He went to the House of Representatives in 1995 but retired in 2001 after sticking to self-imposed term limits. (Mr Carson replaced him.) His small-government militancy has led him at various times to talk of closing down the Department for Housing and Urban Development, and of privatising Social Security.
And I know that many of you have had a chance to interact with our Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, who's doing a terrific job, and I think you understand when you talk to him that this administration is serious about breaking down some of the barriers to reform that have existed in the past.