Mr. President, I had mixed feelings coming here today, and they were only confirmed by all those kind and generous things you said. Made me feel like I was a pickle stepping into history.

I used to walk through this house day in and day out looking at those pictures.I loved to go in the Blue Room and look at the wonderful portrait of Thomas Jefferson in there and his successors, and John Adams.And it reminded me of something that happened along toward my second term; maybe this will happen to you.

I was in Cleveland in a grade school looking at a reading program, and this 6-year-old kid came up to me, he said, "Are you really president?" And I said, "Yes, I am."He said, "But you're not dead yet."