want to speak. Senator Lott
would like to respond. Senator Byrd also wants a few minutes.
I suggest the following: that Senator Byrd be recognized for 3
minutes, after which Senator Lott be recognized for 5 minutes, after
which we recess for the policy lunches. I know there may be others who
wish to speak. Hopefully we can accomplish that sometime after the
policy lunches. This is the last day we are here for our respective
policy lunches. These are important lunches. We are going to have to
begin them shortly. Therefore, I ask that consent.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
Mr. INHOFE. Reserving the right to object, I make an inquiry of the
minority leader: Wouldn't it work out well if later on during quorum
calls we have an opportunity to speak and then have all those speeches
appear in the Record in continuity?
Mr. McCONNELL. It would be my hope and expectation, I say to my
friend from Oklahoma, that there will be floor time after lunch and
that any Member who wanted to comment on Senator Lott's career can do
that. Of course, we ask consent that all be consolidated at this place
in the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, I rise today to honor my friend from
Mississippi, Senator Trent Lott. Trent and I have been friends since my
first year in the House in 1987.
He was the minority whip in the House during my first year in
Washington, DC. Now that we are in the Senate together 20 years later
he is my minority whip again.
Trent and I have enjoyed our time together on Wednesday afternoons in
Chowder and Marching. My wife Mary and I have enjoyed spending time
with Trent and his lovely wife Trish. Trent and Trish are college
sweethearts and two of the great warming personalities in our Senate
family.
We are proud that members of the Lott family call Kentucky home.
Trent and Trish often come to the Bluegrass State to see their son Chet
and his family.
He has served the people of Mississippi well for over 30 years. After
the devastation of Katrina, the gulf coast region had no stronger
advocate than Senator Lott.
Trent has risen from humble roots in his beloved Pascagoula to one of
the top leaders in Congress. I know his family and the people of
Mississippi are proud to call him one of their own.
Mr. President, I would like to thank Trent for his contributions to
the Senate and wish him and his family well as they open a new chapter
in their lives.
Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a dear friend and
colleague here in the Senate whom I have served with in this body as
long as I have been in the Senate. Over the course of his 35 years in
Congress, Senator Trent Lott has developed a reputation for strong
leadership, a bipartisan approach to legislating, and an unwavering
commitment to Republican ideals and values. As you know, he is the only
Senator to have served as whip in both the House of Representatives and
the Senate, and it was under his watch as a younger legislator that our
Nation saw significant economic recovery and increased national
security in the 1980s that had the support of those on both sides of
the aisle. Over the years, from my time in the House of Representatives
to my time here in the Senate, I have looked to Trent for collaborative
examples of how to accomplish important, conservative goals such as tax
reform, support for our military, and health care transformation, to
name just a few. He has gained a remarkable, lasting reputation for
being able to bring competing interests to the table, to work out
successful answers to policy challenges--a quality that is in
increasing deficit here in Congress these days. Trent has committed his
congressional service to Mississippians to furthering policies that
stand for America: a strong national defense, responsible and fair tax
policies that encourage economic growth, and health care that puts
patient needs above Government mandates. I am especially heartened that
Trent remains unequivocal in his belief in second amendment rights.
Trent and I have worked together over the past few years on the
Finance Committee, and I have been pleased to have his support on
legislation that we have moved through the committee, legislation that
advocates tax policies that do not penalize Americans for saving or
investing. Trent understands that tax structures that favor small
business investments, individual saving and investing, and a financial
services system unburdened by onerous regulations are critical keys to
a healthy economy for the United States, one that translates into a
more stable global economy.
I have been pleased to host Trent when he has come to Idaho, and I
have had the pleasure of visiting the great

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State of Mississippi. Trent's retirement from the Senate, while in his
best interest and in the interest of his family, will be a loss for the
Senate and the promotion of conservative values here in Congress.
Mr. BURR. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a man who is my close
friend but who, more importantly, is an American patriot and statesman.
Today, we pay tribute to Trent Lott, whom many, including myself,
consider an institution within this great institution.
I have known Trent for a number of years. He has served as an able
and well-accomplished leader, a great Republican whip, and a
distinguished Congressman and Senator from the State of Mississippi. A
man of impeccable character, Trent always shows the utmost respect for
his colleagues and for Congress itself, always putting the interests of
the country before his own. Trent Lott has a leadership style that I
personally admire and I believe often went underappreciated. He loves
this institution, and we respect him for that.
During his tenure in Congress, Trent has been a legislative warrior
fighting for commonsense solutions to our country's most difficult
challenges. He does not seek credit for his achievements--they are too
numerous to list--even though he has been instrumental in shaping our
great democracy.
Trent Lott is a modest and honest man who has made the United States
a better place from where it was when he first took the oath to serve
in Congress decades ago. He is a true gentleman, and I have no doubt
that his impressive legacy will live on for generations to come.
God bless Trent Lott and his beautiful family. Your service to this
great Nation will certainly be missed but will never be forgotten.
Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President. I rise today to celebrate the career of
Senator Trent Lott--an accomplished leader, a great American, and a
true friend. Trent has spent more than three decades in Congress
tirelessly fighting for a State and a people he dearly loves.
Trent's path in life has followed closely that of the great American
story. His humble beginnings, as the son of a hard-working teacher and
pipefitter, established the foundation to value an honest day's work.
These principles have remained ingrained in Trent's heart throughout
his historic rise to the Senate.
In his more than 30 years in Congress, Trent has earned an immense
amount of respect among his peers. Easily said, he knows all the ins
and outs. While there are many things we can all learn from his legacy,
the most notable of all is the power of compromise. Senator Lott has
proved to every one of us the impact reaching across the aisle can have
on this country. It seems simpler these days to say ``I am a
Republican'' or ``I am a Democrat'' and to leave it at that, but for
Trent Lott reaching across the aisle and working with others has led to
results.
Trent has shown all of us that we share the commonality of serving
the American people in the Congress. We are here to make the best
decisions we can for our country and its people, and bipartisan
solutions are a vital component to the legislative process.
When looking back at Senator Lott's accomplishments, the list is long
and distinguished. In the areas of foreign policy and national defense,
Senator Lott has been a strong supporter of our armed services,
stationed both domestically and abroad. He has fought hard for the
security of our Nation and the protection of our service men and women.
Likewise, he has not forgotten the commitment our veterans have made to
this country and has upheld what he knows is our responsibility to
support our veterans at every opportunity.
As a public servant, my colleague has fought strongly to keep
Government off the backs of the American worker and set the stage for
the Republican revolution through the progrowth gang the ``Five
Amigos.'' Alongside Congressman Jack Kemp, House Speaker Newt Gingrich,
Senator Connie Mack, and Congressman Vin Weber, Trent advocated
President Reagan's approach to politics, tax cuts to promote economic
growth for everyone in America.
Never far from his mind is his beloved home State of Mississippi, the
sparkle in his eye. He has stood by the people of his State with
unwavering devotion. When the people of his State were devastated by
Hurricane Katrina, Senator Lott shared their pain with his own family's
loss and jumped into action. He dedicated his efforts to secure
disaster relief and restoration construction.
Senator Lott has recognized the importance education plays in
developing tomorrow's leaders and has been a staunch advocate of
improving the education system in Mississippi. Over the past few years,
Senator Lott has sent several excess Senate computers to public schools
in Mississippi in and effort to increase their students' access to the
vast amount of information in the 21st century. His commitment to
education in his State will be enjoyed for years to come.
I have had the great privilege of working with Senator Lott on a
variety of issues. During my years in the House of Representatives, I
remember when, as the Senate majority leader, Trent worked tirelessly
to help pass the landmark welfare reform bill of 1996, such a
monumental piece of legislation that it is already receiving history's
praise.
It has been a pleasure to work with him in Senate republican
leadership and to serve alongside him on both the Commerce and Finance
Committees. Last year, on the Commerce Committee, Trent and I worked
together to establish broad video franchising reform. This year, as a
member of the Finance Committee, Senator Lott has been a very strong
advocate for enacting permanent tax relief without increasing other
taxes.
There can be no question that Senator Lott is a man of results; his
remarkable list of achievements illustrates this very point. But it is
important to highlight that Trent does not overpromise. He will tell
you just as straight as he can, ``I'll be with you until I can't be
with you anymore.''
Senator Lott stands among few men in this world; a promise isn't
simply a word to him, it is a commitment to make good on a pledge.
Trent carries around a small notebook in which he records every promise
made to him or by him. Senator Lott is a man of his word who will hold
you to yours.
For the 7 years I have been in the Senate, I have been in a small
group with Trent who have met to pray together and to share each
other's burdens. I have seen him on the highest mountain and the lowest
valley. Through it all he sought his Lord for wisdom, comfort, and
strength.
On a personal level I will miss serving alongside my friend. But I
know wherever this life leads you, I am certain the Lord will bless
both you and your incredible wife Trish. I also know you will bless
those whose paths you will cross.
As his role as a Senator nears an end, I ask that we remember Senator
Lott's legacy to this country, his State, and its people. Senator Lott,
I wish you and your family the best of luck. It has been a privilege to
serve alongside you in the Senate.
Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, as we come together for this last week of
legislative activity before we adjourn for 2007, I appreciate having
this opportunity to join my colleagues in expressing our appreciation
for the many contributions to the Congress that have been made by one
of our colleagues who will soon be retiring. We have heard many great
speeches, seen a lot of passion and emotion--all well-deserved and
heartfelt.
Trent Lott, who has a well-earned reputation as a hard worker and
great fighter for the people of Mississippi, has announced that he will
be leaving the Senate so he can spend more time with his family.
Although I understand the reasons for his departure, I know I will miss
him and his presence and active participation in our work and the day
to day life of the Senate.
Trent's story begins in a town called Pascagoula in Mississippi. It
is where he was raised and it is the place he still calls home. His dad
worked in the shipyards and his mother was a teacher. Together they
taught him the great lessons of life, and when he left for college he
was already showing the presence of the leadership qualities that would
someday help to lead him to a career in politics.
Trent enjoyed his school years and after a year of law practice,
Trent got

