[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 195 (Wednesday, December 19, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S15974-S15975]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO SENATOR TRENT LOTT

  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Madam President, yesterday was a day of tribute to one 
of our colleagues, a gentleman who has served his State and this 
country admirably for many years. I have not had the privilege to serve 
in the Senate with our colleague for as long a period as many of those 
who spoke yesterday, but I think we know it doesn't take long to 
realize how important has been the contribution of the Senator from 
Mississippi to this institution. I listened yesterday to so many of the 
kind words. I heard repeated time after time: statesman, leader of an 
institution, truly a statesman.
  We all know of Trent Lott's tremendous dedication to the institution 
that is Congress, 34 years of public service between the House and 
Senate, his creation of the whip organization in the

[[Page S15975]]

House that emphasized Member-to-Member contacts and outreach that are 
so important in building relationships, election to the Senate in 1988, 
Senate majority leader in 1996, and then Republican whip earlier this 
year. We don't want to lament the loss of a tremendous asset, but we 
need to always remember to celebrate those accomplishments, learn from 
them.
  I learned that if there was a problem that needed to be resolved, you 
could go to Trent to resolve it. When there was a compromise that 
needed to be brokered, Trent could figure out how to make that happen.
  I learned that when there was a shortage of tomatoes at the Lott 
household, Trent knew he could just go a couple doors down the street 
and find some tomatoes in a friendly neighbor's yard. My husband and I 
have been neighbors with Trent and Tricia these past 5 years. As 
neighbors, we share a lot of things. We share a lot of leaves. He blows 
the leaves down the sidewalk to my house, and my husband will blow the 
leaves back down to his house--good, friendly neighbors. I have always 
appreciated that.
  Truly, whether it is the quick conversation between Members during 
votes or whether it is the closed-door sitdown when he comes to the 
office and says: Lisa, I want to talk to you about this, Trent knows 
the pulse of the Senate.
  I would watch him on the floor. He was like a butterfly. He would 
come over and alight next to somebody, have a quick conversation, a 
talk, and then he would move over to another area and do the same 
thing, kind of going from person to person, always working but always 
friendly and always working to find a path forward. His ability to 
develop those relationships and work out a deal to everyone's 
satisfaction is a skill I certainly look to as a model for how the 
Senate should operate.
  It is with great fondness that I wish my friend, my colleague, my 
neighbor well in his future endeavors.
  I wish him and Tricia well and truly love as they embark on their 
next adventure. We do know there will be adventures. I thank him for 
his friendship, his service to this Nation and to this institution.
  I thank the Chair and yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Pennsylvania is recognized.

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