The fact is, it was a light hearted party for the old man, and not the floor of the Senate. The critical appraisal of the changes in the south would have had no place at a birthday event.
This thing has gotten way too much attention for what it was not.
It was not a endorsement of segregation. A past reality that has been or should be all but forgotten.
Segregation has not been a political issue since the 60s. Lott simply forgot that someone might dredge it up as a issue. That is all there is to it!
Segregation has not been a political issue since the 60s. Lott simply forgot that someone might dredge it up as a issue. That is all there is to it!My script wasn't critical, and Thurmond is known to bask in such praise. He's disavowed his Dixiecrat past often and for decades. There is no sting there for him.
Unfortunately, it was Lott that dredged it up.
