Believe it or not, Congress actually needs more people like Sen. Trent Lott, who announced his retirement Monday.

The glib Mississippi Republican is a seersucker-loving Southerner whose conservative political views couldn't get him elected in Philadelphia to a seat on Traffic Court. But he brought a quality to Congress that more lawmakers need: He got things done.

Few elected officials in the last 35 years have shown more flexibility than Mr. Lott to work with the opposing party.

- The Philadelphia Inquirer