[[Page S15810]]

a job with Congressman William Colmer, who was from his hometown. When
Congressman Colmer retired after 40 years in the House, he encouraged
and endorsed Trent as Trent ran for and won his seat.
I have often heard it said that the great formula for success is
preparedness plus opportunity. I know that Trent believes it too, which
is why when the opportunity came for Trent to run for the House, he was
fully prepared and that ultimately led to his success. He then served
in the House from 1972 until his election to the Senate in 1988.
Here in the Senate, Trent has compiled a remarkable record of
achievements because he understands the importance of working together
to reach common goals. I have a similar rule I have often put into
practice during my service in the State legislature and here in the
Senate. I call it my 80/20 rule. Simply put, it means we can agree on
80 percent of every issue. It is the other 20 percent that can sometime
throw us off track and prevent a solution to the issue at hand. If we
are going to make any progress, the key to success is to focus on that
80 percent and not allow ourselves to get sidetracked.
Trent fully understands that principle and he has put it into effect
throughout his political career. Whenever he was working on an issue he
knew that it was better to walk away with half a loaf than wind up with
nothing. He knew that, with half a loaf in hand, he could always work
on negotiating for the other half sometime later on down the road.
That spirit of cooperation and compromise has been Trent's hallmark
and his guiding philosophy during his service in the House and Senate.
That is why he was able to get so much done for his State.
There is no doubt that the people of Mississippi love Trent and they
greatly appreciate how hard he has been working for their best
interests. That is why they kept sending him back to Washington after
every election.
I will never forget when I was running for reelection in 2002 and
Trent came to Wyoming with his wife Tricia to help. He was a big hit
and he received an enthusiastic response everywhere we went. It made a
big difference to me to know that our leader in the Senate was willing
to take the time to help a fellow Republican who was up for election.
I wasn't the only one, of course. Whenever Trent saw an opportunity
to help one of our nominees, he was always there to lend his support
and provide whatever was needed to increase our chance for success.
Trent has been very fortunate in his life, but nowhere has he done
better than in his choice of a spouse. The old adage is true. He and I
both ``over-married'' and our lives have been blessed with the presence
of a spouse who makes it possible for us to do everything we need to do
as Senators. Without them, our lives and our jobs would be impossible.
Now Trent has decided to leave the Senate and pursue another
adventure in his life. He will be greatly missed and, after more than
30 years of fighting for the people of Mississippi, he will be very
difficult to replace.
Trent will always be remembered as someone who had a talent for
putting together agreements so that everyone came out a winner. He has
been in more battles than I can count on the floor and in committee and
through it all he has always stood up and fought for the things he
believes in, like keeping our taxes low and providing a strong defense
to keep us safe and free from harm.
In his statement about his retirement, Trent reminded us of the Bible
passage that tells us that everything has its own time, everything has
its own season. For Trent, this will be a time of great change and the
beginning of another new season in his life. One thing that won't
change, however, will be Trent's continued service to God and the
country he loves.
Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I join my Senate colleagues in wishing
Senator Trent Lott well as he leaves the Senate. I have known Senator
Lott since I arrived here in 1993, and he has always been a model of
civility, and someone whose word you can rely on. While we don't have a
great deal in common politically, we still have worked together on
important issues like media concentration and 527 reform. One of the
best things about working in the Senate is finding ways to reach across
the aisle and work together, and I am pleased that Senator Lott and I
could find that common ground. I think that is what the American people
want us to do, and it is something that Trent Lott has always done very
well. It was a pleasure from time to time to be on the same side as
Senator Lott. He is an effective and tenacious legislator, and I think
we both enjoyed the strange bedfellows aspect of our work together. I
particularly enjoyed appearing before the Rules Committee when Senator
Lott was its chairman.
Senator Lott has given so much of his life to public service, serving
34 years in Congress, in a number of different leadership posts. I have
appreciated his willingness to work together on a number of issues, and
I have appreciated what a fair and courteous colleague he has been. I
know that the people of Mississippi will miss his leadership, as will
so many in this body. I wish him all the best as he leaves the Senate
and returns to private life.
Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I rise today to congratulate my
friend, Senator Trent Lott, on his 35 years of service to the people of
Mississippi in both Houses of Congress, and also to wish him well as he
leaves the Senate, and begins the next chapter of his incredible life.
Senator Lott was born in Grenada, MS, in 1941. His father was a
shipyard worker, and his mother was a schoolteacher. He went to the
University of Mississippi in Oxford, where he earned an undergraduate
degree in public administration, and a law degree.
After finishing his education, he went to work for his local
Congressman, William Colmer, for 4 years. When Congressman Colmer
announced his retirement in 1972, he endorsed Trent Lott as his
successor--even though Colmer was a Democrat, and Lott ran as a
Republican. Trent Lott won that election. And he was reelected to
Congress seven times.
As a congressman, Trent Lott had a major, positive impact on his
colleagues, and also on the economic vitality of America. After the
1980 election, he was elected to serve as House minority whip, and he
became the first southern Republican to ever hold that position.
Counting votes, building coalitions, and moving legislation were
things he seemed born to do, and he genuinely enjoyed the process. In
1981, he helped forge the bipartisan alliance that enacted President
Ronald Reagan's historic, across-the-board tax cuts.
Those tax cuts have been extremely successful. Since they went into
full effect, the U.S. economy has almost quintupled in size, the Dow
Jones has surged from less than 1,000 to over 13,000, and a wave of
revolutionary technologies, including cell phones and the Internet,
have strengthened America's position in the global marketplace.
In 1988, Trent Lott ran for, and won, a seat in the U.S. Senate.
Since he arrived, Trent has earned strong marks from the people of
Mississippi, and they have reelected him to the Senate three times.
Senator Lott has never forgotten the needs and concerns of his
constituents. I know about his compassion, dedication, and hard work
because I have seen it firsthand.
In 2005, as we all know, Senator Lott's house was destroyed by
Hurricane Katrina--a storm that created so much destruction throughout
the gulf coast.
Since then, Senator Lott--along with his partner from Mississippi,
Senator Cochran--have helped lead the fight to make sure that
Washington meets its obligations to the people of the Gulf Coast
states, who are rebuilding still today. His commitment during this time
is a good part of why he decided to run for reelection.
Throughout his tenure in the U.S Senate, Trent Lott has demonstrated
tremendous leadership ability.
After the 1994 election, he was elected Senate Republican whip, and
in 1996, he succeeded another Senate legend, Bob Dole, as Republican
leader.
During the next 6 years, Senator Lott was a strong leader for several
pieces of legislation that improved life in America in a wide variety
of ways.

