Trent Lott: “I wish to take a minute at this time to express my appreciation and the appreciation of the entire Senate and I think a…”

“I wish to take a minute at this time to express my appreciation and the appreciation of the entire Senate and I think a grateful country for the outstanding work that is done year in and year out by these two Senators managing this legislation. Senator Inouye and Senator Stevens are two unique personalities, first of all. The service they gave to their country and the military during World War II would be enough by itself to cause us to want to express our appreciation to them. But their service in this institution and their leadership in these Defense bills year after year is really outstanding. They have done a tremendous job. They have helped keep America strong. They have helped make sure we have the facilities and the equipment our men and women need to do the job. That is why when we made the decision to go to war against terrorism and put our men and women into a situation in Afghanistan to deal with al-Qaida, the terrorists, we had some incredible equipment. The American people got glimpses of some of the tremendous things that have been done. Once again this year they have done a fantastic job. Unless I am mistaken, this is the largest Defense bill in the history of the country.”