How Sweet It Is
December 13th, 2002 - 9:30 am
Drudge (above the mast, no story link) says Trent Lott will hold a press conference today at 5:30 Eastern. Since that’s too late to be on anything but the weekend news cycle, I expect him to announce he’s stepping down from his leadership role.
UPDATE: I’m told Lott won’t be annoucing his resignation. Who was it that picked next Wednesday in the betting pool?
FURTHER UPDATE: Looks like my first call might be correct, after all. A reader writes to tell me Josh Chafetz’s sources tell him this will be a resignation announcement. Shoulda gone with my gut.
Fire up your VCRs and get ready to play Count The Minotirites!
Let’s see how many Lott trots out at his press conference to stand behind him, figuratively and literally. Maybe even a few hugs, a few kisses…
Jonathan Karl said on CNN that he had emphatically been told by Lott staffers that a resignation was not on the table; it’s strictly a show of contriteness, fuller explanation, blah blah.
I think he’s going to appoint Amiri Baraka as his Chief of Staff.
I think he floats not stepping down to see how bad the reaction will be.
There is plenty of time yet for him to see the error of his ways.
More contriteness eh?
They do understand that if Lott doesn’t step down, Bush’s whole agenda is dead in the water, right? Anytime the Senate Republicans want to anything even mildly controversial the dems will bring this up and Lott will fold, while sliding some more pork their way.
some guy: one would hope so. Frankly, about 5 GOPers need to get together and tell Lott that either he goes or they go. Before he makes a complete ass of himself at this press conference saying stuff that NOBODY believes any more.
I would think everyone learned this week (if they didn’t already learn years ago), NEVER underestimate Lott’s capacity to make a total fool of himself. I fear this is going to drag on far longer than it ever needed to because he wants to save his own political ass. He’s no Bill Clinton in that way, but he’s pretty damn bad.
“ah did not have segregational relations with that thurmond.”
What we can be sure of is that whatever he’s saying, he doesn’t want anyone to hear it.
My guess, Lott is being tossed out with the friday garbage.
“Lott sleeps with the Fishes” Bush will not let this go on, after he specifically named Lott in a speech yesterday, Bush and Rove will not cannot let Lott remain. All theoutreach done to the minority community …gone. “See I told you they were racist all along…”
Remember the Torch!! Didn’t Toricelli make noises about his final press conference being a mere clarification of earlier apologies? Daschle was smart enough to give him the shove. Your reputation is on the line, Boy Genius.
It’s pretty simple: This news conference is Trent Lott’s last opportunity to bow out in a graceful and face-saving manner. He can position himself as the victim and say that the attacks on him were unfair, but he’s stepping aside for the good of the country.
If he doesn’t resign as Minority Leader today, that opportunity is out the window. Then when he finally is forced out (and he will be), there will be no way to spin it as anything other than a humiliating personal repudiation.
It his choice: He can go out easy or he can go out hard. The smart choice is obvious. Then again, he wouldn’t be in this mess to start with if he was adept at making smart choices.
I agree with Wiener, but the performance of the Senate Republicans suggests that it will fall to the President to provide the humiliation. And Bush might be hesitant to big-foot another branch of government.
Hey Steven, have you noticed the weird thing going on with your time-stamps? Just sayin. Oh yeah, to hell with Lott.
Nope, he didn’t resign. Scumbag.
Thank goodness Lott clarified that he and Strom had a “platonic relationship”. This guy should not ad lib — but I think that’s already clear enough.
His main point. I know what it was like for a poor *black* boy in Mississippi to make it good, because I was a poor *white* boy who made it good. It’s as if he doesn’t even get that racism had an impact on blacks growing up in the deep South of the 50s. What a schmuck.
Someone should remind Lott that the whole repentance & apology thing didn’t work for Falwell after getting busted with an Airline Highway hooker in the Texas Motel, and it won’t work for him now… (Or am I the only one who finds the apologies to be similar in intent?)
Now that the Friday apology went over like a uranium blimp, I think that this will be his next astute political move.