Don Nickles Calls for New Senate Leadership Election to Challenge Lott

Fox News | 12-15-02

[deport]

WASHINGTON--Sen. Trent Lott's third apology for racially charged remarks should suffice, the Senate's incoming No. 2 Republican leader said Saturday, vowing that a move for formal censure would produce a swift counterattack against a prominent Democrat.

''The first amendment [to a censure motion] that would be offered would be an amendment relating to Sen. [Robert] Byrd's comments in 2001,'' said Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

Byrd (D-W.Va.) used the phrase ''white n - - - - - -" in a taped broadcast interview last year. He swiftly apologized at the time, saying ''the phrase dates back to my boyhood and has no place in today's society.'' ......

McConnell, the incoming GOP whip, said in Kentucky that those remarks should be the end of the controversy. ''There are prominent Democrats who have said much worse things within the last year and a half, who apologized one time and it was over,'' he said in a reference to Byrd. ''And I think that should be our approach here.''

Byrd's staff had no immediate comment on McConnell's remarks.

''This is a forgiving country,'' McConnell said. ''He knows he made a big mistake. It's time to forgive him and to move on. And I think he can still be a very effective majority leader in the Senate.''

Several other Republican senators, including John Warner of Virginia and Peter Fitzgerald of Illinois, joined the ''enough is enough'' chorus.Guess Mitch has something to learn about this 'forgiving country', hell even within his own party..... Yep, let the blood flow

[P-Marlowe]

You know Jesse Helm's old committee chair is up for grabs. That's a high profile position with the power to make just about every other senator kiss your butt. If I was Lott at this point, I'd make a deal and trade the ML position for Hesse Helms' old committee chair.

[deport]

Whatever floats your boat.... Nickles removed his name from contention after seeing he didn't have the votes..... or that is one article I read... so why does it matter whether they held it a few days one side or the other if no challengers were there? Or should they have all came back to DC at some point about the Holiday season to vote. Just curious as to when they normally hold these things.. isn't it about the time they adjourn for the year? Is there a rule somewhere? prescribed dates? if so they should be available for linkage...

[Torie]

Well it is over. Specter refused to discuss Lott's resume that Bond went through with rather compelling effect. Instead Specter said Lott could make it all right by going on BET and supporting hates crimes legislation, as well as a lot of other programs to help the folks. Specter seems to be saying that Lott can save himself by moving left. Poor Lott. The guy is being squeezed from every quarter.

[Balata]

I was talking about all voters, not just black voters. Bush has made giant strides at showing by doing, that the Repub party is inclusive.

Lott is the sponsor for the Pickering nomination and when this comes up again this nomination will be overshadowed by Lott's comments. This will then happen over and over and will work against Bushes efforts and the party as a whole.

[deport]

See #721

''The first amendment [to a censure motion] that would be offered would be an amendment relating to Sen. [Robert] Byrd's comments in 2001,'' said Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

[McGavin999]

Bush stated his belief in Lott, and now he's showing that to not be true.

What I think Bush lost faith in was Trent's ability to function as Majority Leader. His failure let Bush, and the rest of us, down. This shouldn't have been more than a weekend tempest but Lott's handling of the matter was amaturish. I have no doubt but that when this first happened Bush called Lott and told him to get out there and get this cleaned up. Lott probably told him he'd take care of it and then made a few phone calls. One to Sean and the other to Larry King. The fact that he thought that was sufficient says a LOT about his political radar.

Remember Lott had already let Bush down by telling the media that he wasn't going to bring up anything for a vote until January after President Bush went out and almost killed himself telling the people how important Homeland Security was. Lott just told the media, Aw shucks, we'll get around to it in a couple of months. The fact that President Bush had to come out publically and state "NO, you'll do it NOW!" was the first example of Lott's political tin ear. This fiasco was just the topper. Bush hasn't said he wants Lott out of leadership, he has merely stated he won't back any republican senator over any other republican senator on their decision for their own leader.