[[Page S15811]]

First and foremost was the landmark welfare reform bill of 1996.
The next year, Senator Lott worked to produce a bipartisan agreement
that cut taxes, cut spending, and most importantly, balanced the
Federal budget for the first time in almost 30 years.
Then, in 2001, Senator Lott led the fight for President Bush's tax
cut package. Combined with the tax cuts that followed in 2003, lower
taxes have once again recharged America's economy, even as the global
economy grows more competitive

Since 2003, we have created 8.3 million jobs, which is more jobs than
all the other major industrialized countries in the world combined. The
economic growth caused by those tax cuts has also led to record tax
revenue. Federal tax receipts are up more than 37 percent over the past
3 years. This has enabled us to cut the budget deficit in half, and if
trends continue, we will be able to eliminate the deficit as soon as
2012.
During recent years, Senator Lott has also taken a leadership role on
other issues, including improving education and strengthening homeland
security. In fact, he brokered the compromise that created the
Department of Homeland Security. He was also instrumental in passing
the Rail Security Act.
Senator Lott's ability to round up votes and get results is clear for
anyone to see. That is why his Republican colleagues elected him
assistant Republican leader again last year.
I have had the privilege to serve with Senator Lott as a member of
the Republican leadership and have watched him affect the outcome of
every major piece of legislation that has gone before Congress.
Last month, when Senator Lott announced his intent to resign from the
Senate, I was saddened--like all of my colleagues--to hear of his
plans. However, like all of my colleagues, I also understand his desire
to have time for himself and his family. After 35 years of public
service, he deserves that and more.
America is a better place--and has a brighter future--because of
Trent Lott.
I wish Trent and Tricia, and their family all the best in the future.
Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, as this session of the Senate draws to a
close, I want to say thanks and farewell to one of our most dedicated
Members, Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi, and to wish him all the
best in the next phase of his life.
In his 36 years of service as a Member of both the House and the
Senate, Trent Lott has consistently demonstrated his deep commitment to
our nation and to his state. His amazing understanding of intricate
Senate rules and procedures has guided us through many challenges. His
outstanding work as our Republican whip has strengthened our caucus and
our two-party system.
I have had the privilege of working with Senator Lott on two issues
of paramount importance to the safety and security of our Nation. Like
me, he comes from a shipbuilding State and he fully understands how
essential seapower is to preserving our freedom. We have worked
together to strengthen our Navy and to pursue a dual-shipyard strategy
because it is in the best interests of America.
As a leader of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Committee, I had the opportunity to work closely with Senator Lott
during our investigation of the response to Hurricane Katrina. His
knowledge of the gulf region was invaluable, and his compassion for the
victims of that disaster was inspiring. Although his own home was
destroyed by the storm, Senator Lott was on the front lines from the
start, directing resources where they were most needed and helping cut
through the redtape. Before Katrina hit, he had planned to step down
from the Senate last year, but with the needs so great and with a
contribution yet to make, he instead ran again so that he could
continue to serve at a time when his experience and dedication were
most needed.
Although Maine and Mississippi are separated by great distance, both
are rural States facing similar challenges, and I have always found
Senator Lott a strong ally in meeting them. I was especially pleased to
cosponsor his Amtrak reauthorization bill, which recognized that the
benefits of modern rail service must be made available to all States
and to all of the American people.
Last April, I had the honor, at Senator Lott's invitation, of
addressing students at his beloved University of Mississippi.
Specifically, I addressed students at Ole Miss's Trent Lott Leadership
Institute, a designation made in honor of his commitment to public
service. It is a commitment that has greatly benefitted our Nation, and
it is the legacy for which Senator Trent Lott will always be
remembered.
Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, it is with sadness and affection that I
note the imminent departure from the Senate of my dear friend and
distinguished colleague Trent Lott of Mississippi. Trent and I came to
the Senate together almost 20 years ago. Over that time, I have come to
respect Trent's leadership abilities, but most of all I have treasured
his friendship and counsel.
Trent and I come from different places but we share a deep love for
our country and a deep respect and appreciation for this institution in
which we have been privileged to serve. Trent not only represented his
beloved home State, but he became a national leader because his
colleagues recognized that he had extraordinary abilities to make this
institution work.
Like all successful and effective Senators, Trent understood that for
this institution to work for the American people, the 100 Members of
this body must find a way to cooperate; despite the differences in
region, ideology, party, and even personality. Trent had a seventh
sense of what motivated his colleagues and how they might approach an
issue that was before the Senate. Sometimes, it was uncanny how
prescient Trent could be about the outcome of a particular vote on the
Senate floor. He understood that one could compromise in order to
achieve results without compromising core principles.
Yes, Trent was a conservative Republican partisan when he needed to
be. But Trent also knew there were times when it was critical to put
partisanship aside for the national interest. Particularly in the area
of national security, Trent comprehended that Republicans and Democrats
must find a way to unite to promote America's interests.
In addition to being an effective legislator, Trent is a man of
considerable charm and warmth. Hadassah and I have great memories of
the times we spent with Trent and his wonderful wife Tricia. When we
would travel abroad, Trent was a terrific companion and always carried
himself with honor, style, and grace. I even remember a moment when we
were staying in a hotel in Scotland when we were forced to hurriedly
exit in the middle of the night because of a fire alarm. Yet, there was
Trent, perfectly coiffed and unruffled. Our leader!
Although Trent was always devoted to the institution of the Senate,
he was also devoted to another critical American institution--the
family. Trent did not merely talk about family values--he lived them.
Trent saw no contradiction in being a good Senator and being a good
husband and father. That is to his tremendous credit, and, for all of
us, a tremendous lesson.
Above all, Trent appreciated the miracle of America. He rose from
modest means in Grenada, MI, to ascend to the legislative heights in
Washington, DC. However, Trent never abandoned the values of faith,
family, and hard work that were his inheritance from his beloved
parents, Chester and Iona Lott.
Trent, as you begin this new chapter in your life, I wish you well.
Your example of doing what is necessary to make this institution work
is something we have all benefitted from. The people of Mississippi and
the people of America are grateful for your service. And Hadassah and I
look forward to continuing our friendship with Trish and you for years
to come. May God bless you and yours, dear friend.
Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I rise to speak about Senator Lott. The
Senate is a place--and we have heard it today for 2 hours with
wonderful eloquence and thoughts and humorous stories and anecdotes
about Senator Lott--it is a place of words and language. It is also a
place, obviously, of legislation, and

[[Page S15812]]

legislation leading to laws. But, most significantly, the Senate is a
place of people, of individuals--individuals who come here from all
over our Nation, representing their people but always representing
America, and who meld into the institutions and traditions of this
extraordinary place in various ways. Certain individuals leave an
indelible mark. There are not too many, but there are some who have.
I would expect that Trent Lott will be one of those individuals.
I have had the great pleasure and honor of working with Trent Lott
off and on for a long time. I was elected in the class of 1988 to the
House of Representatives. He was elected Republican whip of the House
at that time.
Somebody mentioned in their statement--and I served in the House with
him and have served in the Senate with him for many years--that he won
three major leadership elections by one vote. I know I, at least, voted
for him in those three elections, so maybe I was that one vote.
Our wives and our families have integrated over the years and have
been close and done a lot of interesting and fun things together. Kathy
and Tricia are very close friends. Trent and Kathy are close friends.
And I am a close friend of Tricia. We really enjoy that friendship, and
it goes back to a lot of different instances.
There are a lot of stories told about Trent Lott. One of my favorites
is that Trent tends to like to sing and dance. I guess that comes from
his cheerleading days at Mississippi. But he has so much energy he has
to let it out through song and dance. On occasion, he can be drawn into
this. In fact, it does not take too much to get him to sing.
We were at a gathering once, where Tricia and I and Kathy were
sitting around a table near a stage, and Trent was up on the stage
singing with his good friend, Guy Hovis, and then there was dance music
that started. Tricia, knowing Trent as she does so well, turned to
Kathy and said under her breath: If you don't look at him, he won't ask
you to dance.
Little did Tricia know that Kathy actually likes to dance too. So the
two of them went off and danced away and had a great time. Tricia and I
sat at the table dancing inside. But as a practical matter, he has an
energy and a personality that is effusive and effervescent, and it
draws everybody in.
He is truly the American story. He is not a southern story, he is an
American story. He came from a family of moderate means. His father was
a pipefitter. His mother was totally committed to him. He raised
himself up and went to his beloved University of Mississippi, which I
think he still thinks he is going there some days he talks so much
about it.
His whole life has revolved around Mississippi and the people of
Mississippi and the people he has helped in Mississippi. This is what
has made him go: his ability to reach out and make people's lives
better, to change their lives and improve their lives.
He has brought all those Mississippi values here. I think there is
some sort of almost genetic quality to Members of the Senate from the
South. They just have this ability to move through this body with ease
and with comfort and make everybody feel relaxed and enjoy them. They
do not have that stoic nature that we might have, those of us from the
Northeast. Rather, it is just the opposite. They have an energy and an
effervescence and a personality that brings people in and causes people
to want to work with them.
Of course, numerous statements have been made about what a great
individual he is, about going across the aisle and understanding how
you go across the aisle and make things work here. That is absolutely
true. He is a tremendous doer of legislation because he has the
capacity to bring together coalitions. He knows how to reach out to
people in a comfortable way. He also knows how to fight a fight and win
it.
But it goes well beyond this issue of working to reach compromise to
make legislation pass because he has had a passion for getting things
done. He also has a philosophy of how we should govern. He is truly a
conservative, a fiscal conservative, an individual who understands the
importance of giving the individual opportunity, giving the individual
the capacity to succeed in our Nation because he had undertaken that
and accomplished it.
But it always goes back to his Mississippi roots, I believe. He now
has--I think it is something Senator Alexander described because
Senator Alexander and his wife, Honey, and Kathy and I had the good
fortune to be invited down to visit him at Tricia's new home--we call
it Tricia's home--in Jackson, MS, where they bought this very nice
house they are restoring. It is an antebellum house. It is a beautiful
house. He just loves the land. He loves the people who come to the
house. The people he sees, he loves, throughout his day and when he is
traveling in Mississippi.

