Q&A With New Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl

What kind of Senate will it be without Senator Lott, who was known for his exceptional deal-making skills, both between the two parties and between different Republican factions?
Every now and then someone retires from the Senate who truly was a giant. Trent Lott was in that category. Yes, he was a consummate deal maker. But he was a lot more than that. He understood the Senate and the House. He knew the people better than anybody else. And so he had the ability, on both sides of the aisle, to sit down and work things out. And that is a skill that is really needed around here, and he was the best at it. I will tell you right upfront that I'm not as good at it as he is. So it will be hard to fill his shoes. I will try to bring my skills to the job and approach some of the things perhaps in a slightly different way, but to try to achieve the same result.

What are these skills that you bring to this position?
First, I hope that all of my colleagues on the ideological spectrum appreciate that I appreciate their positions. I believe very strongly that all Republican points of view deserve to be heard in our conference and recognized. We are not monolithic. And I think they know that, and I think that's one reason they've shown their confidence in me. Secondly, I've been criticized a little bit for being a little too wonkish sometimes, actually reading the bills and that sort of thing. I hope that I can turn that into a positive and help colleagues understand the circumstances and issues that we face in ways that will help them come to the conclusion that would be most supportive of the Republican point of view. In other words, having knowledge about the issues and being able to talk about them with colleagues, I think, is an important skill. And I will try to employ that to the best of my ability.