Vacant Lott: The GOP and the Ghosts of Mississippi

National Review Online ^ | 12-10-02 | Robert A. George

[Sideshow Bob]

Hey, ho, Lott's gotta go!!

[Nonstatist]

Trent Lott is a disgrace. What a lightweight.

[Theodore R.]

You are right about Trent's deficiencies. But to push Lott out the window now would be an affront to free speech and expression. He just said some silly things at a birthday party, that's all he did.

[Nonstatist]

But to push Lott out the window now

So let's wait a couple weeks. But no more.

[section9]

It doesn't matter. Lott is ineffective. We continually lost seats in the Senate, and legislative battles to Clinton, since Bob Dole left the Leader's office.

The goofball is completely lost against Tom Daschle. We need someone up there who is quick on his feet, resolute on princple, and has a pair between his legs.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[sinkspur]

You, and everyone else on this thread, are overlooking the fact the the GOP Senators voted for Lott and elected him to be their leader.

Do they know something you don't?

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

Can't disagree with anything said in this article except maybe

1. One can't hold Grand Wizard Byrd accountable for what he says. Why not?

2. One can't be too smart to be majority leader ... hogwash. Whatever you think of LBJ he wasn't dumb and he totally reinvented the role of the majority leader and was probably the most effective leader ever.

But, I think Lott as angered the left, has angered the right, and I would much prefer Frist, McConnell or Nickles.

[MoJo2001]

Exactly! I don't like Trent Lott because the man has no backbone. I could careless what other dramas encircle his life. I think we need leadership that won't look at conflict and decide to flee principles. He's got to go. No backbone. No Guts. No leadership!

[honway]

Marianne F. Gasior ATTORNEY AT LAW 420 Atlantic Avenue Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15221

July 15, 1996

VIA CERTIFIED MAIL RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED

The Honorable Robert E. Rubin Secretary of the Treasury 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20220

: Dear Mr. Secretary:

: I am writing to inquire as to the status of the Kennametal investigation : by : the Office of Foreign Assets Control, and to inquire as to whether the : scope : of OFAC's investigation includes the role of First Lady Hillary Clinton : as : a : Director of Lafarge Corporation during the time Lafarge was involved : with : Kennametal and other parties in a conspiracy to commit numerous federal : offenses, including Trading with the Enemy, and to defraud the United : States : via an arms smuggling operation carried out through Lafarge's : Marblehead, : Ohio facilities.

: Documents obtained by Congressional investigators in 1991 clearly detail : Kennametal's violations of the August 2, 1990 Iraqi Trade Embargo, and : indicate a steady supply of the Iraqi war effort by Kennametal : throughout : 1990 and during the Gulf War in early 1991. These documents also show : that : Kennametal products originating in the United States were transhipped to : the : U.K., in violation of the Export Control Administration Act, and then : fraudently marked "made in the E.C.C." for shipment to Iraq. Further : investigation has revealed evidence detailing the path of the shipments : out : of the U.S. via the Ordnance Center located on Lafarge's premises on : Marbelhead Pennisula.

: Under 18 U.S.C. 371, Lafarge is liable as a co-conspirator for the : crimes : committed by Kennematal and others in furtherance of the conspiracy. : Since : the shipments which were in violation of the Trade Embargo and the : Trading : with the Enemy Act occurred between August 1990 and March 1991, the : First : Lady's potential liability as a Director and corporate agent of Lafarge.

: Moreover, serious conflict of interest issues are raised by the fact : that : Lafarge Corporation from 1990 to 1992, I am obviously concerned about : the : posssible correlation between OFAC's continued lack of action and the : First : Lady's potential liability as a Director and corporate agent of Lafarge.

: Moreover, serious conflict of interest issues are raised by the fact : that : Lafarge Corporate and its Board of Directors have been represented by : Buchanan Ingersoll the same law firm that was representing Kennametal in : the : Iraqgate investigations.

: Given the fact that the violations occurred in 1990 and 1991, that : documentation of the violations has been publicly admitted that the : violations occurred, it appears that OFAC has had more than enough time : and : evidence to initiated a criminal prosecution. Please inform me at your : earliest convenience as to the status of OFAC's Kennametal investigation : and : whether the First Lady and Lafarge Corporation are or have been subjects : of : that investigation.

: Very truly yours,

: Marianne F. Gasior

[eureka!]

Agreed. Lott is the face of the GOP Senate and this snafu is going to continue to get play as the presstitutes see a wonderful opportunity to paint the GOP racist. It may not seem fair, but Trent has not carried the ball and new blood is warranted....

[honway]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/803974/posts

'Skepticism and Fear' About Iraq's Nuclear Confession

Maybe it's time to put Lott's mistake in perspective. It's not like he served on a board of a corporation trading with the enemy, providing materials for weapons of mass destruction to Iraq.

[lawgirl]

BUMP that.

[Rappini]

After reading your response it appears to me that Reconstruction of the South is complete and being Politically correct seem to fit most of you folks.

[Boner1]

And take the hair peice whith ya

[Nonstatist]

Do they know something you don't?

No, they don't. It's just difficult politically to dump the one you went to the dance with (after having won the Senate back). And they don't blame him for losing Jeffords (although they should,IMO)

But this looks to me like the straw that breaks the camel's back. Let's hope so.

[Koblenz]

Robert George is a smart guy: I've met him a few times, and this article is exactly right. We don't need Lott. We'd be much better off without him at the top of the heap. Also, I don't think it would be that bad for the Republicans to tell him to take a walk. The Republicans should kick out the leadership when they become ineffective, much the same way a large corporation would. Treasury Sec. O'Neill just got a pink slip. Maybe it's time for Lott to get one too. He doesn't do anything except cut bad deals.

[Sideshow Bob]

Say it with me everybody...

HEY! HO! Lott's gotta go!!!

[bourbon]

I think that there are only 2 reasons that Lott will be kept on as Sen. Maj. Ldr. Those are personal loyalty (which seems to account for a lot in the Senate, especially in leadership races) and fear of caving in to liberal interest group pressure at this point. The Republicans in the Senate should have asked Lott to resign his post privately back when only conservatives/libertarians were criticizing Lott for this comment and before Jesse Jackson seized the issue and began his regular grand-standing procedures. This would have been a nice example of conservatives policing their own ranks.

Although I do not think he is a racist, I do think that Lott is somewhat of a ham-fisted, inelegant, and ineffective poltical leader who has a penchant for sticking his foot in his rather large mouth. I think these remarks can be attributed not necessarily to racism, but rather to a pattern of downright foolishness (which has been an undeniable feature of Lott's career).

I have an additional reason to wish that he would resign as majority leader. As a Mississippian, I am just tired of our politicians embarrassing us on the national scene with these kind of stupid remarks.

Besides, I'd love to see Mitch McConnell as the Senate leader. :-)

[Zack Nguyen]

It really makes no a bit of difference if the Republicans have elected Lott in the past. He made an extremely stupid comment. Whether he should be replaved for it I don't know, but I have personally favored his removal since he set up the House Impeachment Managers for failure and held a sham "trial" for the crimes of Bill Clinton. Right then he showed himself to be unworthy of any leadership position.