Bursting the Bubble-Sen. John Warner Proposing Bob Dole & Howard Baker Going to Lott's Office..

ABC News ^ | Decmeber 18, 2002 | Liz Wilner

[ewing]

Don Nickels and other senior Senators privately discussed ways to ease Lott out of his leadership job before year's end to put the controversy behind the party, Republican sources said.

They said Senator Nickels and others are working on a 'soft landing' scenario to encourage Lott to step down under face saving conditions, which could include another prestigious Senate office.

Senior GOP senators including veteran John Warner (R-Va.) spent several hours on the phone discussing Lott's eventual fate.

There were also private discussions about whether party elders-perhaps former GOP leaders Robert Dole of Kansas and Howard Baker of Tennessee--should approach Lott soon to ask him to step aside for the good of the party.

[goodnesswins]

</i> oops...off italics (Do we still need to do this?)

[TLBSHOW]

bttt

[Non-Sequitur]

They said Senator Nickels and others are working on a 'soft landing' scenario to encourage Lott to step down under face saving conditions, which could include another prestigious Senate office.

They can't offer Lott a committee charimanship without angering whoever was in line for that post before all this blew up. So what can they offer him except President Pro Tem of the Senate? And why would Lott accept a figurehead post, just because he's fourth in line of Presidential succession? I just can't see Lott doing that. He'll resign and he'll do it next year, and the governor of Mississippi can appoint a replacement.

[ewing]

Hmm.. they may need to give Dole an extra big shot of the pills!

ABC reporting that the Senate elevators have been fully staffed today, rare for a pre holiday week when the body is not in session.

[cajungirl]

Pubs should have gotton rid of that guy when he did the power sharing deal. Trent Lott is not a bright bulb and he is a liability now. Politics is not pretty. And my bet is he is a closet racist, with the winks at the country club. I know the type, the south is full of them and they think they can play both sides of the fence.

[ewing]

There is the just created Deptartment of Homeland Security Chairmanship without a Senator to staff it..

And Lott being 14th in line in Seniority (out of 13 chairs now) would be a good pick for the job.

[Darlin']

Lott is a drowning man. His senate collegues are trying to extend a straw and a chance to preserve whatever, if any, shred of dignity he might have left. He ought to grab it but being the fool that he is, I doubt he will.

[My2Cents]

Send the ghost of Barry Goldwater.

[babygene]

"If he doesn't he will drag us all down into a guilt-by-association"

Guilt for What? He's an idiot not a racest. If Lott had gone on the offensive when this first came up and told them to kiss his butt, this would have died down. It's the constant apologizing that's got me pissed.

[ewing]

Ironically, Lott's threatening the White House with resignation from the Senate could produce Mike Espy as Senator (although I think Haley Barbour would win that race)

[My2Cents]

Make that Trent "I-Love-Myself-and-My-Position-Almost-As-Much-As-I-Love-Affirmative-Action" Lot.

[ewing]

Exactly, and Lott should grab on to that life preserver before he goes under the waves..

[dfwgator]

Time to send Tom Hayden to make Lott an offer he can't refuse.

[My2Cents]

If Lott leaves the Senate, I have to say, "Good Riddance." It knocks the Republicans down to 50, and makes us vulnerable for another "Jumpin' Jim" type of episode, but at some point principle has to win out over crass politics.

[Darlin']

Haley Barbour plans to run for governor next year, not the senate

[Austin Willard Wright]

Drag us down for what? Did you read the BET interview? Lott used the term "we" to imply how all Southern Republicans are somehow backward on race. He is trying to shift the guilt and his selling the GOP cause down the river to hold onto power. Moreover, he showed only weak support for Pickering and endorsed affirmative action. He also won over a race-baiter like John Lewis (wanna bet how he did that?) This guy is selling the store. Get rid of him!

[dfwgator]

And now when the GOP does get rid of him, Lewis et al will accuse the entire GOP of racism for getting rid of Lott. That was Lott's intention all along, to plant a landmine so he could keep his position. Piss on Lott!!!!

[My2Cents]

Good point. The BET interview should have been the last straw. It revealed the self-loving, equivocating soul of the man. As a Freeper asked yesterday, "When is Trent Lott going to apologize to the Republican Party?"

[ewing]

I have the feeling that this is going to be difficult to convince Trent Lott to even accept a Committee Chair.

Then again, we could just take McCains Commerce Chair away as a pre-emptive stike for 2004!