ATTN JULIAN BOND: June 6, 2001 --- KKK Byrd Is 3 Heartbeats from the Presidency

USA TODAY STORY archives | 12-16-02 | dfu

[doug from upland]

FROM USA TODAY -- 6/6/01

By voice vote, the Senate then elected Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., the senior Senate Democrat, as president pro tempore, replacing Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C. That is a constitutional and mostly ceremonial post that is also third in line of succession to the presidency.

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Note to Julian Bond: On this day, Mr. Bond, a former member of the KKK became the President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate. Ahead of him in our country's leadership were President George W. Bush, Vice-President Richard Cheney, and Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert.

Bond was being interviewed by Wolfie Blitzer and made a fool of himself. He defended racist and outrageous statments by Jesse Jackson, saying there was no comparison to Trent Lott. NAACP Chairman Bond, who teaches American History at the University of Virginia, claimed that what Lott said was far more egregious than Jackson because Lott was only 3 heartbeats from the presidency.

Apparently this college history professor should not be in the history department of the University of Virginia. In 8th grade, we learn about the line of succession. Trent Lott, incoming majority leader, is not in the line of succession. KKK Byrd, however, as pointed out to Bond by Arlen Specter, is in the line of succession.

Julian Bond, are you a liar or are you just stupid? Why didn't it bother you that for a year and a half a former KKK member was 3 heartbeats from the presidency?

What a fool.

[goody2shooz]

Julie baby needs to bone up on his history lessons!

[widowithfoursons]

Not a chance that an eighth grader in public school has a clue about the line of sucession. Probably hasn't a clue as to "Who or what is the President?"

[doug from upland]

Well, I learned it in 8th grade.

[DonQ]

Previously it was Thurmond himself who was "3 heartbeats away", since Old Strom was Senate President Pro Tem for several years. The senior Senator from the majority party usually gets that position.

Stop and think what sort of calamity would have to take place for the Senate Prez Pro Tem to become President of the US. In such a circumstance, his indiscretions of decades earlier would be very unimportant.

[RWG]

Julian Bond, are you a liar or are you just stupid...both.

[aristeides]

Rep. Elijah Cummings and another member of the CBC -- I forget which -- made the same mistake last week about Lott being in the line of presidential succession. A Washington Times article pointed out the mistake.

Bond had to be aware on Sunday that what he was saying was false.

As for Byrd, I just heard novelist Anna Quinlan on Imus say Lott's comment was worse than Byrd's. When pressed and asked whether Byrd had not used the N-word, Quinlan claimed not to remember whether he had.

[doug from upland]

I called the U of Va., but Julian would not answer his phone. There was no machine; it just rang and rang. I also called the NAACP and left a message for communications director John White. I asked whether Mr. Bond had a comment regarding his statment that Trent Lott is 3 heartbeats from the presidency, when since June 6, 2001, it has actually been Robert Byrd 3 heartbeats from the presidency.

What are the chances that either will respond?

I encourage all of you to call.

U of Va -- 434.924.0311 -- ask for Prof. Bond in the history department.

NAACP -- 877.NAACP-98 -- ask for communications director John White.