Of course, he loves his tractors. He has this whole shed full of
tractors. I am sure there must be maybe 7 tractors there, farm
equipment. Of course, only 1 or 2 of them actually work. But as a
practical matter, he loves them. He loves them. He loves to just drive
around his property and make sure his fields are cut. He cuts them, and
he makes sure they are properly taken care of. He is working his
Mississippi land. He and Tricia built this beautiful home down there,
where I suspect their purpose is to gather their family which is so
important to them: Chet, Tyler, their grandchildren coming over on a
regular basis. Kathy and I just looked at them and said: These are
special people. These people represent the values we really have as
Americans--not as southerners but as Americans--the value of family,
value of honesty, value of integrity, the willingness to get things
done and to work hard. Succeed, and then take advantage of your
opportunities to make life better for others, and that was his whole
purpose in the Senate--to make life better for America but especially
for his constituents in Mississippi.
Of course, then came Katrina. What a devastating effect it had on him
and Tricia. They had this beautiful home in Pascagoula which, again,
Kathy and I had a chance to visit, an extraordinary house in a line of
Victorian houses right on the waterfront. Out behind the house there
was this magnificent oak tree, just huge. I have never seen such a
spectacular and large tree. The storm came, of course, and it wiped out
his house, it wiped out his brother-in-law's house, his sister-in-law's
house, and every other house anywhere near there was devastated. He
found his class ring, I believe, three blocks away, or somebody found
it and gave it to him. All of their memorabilia, the things that meant
so much to them, the photos of their families, their notes and comments
they received from people, from Presidents and others, all the
memorabilia that had represented his lifetime and Tricia's lifetime, of
family and Mississippi activity was also spread and destroyed by the
storm, and the house, of course, was eliminated by the storm.
But I asked him, because I was so startled, if the tree was still
there. He said to me: Yes, the tree is still there. The tree is still
there, this huge oak tree that is so beautiful, so magnificent and so
elegant. As Trent leaves this Senate, I think of this oak. He may be
leaving the Senate, but he is still here, and he will be here. His
memory will be here, and the way he did things, the way he taught those
of us who learned from him will be here. He will leave a legacy which,
like an oak, will stand for a long time in this body. It was an amazing
and an extraordinary privilege to have the ability, the right, and the
privilege to serve with him, and for Kathy and I to get to know him and
Tricia over these many years. So we thank him for his service, and we
look forward to continuing our friendship as the years proceed.
Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, there is something that is being concluded
tonight or upon the time we go sine die, and that is the career of
Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi. While many have come to the floor
over the course of the day to speak about Trent, I have not had that
opportunity because of several other meetings and a committee that was
in session. So I wish to take a few moments to visit with all of my
colleagues about my friend and my associate Trent Lott.
There is not a lot I can say to add to what has already been said
about his quality as a person, his ability as a leader.
I first got to know Trent in 1981 when I came to the House. He had
already been there for 10 years and was

[[Page S15813]]

rapidly growing in stature amongst Republicans as a leader who would
ultimately be chosen to work as a Republican whip in the House.
He and I grew to know each other and our wives got to know each other
during that period of time and a clear friendship developed. But it was
not until both of us left the House and came to the Senate that we
developed a different kind of relationship and friendship that,
frankly, most Senators don't have the opportunity to do.
Trent Lott and I and John Ashcroft, the Senator from Missouri, who
became U.S. Attorney General under this administration, and a former
Republican, and then to become a Democratic Senator and then to retire,
Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont, all four of us developed a very unique
relationship that no other Senators shared. We found out that we could
sing together and that in doing so, we could not only have fun
ourselves, but that other people, sometimes with a smile, would suggest
they enjoyed listening to us.
We formed a group called the Singing Senators, and over a period of
about 4 years, we traveled from Los Angeles to Springfield, MO, to
Branson to Houston to Nashville. We were on the ``Today Show.'' We sang
at the Kennedy Center. What was most interesting was, we shocked folks.
Not only after a lot of practice did we begin to sound pretty good, but
can you imagine stuffy, blue pinstripe suit Senators all of a sudden
singing ``Elvira''? That we did, and we had a lot of fun doing it, and
we entertained people all over the United States.
But what came out of that was a friendship and a bond that probably
few others have because the four of us traveled together with our
spouses in all of these locations that I mentioned and a good many
more, not only to entertain the public and to show we were human by our
character, while we could still be Senators, but also to raise money
for our party or to raise money for a Senate candidate.
I will never forget the time when we were in Los Angeles and there
were about a thousand people out there waiting to hear us. We were
singing off of a CD with our background accompaniment music, and the
system broke down. And what do you do when the music stops? Well, most
people quit singing. But we found out that we could sing a cappella, or
without accompaniment. So we sang ``God Bless America,'' we sang a
couple other songs, and then they got the music fixed. And I think the
audience enjoyed us without music more than they enjoyed us with music.
Anyway, we had a lot of fun.
But in the end we did something else. We went to Nashville and put
all our songs together on a CD, produced several thousand CDs, just to
give away, and found out that they were in demand. So we sold them all,
and all of the money went to the Ronald and Nancy Reagan Alzheimer's
fund. And, frankly, we found out to our great surprise that it raised a
lot of money.
I know Trent and John and Jim and I still today, every so often, will
get a phone call from somebody who says: I just listened to your CD
again, and you know, you guys were amazingly good for United States
Senators.
Now, that is probably a side of Trent Lott that was not spoken to
today, but it is a side of Trent Lott that you all ought to know--the
smile, the joy, the fun we had of singing the kind of songs we sang in
a way that Senators are just not supposed to do. For in the end,
Senators are like an awful lot of other folks out there--we are human.
We have a very human side to us, with our friends and our families, and
that is what we learned about Trent and Tricia Lott and John Ashcroft
and his wife and Jim Jeffords and his wife, as we traveled around the
country singing on behalf of Republicans, but really singing on behalf
of America because we enjoyed it and we hoped others would enjoy it.
That is something I will miss when Trent Lott leaves because we have
had an opportunity since that time to get together on occasion and sing
a few songs and enjoy ourselves. Trent Lott, a great United States
Senator from Mississippi, and a guy with a pretty good bass voice.
Mr. HAGEL. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to our friend
and colleague, Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi. When Senator Lott
steps down at the end of this year after 35 years of service to our
country in the Congress, he will leave behind a legacy of leadership
and service to Mississippi.
I have known Senator Lott for many years. Our friendship dates back
to when he was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1972.
In 1981, when serving as House Republican whip he played a central
role in the formation of a bipartisan coalition which produced national
security initiatives and promoted economic recovery under President
Ronald Reagan.
In 1994, Senator Lott became the first Republican to ever have been
elected whip in both houses, and then went on to become Senate majority
leader. He and his friend and fellow Senator from Mississippi, Thad
Cochran, who were both elected to the House in 1972, were the first two
Republicans to win statewide elections in the Magnolia State since
Reconstruction.
In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina left nothing but an oak tree on the
front lawn of where his home had been in Pascagoula, MS, Senator Lott
worked tirelessly for recovery funding and tax breaks for gulf coast
homeowners and businesses who had lost everything.
My wife, Lilibet, who is also from Mississippi and I wish Trent,
Tricia, and their family every happiness in their new life. They have
earned it. But we will miss them.
Mr. President, I know all our colleagues join me in congratulating
Senator Trent Lott on a long, successful, and distinguished
congressional career.
Mr. BOND. Mr. President, born in Grenada, raised in Pascagoula, and
educated at the University of Mississippi--there is no denying where
Trent Lott is from. He is a true son of Mississippi.
Trent is one of my few colleagues who knows how to say ``Missouri''
right.
In all seriousness, it has been an honor to work with Trent Lott, and
a real pleasure for Linda and me to get to know his wonderful wife,
Trish.
Senator Lott has had a remarkable career in Congress that has spanned
seven Presidents, two impeachments, and most importantly, decades of
progress that has made Mississippi and America stronger and more
prosperous.
He saw Watergate up close and personal, oversaw the end of the Cold
War, spearheaded enactment of historic welfare reforms, shepherded
passage of tax relief in both the Reagan and Bush administrations that
made America's working families more prosperous, and helped pass
numerous historic trade agreements to create more U.S. jobs.
While his career in Washington began in the House, he quickly became
a creature of the Senate and built a reputation as a parliamentary
master.
Getting work done in the Senate is no easy task. I like to say it is
a lot like getting frogs in a wheelbarrow. Some may call it herding
cats. However you would like to say it, Senator Lott knew how to get
the job done.
Senator Lott always knew how to count votes and get the best deal
based on Republican priorities and principles. In the Senate, there is
no higher compliment. And in that respect, Trent is a Senator's
Senator, reflected both in his work on behalf of Mississippi and on
behalf of America.
On behalf of the country, his belief in fiscal responsibility led to
a historic tax cut agreement that produced the first balanced budget
since 1968.
His belief in investing in a strong national defense has made our
country safer.
On behalf of his home State of Mississippi he has been tireless in
his efforts to promote economic development and expand job creation.
From investing in schools to improving infrastructure, his contribution
has been extensive and lasting.
Thanks to Senator Lott, Toyota, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman,
and many other companies have a home in Mississippi.
It has been a tremendous honor and privilege to serve with Trent
Lott.
I join my colleagues in congratulating the Senator and thanking him
for his many years of service and our friendship.
Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I rise today to join in recognizing
Senator Trent Lott.
Less than 6 months ago, I joined the Senate. I was selected to serve
out the term of our dear friend, Craig Thomas, and given the
responsibility to represent the people of Wyoming.

