There’s been a great deal of debate about last week’s debates in Washington. I’m sure that you’ve heard about the saga of Congressman Kevin McCarthy’s now successful bid to be the Speaker of the House.  Final votes have been counted, fingers were pointed, names were called and hands were wrung. Pundits expressed daily dismay over the few days of delay in getting the new members of Congress officially sworn in. 

Our iconic Senior United States Senator, Richard Shelby, will walk out of the Senate chambers in Washington, D.C. next week and come home to retirement in Tuscaloosa.  History will reveal Senator Shelby as Alabama’s greatest U.S. Senator, especially when it comes to bringing home the bacon to the Heart of Dixie.  To say Shelby is the greatest is saying a mouthful, because we have had some great ones.  Shelby will rest along with the likes of John Bankhead, John Sparkman, Lister Hill, and Howell Heflin.  He has served longer in the Senate than any Alabamian in state history – 36 years.  He served eight years in Congress before beginning his senate tenure in 1986.