No he didnt. All the talk shows tonight were quoting multiple White House sources including Rove that the reason the President came out and criticized Lott yesterday was because Lott had told Bush he was going to do a real apology on Larry King but he couldnt get the words out. Bush was reportedly furious at Lott's first two or three non apologies.
I think you had better go and read the Ari Fleisher WH briefing of a week ago.
Q Can you tell us now whether or not --
MR. FLEISCHER: I think that from the President's point of view, Senator Lott has addressed this issue. He has apologized for this statement, and the President understands that that is the final word from Senator Lott in terms of the fact that he said something and has apologized for it.
Q Senator Lott's final word was that the policies that Strom Thurmond supported have been discarded, that they're discarded policies. He didn't say they were immoral, he didn't say they were wrong, he simply said they were discarded. Does the President believe that Senator Lott, given this most recent action and given the fact that he published a regular column in a newsletter for years of the Conservative Citizens Council, an openly white supremacist group, is the best person to lead the Republican Party in the United States Senate?
MR. FLEISCHER: Terry, I can only say that the President, as several Democrats up on Capitol Hill, have all said, Senator Lott has apologized. And I think that speaks for itself on this matter.