House lawmakers wear plaid to honor retiring congressman

The lame-duck session of Congress is a good time for lawmakers to pay tribute to their colleagues who are retiring at the end of the term.

Perhaps none will be as colorful as the one for Rep. Howard Coble, R-N.C., who is departing after 15 terms. The House chamber was an explosion of madras as lawmakers from North Carolina and other states honored Coble, whose sport coats always brightened the day on Capitol Hill.

Rep. Patrick McHenry, the GOP's chief deputy whip, wore a red jacket not unlike one seen on Coble as he shared stories.

The reaction of North Carolina's Virginia Foxx, who was managing the floor time for the Coble tribute, to McHenry's sport coat is priceless on the C-SPAN clip he posted. We should note Foxx, secretary of the House Republican conference, also wore a (muted) plaid jacket.

Not to be outdone, Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina donned a brown plaid coat.

Outside of his work for North Carolina, Coble is perhaps known as one of the biggest foes of the congressional pension system. He never participated and could have been eligible for an estimated $76,500 a year on the taxpayer's dime starting next year.