Trent Lott: “let me make a very important correction. The gentleman I am going to speak about briefly is going to be moving to South…”

“let me make a very important correction. The gentleman I am going to speak about briefly is going to be moving to South Dakota, not South Carolina. He obviously likes cooler weather and not hot weather. He deserves to be able to go wherever he chooses after the great service he has provided to the Congress. I want to take a moment to say goodbye on behalf of the Senate to a man we know quite well. I know Senator Daschle is going to join me in this and make some comments, either in a few minutes or later. I am talking about Jim Talbert, who is Superintendent of the Senate's Periodical Press Gallery and is retiring this week after 32 years of service. Jim and I came to the House of Representatives in the same year, 1968. He was hired in the House Daily Press Gallery, and I was hired as an aide to then-Congressman Bill Colmer, chairman of the Rules Committee. Twenty-three years and five Speakers later, Jim crossed the DMZ in the Capitol to the Senate to be Superintendent of the Periodical Press Gallery. Early on, Jim figured out what it took to get things done around here: know the rules. He knew them. That is why he became such a valuable resource. His expertise on congressional procedure is widely recognized and consulted by rookie reporters, veteran correspondents, and, yes, even by an occasional Senator or House Member who knows that he spent those many years in the House.”