[marajade]

" ... and supporting hates crimes legislation, as well as a lot of other programs to help the folks."

You've got to be kidding??? I would never trust anyone who produced what the Warren Comm produced... and that includes Ford although I would vote Republican no matter what the alternative presented...

[marajade]

"Bush has made giant strides at showing by doing, that the Repub party is inclusive."

Well this thread is about Lott, not Bush... I think Bush will be okay if Lott retains power..

[sinkspur]

He didn't even think he had done anything wrong for days and refused to address the issue at all.

Tom Daschle didn't either. Dick Gephardt didn't either. They BOTH said "Well, some of us say things we wish we hadn't."

This whole thing became a big deal when Maxine Waters got involved, and the "canonized conservatives" saw an opening to run Lott out of the Leadership.

I understand there is no use trying to reason with you on this particular issue so I am no longer going to try.

Don't get personal and don't patronize me. I understand how you can hold the position you do. If you can't see my position, that's fine with me.

You are not going to change my thinking on this.

I think both liberals and certain conservatives are being craven. They both want to get rid of Lott, and they don't care how they do it.

[aristeides]

I'm listening to Julian Bond, head of the NAACP, on CNN right now. Challenged on the double standard where Jesse Jackson and Robert Byrd can get away with stuff, he repeated the false statement from last week that, unlike Jackson and Byrd, Lott is "two or three heartbeats away from the presidency." Actually, it's Byrd who, as president pro tem of the Senate, is now fourth in the line of presidential succession. Lott, of course, is not in that line. This comes after Elijah Cummings and another black congressperson made the same false statement about Lott last week. They've got to know it's false by now.

[marajade]

As soon as the bombs start flying in Iraq is anyone going to care about the gaffe that Lott made?

[Torie]

That is what Specter said. I am a mere conduit. Lott can cleanse his past by going left in the future on what some might consider to be ill conceived race pandering legislation. But I don't mean to comment on the merits of Specters agenda, except that I think hate crimes legislation is a horrific idea.

[Jhoffa_]

It is really simple, if you can't win by debating the issues then start name calling (racist, sexist, homophobe, intolerant etc.).

Yeah, it's all they have.

They answered the tanking economy with calls for tax hikes (LOL! good move there) They answered homeland security by supporting overpaid, un-fireable unionized government putz's.. Universally hated by everyone. They answered Iraq by sending two traitors there to appear on live television and they answered the impending loss of seats with calls for various courts to step in and hand them a win.

This issue represents the perfect issue vacuum the left is experiencing. Why isn't this obvious?

We should just explain to the "sensitive people" what was meant a sufficient number of times and then just move on.

Exactly..

The problem is all the screaming coming from defeatists on OUR side of the fence.

If the Left's reaction didn't taint Lott, at this point I am concerned about the Conservative reaction doing so.

[BuddhaBoy]

Bond nailed Trent pretty well, didn't he? Specter didn't have much of a reply. I think that Lott is in for a nightmare tonight on BET. He should reconsider and just leave now.

[ambrose]

What's really killing Lott is no other news is hitting to end this frenzy. I bet Lott is praying that Winona Ryder goes on another shoplifting spree so the media will "move on" to other more pressing matters (ratings).

[BuddhaBoy]

I think both liberals and certain conservatives are being craven. They both want to get rid of Lott, and they don't care how they do it.

I plead guilty. So what?

[Jhoffa_]

LOL!

How appropriate..

[marajade]

Is Specter for reperations? I hope not... This is getting absolutely ridiculous...

[OldFriend]

Nice to see someone else as furious as I am.

If making stupid statements meant disqualification, then Gore's comments about the 'fifth column' should have brought an immediate lawsuit.

This entire fiasco had done one thing for me at least.......there will be no more donations to the repubs.......for all I care the whole party can go down the tubes.

Evidently there is no loyalty, no courage, and no making a stand. As long as they keep backing up for the likes of Sharpton, Waters, Jackson and their ilk they are the ones selling out our country.