[[Page S15814]]

My experience has only been enhanced by the quality of the
individuals with whom I serve. The welcome has been warm, the advice
gratifying, and the diversity of my colleagues remarkable.
This morning's session is about the incredible service of one
exceptional Member of the Senate, Trent Lott. President Reagan once
said, ``I know Trent Lott as one of the most important leaders in the
country on issues vital to all Americans.''
Shortly after I joined the Senate, Senator Lott was kind enough to
visit with me and share some advice. In addition to his advice on how
to deal with the Senate as an institution, it was his advice of a more
personal nature that is most inspiring. Senator Lott stressed that to
survive the chaos and challenge of serving in the Senate, it was
important to never be far from the people you love the most. It was
evident from his words that the depth of love for his wife Tricia, his
family, friends, and the people of Mississippi was the key to his
success in Washington. His inner strength comes from the people who
supported him when times were tough and challenged him when he thought
all was well. It is a lesson I will remember for as long as I am
fortunate enough to represent the people of Wyoming in the Senate.
If he were with us today, Senator Thomas would want to extend his
heartfelt best wishes to Trent and Tricia. I know Susan Thomas wishes
the entire Lott family many years of happiness and success. I join all
of my colleagues in wishing all the best to this remarkable man.
Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, the first call I received from Trent Lott
was in 1986 when I first ran for Congress. Though the polls hadn't yet
closed and I still didn't know that I won, Trent called me up to
congratulate me. In 1994 when I ran for my Senate seat, Trent Lott
again called me on election night to tell me congratulations. Trent and
I have worked together for 21 years and he has always been the best
political mechanic in Washington. I take great pride in having helped
launch the successful political career of Trent Lott by being one of
his first supporters in his bid for the Republican Whip position.
People quite often take shots at Trent without justification. Don
Imus used to say on his morning radio program that it looked like Trent
``combed his hair with a sponge.'' Well, I have to admit it did look
that way sometimes, but if that is the worst you can say about Trent, I
think he is doing just fine.
One lesson I've learned from Trent is that you shouldn't take things
too seriously. I've seen him laugh in the face of adversity on more
than one occasion, most recently when Trent's home in Mississippi was
wiped out by Hurricane Katrina. Romans 5:3 tells us to rejoice in our
sufferings because ``suffering produces perseverance; perseverance,
character; and character, hope,'' and certainly I've seen that in the
life of Trent Lott.
When he talked this morning about his four pillars of family, faith,
friends, and freedom, the one that people didn't talk much about was
his faith. I have prayed with him at a weekly meeting for many years,
an I have to say this about him: he is a faithful and obedient person
to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So many of my colleagues say they
have lost a friend, a colleague, and a statesman, but I have lost a
brother. I rejoice in the contributions that Trent Lott has made
throughout his life.
Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I wanted to take a few moments this
morning to pay tribute to my departing colleague, Senator Trent Lott of
Mississippi.
Senator Lott has been a trusted friend, a hardworking legislator, and
a skilled party leader on issue after issue in his 35 years of
distinguished service in the House and Senate. He has been a tireless
champion of conservative values over the year, but it is a testament to
his unfailing courtesy and affability that he has been so popular and
effective with his colleagues over the years, without ever surrendering
those core values. This Senate will miss his presence and example, and
his state and his Nation will miss his principled leadership.
I often think about what an incredible country this is where the son
of a Kansas farmer and the son of a Mississippi shipyard worker can
work together on the great issues of our day in the world's greatest
deliberative body. I know that this country is better for the fact that
Trent Lott, with all of his talents and abilities, was given that
opportunity.
Senator Lott was instrumental in the great political realignment that
took place in the South throughout the 70s and 80s; in fact he was only
the second Republican elected to Congress from Mississippi since
Reconstruction. He went on to become one of the most effective
political leaders of his day, perhaps one of the most effective leaders
this body has every seen. Trent has been amazingly effective, in
building coalitions, in working across the aisle, and in leading his
party.
Those of us on both sides of the aisle who have worked with him over
the years know that Trent Lott is a man of his word. In large part,
that has accounted for his political effectiveness, both with the
voters and with his colleagues. With Senator Lott, there is never any
question about where he stands and who he is, and that kind of
integrity gains people's respect and admiration.
His integrity was never more apparent than when he stayed in the
Senate out of a sense of duty to his state to see his people through
the terrible natural disaster that was Hurricane Katrina.
After three decades serving the people of his State and serving his
country in the U.S. Congress, we now say farewell to our valued
colleague. He has served his country with resolve, honor, and energy.
As he leaves us in order to spend more time with his beloved family, I
join my colleagues in thanking Trent and his wife Patricia for their
service to their country, and I wish him all the best in his future
endeavors.
Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I have not had the privilege to serve
in the Senate with our colleague, Senator Lott, for as long of a period
of time as many of those who have spoken today.
But it doesn't take that long to realize just how important the
Senator from Mississippi's contribution to this institution has been.
We all know of his tremendous dedication to the institution that is
Congress. Thirty-four years of public service between the House and
Senate. His creation of the whip organization in the House that
emphasized Member-to-Member contacts and outreach to the other party.
Election to the Senate in 1988, as the Senate majority leader in 1996,
and then as the Republican whip earlier this year.
But rather than lament the loss of a tremendous asset, I would like
to celebrate his accomplishments.
When there is a problem to be resolved, Trent can resolve it. When
there is a compromise that needs to be brokered, Trent will broker it.
And when there is a shortage of tomatoes at the Lott household, well,
Trent always knew he could find a few extra in the garden a few doors
down.
My husband and I have been fortunate these past 5 years to be
neighbors with Trent and Tricia. We share many things as neighbors--I
blow the leaves down the sidewalk to his yard, and he blows them back
to mine.
Jokes aside, whether it was the quick conversations between Members
during votes, or a closed door sit down discussion on the issues, Trent
knew the pulse of the Senate. He works like a butterfly--going from
Member to Member on the floor, lighting for a moment to discuss an idea
or resolve an issue and then going on to another. Always friendly,
always working to find the path forward.
His ability to develop those relationships and work out a deal to
everyone's satisfaction is a skill that I certainly look to as a model
for how the Senate should operate.
So it is with great fondness that I wish my friend and colleague well
in his future endeavors. I wish him and Tricia well as they embark on
the next stage of their adventures.
Trent, thank you for your friendship, and for your service to this
Nation and this institution.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from South Dakota.
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, as a sort of starting point, I noticed that
throughout today we have had a lot of legislative business, and I
thought it was interesting this morning, when

