[Tall_Texan]

Okay, I stand corrected. He was a U.S. Senator from 1936-1951. But I wasn't born until 1957 so the only thing I recall of Claude Pepper were his years in the U.S. House.

Now, getting back to your original point, what interest would the GOP have in bringing up Pepper's term in the Senate if he had not been a member for over 50 years?

If he was a segregationist then, is it in any way relevant to what he is today (which is maggot food - he's been dead since 1989)? Surely there's a more comtemporary example you could find.

[Political Junkie Too]

I was thinking of Senators who were as old as Thurmond and still in the Senate. Pepper was what came to mind.

My point wasn't about Pepper, it was about tainting the memories of all elderly Senators of that era. Lott was trying to be kind to an old man. What will happen at the Senate tribute to Robert Byrd when he retires? How does one show tribute to Byrd without getting tangled in the racial overtones?

Will the way that Lott was treated change the way that future testimonials and tributes for retiring Southern Senators happen? Or will Democrats just get a pass?

-PJ