Me, too. This is the first time I find myself questioning whether or not he's speaking from his heart or Rove's script.
If the president believes Lott's not a racist, has rebuked his stupid remark...then he should accept his apology and support him.
That vast "middle-land" would follow the president's lead.
IMO, he's speaking from his heart. Lott got himself into this jam, and the president is going to allow him to dig himself out of it...if he can. If the public percieves that Lott is somehow being propped up by the president, President Bush will be (again) accused of using his overwhelming popularity for the purely political gain of his fellow partiests. And the public would be right.
President Bush is not responsible for Lott. Lott is responsible for Lott. He isn't going anywhere, unless he screws up even more badle than he has. It's in the president's interest to keep him where he is, whether he likes it or not, because Lott was already making noises like he was gonna cave to senate Democrats over Homeland Security when the senate comes back into session. The president does NOT want Lott to cave in to Democrats.
Have a good afternoon all. I'm gonna go off and find a legal beverage and a football game.