[ksen]

That IS weird. How could somebody this inept have kept hold of power for so long? Is it merely that he had incumbency and seniority on his side?

I find it hard to believe that the other Republican senators didn't know that Lott could be this idiotic. If that's the case, then what does it say about the Pubbies that they allowed Lott to stay in power for so long?

[Wordsmith]

If that's the case, then what does it say about the Pubbies that they allowed Lott to stay in power for so long?

Sadly, not much. My (admittedly baseless) hope is that the younger generation of GOP leadership - like my new Senator Sununu, or Kyl from Arizona - is a lot more sophisticated in their understanding of how to handle conversations about race.

I realize it's how this stuff works, but I still wish the Pubbie Senators with name stature would come out and do the damage control Trent can't do himself. Where the heck is Hatch, or Gregg, or even McCain? How about one of our recent retirees like Gramm or Helms?

I've been trying to come up with an LOTR-inspired angle on this. Denethor comes to mind at first, fall of a powerful man due to pride and all that. But even the big D is too noble to compare to Trent.