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"Asking for forgiveness is reasonable--everyone makes mistakes. But wanting to do so and remain leader is not. The controversy is no longer just about Trent Lott. It's about the Republican party. Despite what Democrats would like to suggest, this is not because most or even many Republicans are secretly nostalgic for segregation. They aren't. Rather, it's because Lott failed to deal swiftly and seriously with the substance of his original comment."

Lott needs to do what is best for the country and for the GOP, and that means he must not be Senate Majority Leader. He is a liablity. If he wants to punish and sabotage the party because he is held accountable for his own stupidity...then we are better off without him. The ends don't justify the means...

From todays Wash Post ... "Bush, widely credited with helping Republicans win control of the Senate on Nov. 5, has enough clout on Capitol Hill to pull the plug on Lott if he decides the Mississippi Republican will hinder the GOP's outreach to the black community, Republicans say. So far, Bush, through his spokesman, has said Lott shouldn't resign."

I suspect Bush's aides are scouring the records of Frist, Santorum, Nichols, and McConnell right now, making sure that NO skeletons are in their closets ... then a quiet call from the prez to Lott.

If Lott refuses, then Bush has a "sister souljah" speech and requests his resignation as leader.

Agree with you here. If Lott goes, there's really 3 possible outcomes, by the way, and I'm not sure #3 has been discussed:

1) Lott resigns from the Senate immediately as "payback" for not getting his way and remaining as majority leader.

2) Lott cedes the Majority Leader position but remains a member of the Senate.

3) Lott steps down as Majority Leader, but stays on as a Senator until the Mississippi governor's election is over. THEN he steps down to pursue mega-bucks on the lobbying circuit.

It doesn't seem like Lott will consider anything but #1, but if he really cared about passing ANYTHING in the current Congress that would benefit his grandchildren someday, it seems like #2 or #3 ought to TOP his list. By him putting out the word that it's all or nothing, he's shown his character for the world to see. Like the kid who takes all his marbles home because he can't share. To repeat many other posters, it's all about him in the final analysis.