When I was sworn in as Mayor of Nashville back in 1991, I have to admit to you that I felt for several weeks like a bit of an outsider who had somehow taken over but didn't really belong in this nice palace. I secretly wondered if the real mayor would come back from vacation one day and call the police.

The future of our nation depends on our ability to produce food and fiber to sustain the world.

Washington, D.C. is full of think tanks, theoreticians and advocacy groups. Governors are the ones whose feet are on the ground.

My education commitment is simple. I believe that every child is unique. I'm going to work as hard as I know how, and I'm going to ask each of you to help me to offer all Tennessee children the education they need to energize their God-given talents to take them as far as they can go.

Tennessee is full of families - rich and poor - who manage to achieve balance. They use the resources they have, and add faith in God, love and commitment to each other, hard work and a focus on their children.These are the real families, the families that work, the families that shine. And that balance is the lesson for us.

When John Kerry and Zell Miller and George Bush can agree on an issue, you know it's got legs.