[[Page S15815]]

many of my colleagues came down here to pay tribute to Senator Lott,
that while that was going on, and I was coming down here as well to
listen to some of those and to offer my remarks at that time, I was
handed a whip card to go start to do some whip work, because that is
the task that Senator Lott--and I have had the honor to serve on his
whip team--is entrusted with here in the Senate.
So it was always focused on the task and always on the work at hand.
Even as we were in his last day here in the Senate paying tribute to
him, he continued to work hard at the responsibility that had been
entrusted to him by his fellow Senators on this side of the aisle.
It was a great privilege, as I said, to be able to serve in that
capacity and to learn from Senator Lott. I think he has the distinction
as perhaps the only person who served as the whip in the House of
Representatives and now in the Senate. As he leaves, he leaves a great
legacy. Many of us who have had the opportunity to learn under his
tutelage about the way this institution operates have been blessed to
have someone like him to be a teacher.
Senator Lott always understood that although we deal with very
serious, very weighty, sometimes complex and oftentimes consequential
issues, it is also important that we not take ourselves too seriously.
Trent never did. Even those of us sort of plain Midwesterners who
resisted the seersucker suit day and its attendant fashion statement
recognized the value of many of the trends that Senator Lott was
responsible for instigating.
Trent never lost sight of the fact that in the end--while we are
elected officials, we are Senators, we have responsibilities to our
constituencies, responsibilities under the Constitution,
responsibilities to our country--that we are all human beings. In the
end, despite our differences, the relationships are what will endure.
He worked actively at building those types of relationships.
I first had the opportunity to meet Trent when I was a Member of the
House of Representatives. Like many of my colleagues who at the time
served in the House, he was the leader in the Senate. But we had some
opportunities to interact, and we always respected the work he did and
the way he understood the Senate and its rules and its procedures and
was able to effectively make it work to produce results. Ultimately,
that was always his objective. He knew we were going to disagree, he
knew there would be differences, but in the end his objective was
always to get us across the finish line so the Senate could complete
its work, and the work of the American people could be done.
I will certainly miss, as will many Senators, that personal touch,
that sense of humor, that warmth, that smile--all those things that are
part of his character and his personality that are so closely
associated with the Senate.
My office is next to his on the fourth floor of the Russell Building.
It was not uncommon for Senator Lott to do the pop-in visit. He would
pop into my office, always to have a discussion about perhaps what the
issue of the day was. But there was not one of those pop-in visits
where I didn't learn something, where just, again, having been exposed
to him presented the opportunity to learn from someone who had mastered
this institution after serving here for those many years; someone who
also understood the House very well, 34 or 35 years, I think, in total
in the House and Senate, as well as having served here as a staffer
prior to that.
When Senator Lott came to the Senate the very first time as a
staffer--I don't know exactly the date, but I know it was sometime in
the late 1960s--I was probably in first or second grade, somewhere in
that vicinity.
Over the years, his service has helped accomplish a great many things
for the American people. He has been a great leader for the Republican
Party. As majority leader, as minority leader, as minority whip,
majority whip--in all those positions he has held he has had one goal
and objective in mind, and that is to help his team help this great
country continue to prosper, continue to be safe and secure for future
generations.
If I think there are any lessons that can be learned, things that I,
perhaps, learned from Trent during his service in the short time I have
had the opportunity to serve with him, one would be to serve causes
that are greater than yourself. I think he had a great sense of purpose
about what was important in life. Clearly, that was the case or he
would have gone off and done other things a long time ago.
Second, to be serious about your work. He was very much, as I said, a
task master. I know from experience, serving on his whip team, that
when there was a task at hand he was very focused and intently
conscious of the importance of getting the job done and getting it done
in a timely way. He was serious about his work. But the other thing he
understood was he never took himself too seriously. He, as I said,
invested in relationships in this body, knowing full well it is those
relationships that will have the enduring value.
The final lesson that I got from Trent is never forget where you came
from. That was one thing he also modeled. He was a Mississippi original
through and through. That was something you always sensed. His
priority, his heart, was always with his home State. What came through
loud and clear to all of us when his State was struck with the
adversity that came from Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath of that
was the enormous work he did to help his State to recover. He always
had a sense of where he was from. He never lost sight of that, and who
he represented.
There is a verse in the Bible that says:

Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

I think you could always tell what things Trent treasured. You could
always tell where his heart was because of the things that he
treasured. His faith was very important to him in a personal way. His
family, his beloved wife Tricia, and his children, were always a top,
first priority for him. Finally, his friends. That was something I
think you heard abundantly today as people from both sides of the aisle
got up and talked about their experiences and the relationships that he
had built with them over the years. If you can judge someone, where
their heart is, by where their treasure is, you always knew where Trent
Lott's heart was. It was with his faith, it was with his family, and it
was with his friends.
I am very proud and privileged to count myself among those friends.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.
Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, how much time do I have?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is recognized for 3 minutes.
Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I may speak for
as long as I wish to consume. That will not be very long. I cannot talk
about Senator Lott in 3 minutes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. BYRD. I thank my colleagues, Mr. President.
Mr. President, in his political memoir, ``Herding Cats: A Life in
Politics,'' our distinguished colleague, the former majority leader,
Senator Trent Lott, noted that he viewed his ``years in Washington as a
magnificent experience, with many more mountaintops than valleys.'' How
is that? Let me say that again: He viewed his ``years in Washington as
a magnificent experience, with many more mountaintops than valleys.''
What a wonderful way to look at one's experience in the U.S.
Congress. Everyone in public life knows there are valleys. Life may be
unfair, but in public life, that unfairness, I daresay, is magnified
tenfold. But as Senator Lott explains, he prefers to look at the
mountaintops, and his political life has been one of many mountaintop
experiences.
This son of a shipyard worker and public school teacher was elected
to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1972. He was in the House for
16 years, where he distinguished himself by serving with great aplomb
on the House Rules Committee as his party whip. I know something about
that party whip. That ain't easy.
In 1988, he left his safe and secure seat in the House to run for the
Senate. Reach for the stars. In the Senate, Senator Lott has served as
Republican conference secretary, Republican Senate whip, Senate
minority leader, and Senate majority leader. As the Senate

[[Page S15816]]

whip, Senator Lott became the first Republican ever elected to the whip
positions in both Houses of Congress.
As the Republican Senate leader, Senator Lott served with dignity and
with diplomacy. Diplomacy was his tool. He was a facilitator who sought
to bring differing political factions together on key legislative
issues.
Trent Lott established solid, productive relationships with the
Senate Democratic leaders in order to keep legislation moving, moving,
moving to the floor. Make no mistake, as a conservative Republican,
Senator Trent Lott has always been combatively--combatively; underline
that word, combatively--partisan in his thinking and his approach to
public policy, but--a big conjunction here--but he never allowed his
partisanship to become stubborn or nihilistic or destructive. No,
never.
Senate Majority Leader Reid--that is Harry Reid, Senator Harry Reid,
majority leader--recently commented on how closely he has worked with
Senator Lott. They negotiated. They negotiated. Together they worked
out compromises, which, as they say, is the art of politics and the
legislative process. Majority Leader Reid then explained:

Even though Trent Lott is certainly a true conservative, we
were able, in his pragmatic fashion, to work things out.

It is not easy. Allow me to state this in another way. Senator Lott
always put the good of this institution--right here, this institution--
and the good of our country first; that is, above partisan political
interests or political party. For that, I have always respected him,
Trent Lott, and I have always admired him.
Senator Lott takes great pride in his roots and his southern
heritage. I, too, am a southerner and am proud of that. My great uncle
was killed fighting for the Confederacy. As a champion of his beautiful
and beloved home State of Mississippi, he was always on call for the
people of the Magnolia State. This was best seen a few years ago when
he was considering retiring from the Senate at the close of the 109th
Congress, but feeling an obligation to help his State to recover from
the deadly and devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina, Trent Lott
decided to stay with us, and I, for one, am glad he did. Thank you,
Trent.
In his political memoir, ``Herding Cats,'' which I mentioned a few
minutes ago, Senator Lott included a special chapter entitled ``The
Differences Between Friends and Colleagues.'' ``Differences Between
Friends and Colleagues''--what a powerful and insightful look this is
into the political realities of life and work on Capitol Hill. Senator
Trent Lott pulled no punches--none--as he discussed the differences
between the two. He bluntly recalled telling one person: You didn't
help me when you could have. Senators, think of that. Think of that
statement if it was said to you: You didn't help me when you could
have. That is piercing, leaves nothing unsaid. I guess that about sums
it up: You didn't help me when you could have.
I will miss Senator Trent Lott. I wish him and his very lovely wife
Tricia--tell her I said hello on behalf of Erma and myself--I wish him
and his lovely wife Tricia health, happiness, and success as they now
embark upon the next phase of their lives. I pray they will enjoy
nothing but the best. They have earned it.
Mr. President:

It isn't enough that we say in our hearts
That we like a man for his ways;
And it isn't enough that we fill our minds
With psalms of silent praise;
Nor is it enough that we honor a man
As our confidence upward mounts;
It's going right up to the man himself
And telling him so that counts.

