Trent Lott: “It is obvious, Mr. President, you still maintain your sense of humor. I want to thank you for your leadership and also…”

“It is obvious, Mr. President, you still maintain your sense of humor. I want to thank you for your leadership and also for the example you have set through a very difficult time. You took the appropriate step, and now we are prepared to move into a transition and to a new administration. Facing New Challenges Here in the Senate also we are having a historic experience. I would like to welcome all of the new Senators who are joining us today. I congratulate them. I look forward to working with the new Senators on both sides of the aisle. As Senator Daschle said, I also extend, again, our appreciation to the Senators who may be in the Chamber and who are retiring or leaving the Senate, who have served, most of them, for at least 6 years and some for much longer than that. They have done a lot to make this country a better place in which to live. I also extend our appreciation to the extended family of the Senate, our staff members new and old, and to the families who are in the gallery today. I realize we should not be referring to those in the gallery, but there are a lot of people who have made an awful lot of contributions and sacrifices to make this day possible for us in the Chamber. So we have a lot of people we need to thank, and also to realize that we are in a position where we can make this an even better country. To the new Members, I urge them to take a look around and think about the challenges and opportunities they will have here.”