Mr. President, I would, as usual, like to salute my leader, the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Byrd, as he spoke to what tradition used to be. I am reminded that in my first very inconsequential speech before the Senate -- but my maiden speech before the Senate -- I recall coming on the floor -- and at the time we still had our temporary assignments. That was in the good old days when there were 64 Democrats in the U.S. Senate -- good old days from my partisan perspective. And I remember not having my permanent seat. I was number 100 in seniority. My permanent seat ended up being the one nearest the rolltop desk at the back row, but at the time, my temporary seat was, I believe, the second or third seat in the back row, in the main section. And I recall coming over to speak and being told by a person in the Cloakroom that I should wait a few moments. I initially thought that I had already breached protocol in some way unknown to me, because a staff person in the Cloakroom asked me to wait. And to my great surprise -- and I might add to my not little, not embarrassment, but I guess the best way to say it is it made me a little nervous -- a distinguished U.S. Senator, one of the finest men whom I have ever served around -- I expect Senator Byrd would share my view -- Senator John Stennis, came over. He had called the Cloakroom to tell the Cloakroom that he wanted to hear my speech. And he sat in, if I am not mistaken, this row, and he turned his chair so that his back was not quite to the Presiding Officer, but looked intently at me throughout my speech. And I must say, it was one of the few times when I stood to speak -- maybe I would be better off if it occurred more often -- but it was one of the few times I stood to speak that I was actually nervous about what I was going to say. Because at the moment I stood up, I can recall, and I hope the Senate will excuse my personal references here, forgive me for reminiscing, but I stood up and I thought to myself, "My gosh, I am 30 years old, and "I am standing." And at the time I was standing next to Senator McIntyre's desk. Senator McIntyre had the desk that the senior Senator from the State of New Hampshire was always given the honor of having, one of the great, great, famous Senators and speakers in the history of the United States. I stood there and I thought to myself, my Lord, I am standing in the spot that men like Daniel Webster stood to speak, and looking at John Stennis watching me, and I froze. I could not remember how to begin my inconsequential speech. But I remember one other thing. I received a letter from one of the most powerful Members of the Senate then and now congratulating me on how I comported myself in my maiden speech. That letter was from Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, who was the whip of the Senate when I arrived, and a letter that I appreciated then and treasure now. So I wish to make the point that not only did the tradition exist, that we used to come over and listen, that those of us who were newly elected waited a moment before we spoke, but once we spoke senior Members who were considerably more busy than we were took the time and the courtesy and the interest in listening to what we had to say and responded. My friend from West Virginia is not only a man of the Senate and a man who knows more about the Senate than I suspect any man or woman who has ever served in the Senate, but he is also a man who honored those traditions and spent time with a 30-year-old kid from Delaware making his first speech, and making me feel as though the speech I made really made a difference, when in reflection I know it was of little or no consequence other than that I was able to muster the courage to stand in the spot where women and men -- men, in that case at that time in our lives -- stood, of much greater significance than me, then and now. It was a great honor to have heard my colleague this morning paying tribute to Robert Dole, as I did a moment earlier, but also an honor to have been treated with the respect and decorum that I was, almost 22 years ago this month, by the distinguished senior Senator from West Virginia. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who yields time? Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The absence of a quorum having been suggested, the clerk will call the roll.