Then when a man does a deed that you really admire,
Don't leave a kind word unsaid,
For fear that it might make him vein
Or cause him to lose his head;
But reach out your hand and tell him, ``Well done'',
And see how his gratitude swells;
It isn't the flowers we strew on the grave,
It's the word to the living that tells.

Thank you, Trent.
Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, while I was deeply saddened when Senator
Trent Lott told me he would retire at the end of the year, I understood
completely why he made this decision.
Trent and Tricia have been trying to restore their lives in
Mississippi following the devastation of their home as a result of the
terrible devastation which struck our East Coast during the Katrina and
Rita hurricanes. They lost their home--and most of their possessions,
and, they need time to recover.
There is no Senator with whom I have served who has had a deeper
commitment to our Nation. Trent was the whip of our party in the House
of Representatives when I was whip here in the Senate. We initiated
weekly conferences to try to share the progress and intentions of our
leaders at that time. From those days until now I have considered Trent
one of the best friends I have had in my lifetime.
Trent and I have served together on several committees of the Senate.
Our primary work together has been on the Commerce Committee where
Trent has been our leader on the aviation and maritime commerce
subcommittees. His work on our Commerce Committee will be sorely
missed.
Trent's own words on ``herding cats'' is well known here. He has had
more success in achieving bipartisan results than most people outside
the Senate know. Trent has not sought the credit for what he has
accomplished--it has been enough for him that he knew the job was done.
His role as a member of the ``Singing Senators'' is well known. What
people should know is that he had the good sense to ask this Senator
not to join--they didn't need a monotone!
As I told the The Politic, it is doubtful the Oak Ridge Boys will
come back to the Capitol. Trent brought them to the LBJ Room--where he
asked them to sing ``The Late Night Benediction at the Y'all Come Back
Saloon.''
It is hard for me to visualize the Senate without Trent Lott. I
believe every Senator here now knows what he has done. He stepped down
from the leadership--kept a smile on his face and went back to work. He
regained the leadership as he was selected to be our whip--and the
Republican leader's comments show that Trent Lott became the whip any
leader would dream to have: loyal, supportive, full of energy to get
the job done, and all with that smile that we all know so well.
So, as I said in the beginning, it is with sadness that I join in
wishing Trent and Tricia the best that life has to offer as they leave
this Senate family. Catherine and I wish them the best and will pray
for their success in the future.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Mississippi, the Republican
whip.
Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I can't help but feel honored and humbled by
all that has been said here. My mother would have loved it and would
have believed it all.
I feel totally inadequate to properly respond to much of what has
been said. I thank my colleagues one and all, and, of course, the
venerable symbol of this institution, Senator Byrd, and his comments,
ending as he always does with magnificent quotes, from memory. So maybe
it is appropriate that I would begin briefly by telling some of my
experiences with Senator Byrd.
When you enter my son's home in Kentucky, on the wall, framed, is a
tribute he gave to my first grandchild--a grandson--the week he was
born. I was majority leader and came on the floor that Friday, and he
asked me if I would be around for a few minutes; he had something he
would like to say. It was truly one of the most beautiful things I had
ever heard in my life. Maybe it was because I thought my grandson was
the most beautiful I had ever seen, but it was so magnificent, and he
ended with a quote of how a grandfather wants his grandson to remember
him. So it hangs there in a place of great pride. ``Chester Trent Lott,
III'' is the title.
Senator Byrd and I have worked together, and of course we have
disagreed. There have been magic moments. I remember when I was
involved in our little singing group, he came on the floor one day and
asked me if I had a little time; he had something he would like to show
me. So he went down to his office and he showed me a video of himself
at the Grand Ole Opry playing great fiddle. So we were bonded by music,
by heritage, by faith, and in so many ways.
I could tell a story about certainly each one of these colleagues
here and a lot on the other side and how I have enjoyed being here and
have enjoyed my

[[Page S15817]]

work, and a lot of it has been on a personal, one-to-one basis.
Sometimes, when I really, really cared about something, on a personal
basis, for my State or for the Senate or our country, I would go to
that Senator's office. I remember one time it took me quite some time
to track down Pat Roberts, because he was hiding from me, but I found
him.
I remember one time I needed a vote, and I needed some votes on the
Democratic side. So the simple thing I have always thought is, you
know, go where the ducks are. If you are looking for votes, you have to
go talk to them, you have to pursue those votes. So I went to Senator
Byrd's office. As always, he graciously welcomed me into the inner
sanctum. I think I smelled a cigar, which delighted me, and I sat down,
and he listened to me as I made my pitch. I talked about the attributes
of this nominee for a very important position and why it was so
important, I thought, to the institution and why it was important to me
and my State. He listened, he asked a couple of questions, and asked me
to repeat the name.
At the end, he said: Well, I think everything will be okay. He didn't
say: I will vote for him. He just said: I think everything will be
okay. I figured it was good enough and time for me to take my leave,
and I did. I talked to my senior colleague, Senator Cochran, and said:
What does that mean? He said: I think it will be okay.
So the vote came, and it was okay. He was one of a number of
Democrats who did vote for that confirmation. It was just sort of the
epitome of Senator Byrd. I respect him as a great Senator, I respect
him because of the way he loves this institution, and I respect him as
a friend.
I take occasion, when I am in the Senate, sometimes when I am
leaving, to go over and say: How are you doing, Senator Byrd? Because I
know how he felt about Erma, I know how he loved Billie, and he has so
many things that appeal to me and that make him a great man. I single
him out now because of the beautiful remarks he just made and because
really he is emblematic of the relationships I have had with so many of
my colleagues here.
I guess, to tell you the truth, I really was kind of hesitant about
this moment and about being here today and what you would say, but it
all sounded so good, now I am thinking of changing my mind and maybe
announcing for President or something.
But to our leaders, Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader--he and I
did work together on many occasions and without a lot of fanfare. I
remember we would bring up a bill, and 100 amendments would always
appear. I got to thinking it was the same 100, but then he and I would
go to work, with me in the leadership of my party and he as the whip on
his side, working with Senator Daschle, and we managed to get it done
over and over again. We established a relationship of trust and honesty
with each other that is so critical.
I think he has the toughest job in the whole city, being the majority
leader in the Senate, and not just because I had it but because I got
to see what it was all about. The President has the whole
administration, the Speaker has the Rules Committee, but the leaders of
the Senate, on both sides of the aisle, they lead because of who they
are and the power of persuasion they have and the respect for the
position they hold. Nothing in the Constitution gives them special
powers.
So I appreciate what Harry Reid has said. He has been a friend, he
has been a supporter, he has offered me encouragement when I was down
and when I was up. He has been very generous and magnanimous in what he
has had to say, and I admire him. I wish him only the best because when
he succeeds in working and making this institution work and produce a
result, most of the time the country succeeds.
To our Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, you knew just a little bit
too much about my background, all these personal references, but I
appreciate it. It means so much to me. You have been a great friend. We
have been in the leadership together, we have kept our word to each
other, we have been supportive of each other in tough times and good,
and I really enjoyed having you work with me in the leadership when I
was leader, and I have been so honored and thrilled to be a part of
your leadership team.
I told you that I knew what your job was and I knew what the whip job
was, and I would be your whip and I would support you. And I want the
record to show here, and for one and all, I think you have been a
magnificent leader for our party this year. It has not been easy. It
has been tough. Both of you are going to get criticized, but I have
been riding shotgun for you, and it has been a great pleasure, my
friend. You have done a magnificent job for our party.
I have to recognize our most senior Republican, too, Senator Stevens.
He told me yesterday he didn't like my nickname for him, so I am
working on a more appropriate one for him, but he has been a good and
loyal friend too. When I was a whip in the House and he was a whip here
in the Senate, he took me under his wing, even took me on some flights
with him. But I admire you so much, Senator Stevens.

And I have to say to my colleague from Mississippi, it has been quite
a ride--35 years--but we have enjoyed each other's company. No matter
how tough things get, we could always sit down and talk about Ole Miss.
I really thought I would be the head coach this year, but that didn't
work out. But the thing I will always say about Senator Cochran, and
typically of him, after Katrina, which was a seminal event in my life,
obviously in the lives of my families and neighbors and friends, and my
State, we had so many needs, and Senator Cochran immediately went to
work and produced appropriations--more than one--and he got everything
we needed. He didn't jump up and down and brag about it.
He helped not only my State but, as Senator Vitter said, Louisiana
and the entire gulf region, and here is what really impressed me about
it. We all took credit for what he did--I did, our Governor did, our
mayors did--and he sat there quietly in the second row in Biloxi, MI,
on the 1-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and public official
after public official got up and took deep bows for what they had done.
Finally, I had all I could stand, and I got up and said: I am glad we
all got to take credit. Now it is time we recognize the man on the
second row who actually did it. I will forever be grateful for what you
did after Hurricane Katrina, which was obviously a very tough event.
To my staff, who are lined up back here--I have a great team.
Typically, Senate staffers do so much of the work and we take the
credit, but I have been blessed with super staff this year, and there
are some former staff members in the balcony. I have a rule in my
office that once you work for Trent Lott, you always work for Trent
Lott no matter who pays your salary, and, you know, it seems to work. I
never let them go. They are always on call and they are always there,
and I thank you all for that.
I want to do something, too, that I have done before. We don't do
enough to thank our entire Senate family, everybody from the elevator
operators to our policemen and the people here. I think the staff of
the Senate here on the floor appreciates it. I have always tried to
think about you too. One of my speeches about the sun is setting, isn't
it time to go home--as most of you know, I was serious when I said I
wanted to go home and have supper with my wife Trish, and on occasion,
I did it and didn't come back either.
But to all of the staff: Thank you. You have helped in so many ways.
Our leaders on the staff--I think of Elizabeth Letchworth, Dave
Chiappa, and Marty. They just do great jobs, and so I want to express
my appreciation to them.
To my State of Mississippi, they have shown me a lot of leniency.
They have honored me, and they have put up with me sometimes, and it
has been quite a pleasure to represent that State. I love it, always
will, and will always be working for the State.
But especially to my wife Tricia and our two children, Chet and
Tyler, and now our four grandchildren, they have been very supportive,
and they have always stood by me. My wife has been a lot more than a
wife and mother, she has been a real helpmate. I thank them for all
they have done.
I do want to say again to the Senate itself, I have learned to love
the institution. Senator Byrd occasionally accused me of trying to make
the Senate

[[Page S15818]]

into a mini-House, and I have denied it, but maybe I was, in my desire
for order and neatness. The messiness of the Senate sometimes was hard
for me to take.
But I love this place, and I was thinking about it today--the
friendships. They are real here, but they don't go away. Some of our
colleagues have gone before us whom I have dearly loved as friends and
not just colleagues, people such as Connie Mack, Dan Coats, Phil Gramm,
and Paul Coverdell was mentioned. These are friendships which will last
forever.
Dianne Feinstein. One of my regrets in deciding to retire is that now
we have sort of formed a team, and I think maybe she is a little peeved
at me that she took a stand with me after I took a stand with her, and
now I am going to the house. But this is a great Senator, and she is a
symbol of what I hope the Senate will remember to do, and that is to
really go the extra mile to be a friend and to have a personal
relationship.
She took on the seersucker Thursday. When we lost everything, she was
the one who made sure my wife had some glasses for us to drink out
of. She didn't do it for publicity, and I never talked about it
publicly, but it was a very special gesture.

I thank my colleagues for letting me be in the leadership. Thanks to
my colleagues and the American people for allowing me to have some fun
while being in the Senate. I commend it to you, for the future. I
didn't form the Singing Senators, the quartet, just because I like to
sing base or because I enjoyed music, but because I wanted to show that
side of the Senate. Could the Senate really have soul? Could the Senate
really have music in its heart? As bad as we sounded, there was method
in my madness. I also thought it would lead me to find ways to get one
of our Senators to vote with us more. I think it got one more vote than
we would have otherwise.
But the kilts--you know, just being a little looser I think is a good
idea every now and then. I believe whatever you do in your life you
should find a way to enjoy it and have fun. I have to say I have had
fun in the Senate because I really enjoyed it. That is all there is to
it. But I tried to find a way to do some things that made us closer as
friends.
I am glad we recorded some history with the Leaders Lecture Series. I
urge my colleagues to restart that, bring in experts to talk to us, men
and women who led the Senate, who led the country, who know the history
of our country and the history of this institution, and give us some
opportunity to have an intellectual discussion about what the Senate
is, what it has been, and what it can be.
I do hope we will always find a way to be just a little bit family
friendly. Remember, we all have families at home, back in our States.
Our leaders sometimes could give us a little reward; if we would behave
and allow them to get to a vote quicker, maybe we could get home to our
families a little quicker.
Senator Byrd mentioned the fact that I have been on mountain tops and
down in the valleys. I thought many times about my high school class
motto. As class president--we had a class flower, we had a class color,
we had a class song, we had a class everything. We had a class motto
that has lived with me since those years at Pascagoula High School in
1959. Our class motto was:

The glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time
you fail.

I have had opportunities to fail, and I have had opportunities to
persevere, as the people I represent. It has been a great motto, one I
have learned to live by.
I am not going to give a long speech today. I quoted a great
philosopher about how you should speak on occasions such as this. He
said: You should speak low, you should speak slow, and you should be
brief--John Wayne. I am going to try to honor that. I am not going to
give you a list of achievements because I have been so pleased with
what my colleagues have had to say. But among the things I really am
proud that we have done in my years in the Senate: We have built our
military, we have made it stronger, we gave them better pay, we gave
them better retirement benefits. I will always be proud of that. We had
tax cuts, tax reform, and strengthened the economy, even things such as
safe drinking water. I had communities in my State that literally
couldn't drink water out of the faucets. We have improved on that. We
had insurance affordability, welfare reform, transportation.
When I announced my retirement a couple of weeks ago, one reporter
asked about what was I most proud of. I said: To tell you the truth, I
am not the kind of guy who sits around meditating on what I am going to
put on a marker somewhere. I am proud of all of it. But I think I am
the most proud of the effort we had with colleagues on both sides of
the aisle, working very closely with Senator Domenici and Senator
Grassley and others. So in my 6\1/2\ years as majority leader we have
had balanced budgets, four, and surpluses two of those four. It hasn't
happened since 1968, and we are kind of struggling again. That is
something we need to do. Fiscal responsibility is a very important part
of what we can do for our children and our grandchildren. I hope we
will find a way to do that again in the future.
I have one regret. I guess I was part of the problem along the way.
The one thing I always hoped we could get done for our children and our
grandchildren we have not been able to do, and that is to find a way to
preserve, protect, and ensure that Social Security will be there for
our children and grandchildren in the way that it is here for us now. I
hope we will find a way before it is too late to get that done.
With regard to recommendations, I have no anger, complaints, I have
nothing but hope and joy in my heart for the future. I am so
appreciative of the way the Senate and the Congress and the American
people stepped up and helped us after Hurricane Katrina. But if there
were just two things I would like to urge the Senate to do--I have
touched on them, but I repeat them now--No. 1, find a way to make sure
Senators have a life and have some time with their families. When you
lose that, you have lost an important part of those pillars that make
us who we are--family and friends, faith and freedom. You have to make
sure you pay close attention to that and learn to know each other and
know each other's families. It will make us better people.
Then, last, find a way to keep the human side. It has been hard for
me, with my Scottish roots, to tell people when I really do appreciate
them and love them; to call people when they are celebrating and call
them when they are hurting. But when I hurt, myself, I know how much it
has meant to me to have some of you call and offer your support and
your encouragement. Find a way to do that. It is more important than
anything else that happens in the Senate. Keep that personal, human
touch.
Always find a way to disagree if you have to, but don't be
disagreeable. There has come sort of a meanness, sometimes, that I do
not think is befitting of the institution. I hope we will find a way to
stay away from that.
Again, I repeat something I said a moment ago. This morning when I
was doing my morning Bible devotional, the message that came through to
me was one of hope and joy for the future. I look forward to my
opportunities after the Senate. I am not going to say a fond farewell
because I am not leaving. I will not be here, but my heart will be with
you and I will be watching and I will stay in touch for the rest of my
life.
Thank you so much for being able to serve with you. I thank you all
for what you have had to say today. I do have a quick card in my topic.
I do want to talk to you about some folks who will be coming up later
this week.

Thank you very much. God bless this institution.
(Applause, Senators rising.)
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from California.
Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I hope we all heed Trent Lott's words that
he spoke so beautifully right now. He spoke from the heart, and he
spoke from experience. As I listened to him, I thought: We do sometimes
forget about what is important in life. I think he brought that back to
us.
I yield the floor.

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