Trent Lott's moment: Hugh Hewitt assesses bottom line in senator's fight for control

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | Wednesday, December 18, 2002 | Hugh Hewitt

[RonDog]

hugh I told you to think and instead you dropped the ball

TLB, I appreciate your tenacity in defending Trent Lott, in spite of OVERWHELMING opposition - much of it from your FRiends - like me.
(And Hugh.)

While it is certainly true that we CANNOT appear to cave in every time the race baiters attack one of our own, perhaps this analogy will help you understand MY position:

In the CLASSIC World War II movie "The Sands of Iwo Jima," John Wayne (as the battle-hardened Marine Corps Sergeant Stryker) has to severely discipline his well-intentioned new recruit (PFC Pete Conway, played by John Agar) - to the point of actually threatening to KILL him - to prevent him from countermanding one of Stryker's orders about NOT saving a fellow Marine who has been wounded in battle.

You probably remember the powerful scene:

Sgt. Stryker's best friend (Charlie Bass) appears to be dying on the battlefield, and cries out to him for help, but Stryker refuses to go to his aid, and aggressivley prevents anyone ELSE in the rifle squad from doing so.

He does so because he is aware of the BIGGER picture.

Stryker has been told by military intelligence that the Japanese plan a MAJOR assault on his (thinly guarded) position. If they discover Styrker's position and troop strength, they will attack, and almost certainly succeed, jeopardizing the entire mission, and completely routing the US Marines from their hard-won landing on this CRITICAL island.

Saving one man could mean losing EVERYTHING.

Sometimes we have to allow political soldiers like Lott to suffer a while for their mistakes, to prevent even GREATER damage to our cause.

(It worked in the movie: Charlie Bass lived to fight again, and the Marines took Mount Suribachi.)

You are correct: We CANNOT allow the RATs to win.

The only difference between YOUR position and MINE is timing. Strategery.

Please TRUST President Bush.

He's not perfect, but he has GREAT instincts. :o)

[RonDog]

BTW, welcome back, JH2!

We MISSED you while you were upgrading your computer hardware.

Don't you have a BACK-UP machine to let you keep posting when your PRIMARY system goes down?

[snodog]

The next SML will be getting the same treatment that Lott has been on the receiving end of.

Well lets not give them a chance to attack. They killed Livingston after Newt, then we got Denny Hasert, who has done a pretty good job of leading. They just need to make the right choice first.

Do we have the same quality of person in the Senate?

[Bluntpoint]

"What about a Majority Leader who isn't nostalgic for the Dixiecrats? "

I am sure there are some up and comers, while they might be racists, were educated in our public school system, thus would have no idea, historically, who the Dixiecrats were.

We can only hope for a poorly educated, modern segregationist who speeks the right code to keep the likes of Pat Buchanan happy.

[RonDog]

Hugh says:

Nickles
Frist
Santorum
McConnell

Dubya is said to favor Dr. Frist.

From http://frist.senate.gov/biography.cfm:

About Senator Frist, M.D.

---

On November 7, 2000, Bill Frist was elected to a second term in the United States Senate by the largest margin ever received by a candidate for statewide election in the history of Tennessee. First elected to the U.S. Senate on November 8, 1994, Frist was the only challenger to defeat a full-term incumbent in 1994 and the first practicing physician elected to the Senate since 1928. A fourth generation Tennessean whose great, great grandfather was one of Chattanooga's 53 original settlers, Frist was the 54th U.S. Senator from Tennessee and the 24th to fill the seat once held by Andrew Jackson.

Born and raised in Nashville, Frist graduated in 1974 from Princeton University where he specialized in health care policy at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. In 1978, he graduated with honors from Harvard Medical School and spent the next several years in surgical training at Massachusetts General Hospital; Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, England; and Stanford University Medical Center. He is board certified in both general surgery and heart surgery.

In 1985, Frist joined the teaching faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he founded and subsequently directed the multi-disciplinary Vanderbilt Transplant Center, which under his leadership became an internationally renowned center of multi-organ transplantation. In addition to performing 200 heart and lung transplant procedures, Frist has written more than 100 articles, chapters, and abstracts on medical research and three books: Transplant, which examines the social and ethical issues of transplantation and organ donation; Grand Rounds in Transplantation, which he co-authored with J. H. Helderman, and Tennessee Senators, 1911-2001: Portraits of Leadership in a Century of Change, which he wrote with Lee J. Annis.

In the Senate, Senator Frist currently serves on the Budget, Foreign Relations, and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committees, and is the ranking member on both the Subcommittee on Public Health and the Subcommittee on African Affairs. In 1999, he was named a Deputy Whip of the Senate; in 2000 Frist was tapped to head the National Republican Senatorial Committee; and in 2001 he was named one of two Congressional representatives to the United Nations General Assembly.

Senator Frist and his wife, Karyn, have three sons: Harrison, Jonathan, and Bryan. They are Presbyterians.

[RonDog]

I am usually wrong, but Hewitt is really a bright bulb and a really smart guy.

Careful.

Hugh lurks here, and we don't want him to get a swelled head. :o)

See also ANOTHER smart conservative:

THE LESSONS OF TRENT LOTT, PARTY POOPER
Laura's Weekly E-Blast! ^ | 12/16/02 | Laura Ingraham
Posted on 12/17/2002 9:06 PM PST by Formerly Brainwashed Democrat

Even if he lied about his reason for not running for president in '04 ("it's for the good of the country" rather than "no Democrat breathing wanted me to"), Al Gore at least knew when to step aside. Not so with Trent Lott, who continues to confirm his own tin-ear approach to politics, by not relinquishing his Senate Majority Leader's perch after a disastrous week.

Lott's days are surely numbered, but will the GOP learn the lessons he leaves in his wake?

When Republicans were celebrating the day after their mid-term election stunner, I urged Republicans to replace Trent Lott as Senate Majority Leader. "You don't fire the coach in the middle of a winning season!" a high-placed Republican operative sniffed. But the response from my listeners--who usually have more political common sense Washington insiders-told me something different. Republicans didn't care much for Lott. Complaints ranged from "he's a squish" to "he's terrible on television." The sentiment favored giving someone new a chance to lead the Senate-like Senators Bill Frist, Rick Santorum, or Don Nickles.

Lesson: Clear away the underbrush before a political fire begins.

My view then and now is that Lott, while a committed Republican, is simply a lousy communicator of the conservative message. It's not because, as comedian Darrell Hammond points out, he sounds shockingly like Foghorn Leghorn. It's not because his hair doesn't move. And it's certainly not because he's anti-black. It's because he doesn't have two things key for credible leadership-good instincts and sound judgment. This most recent blow-up is just one more example of Lott's stumbling.

When the story broke, it was painfully obvious that it had legs, but Lott ducked the press and hoped it would blow over. He released a short written statement of apology. His reason for not appearing at a full-blown press conference before Friday was that he was in a "remote location" most of the week-but of course he wasn't hiking the Himalayas, he was hiding out in Mississippi.

Lesson: When you make big political misstep, face the music early.

In the fourth episode of his Apology mini-series, Lott attempted to prove his sensitivity and empathy toward blacks by reminding the country that he is "the son of a sharecropper." He pledged continued "outreach" to the minority community. He scheduled an hour on BET. Radio talk-show host Tom Joyner on NBC's Today Show on Monday wasn't impressed, saying "I don't believe him" - that the real Trent Lott was the one who spoke at the Thurmond celebration.

When the Administration wants to focus on tax cuts and Iraq, the country is being bombarded by the Lott leadership challenge. Lott dominated the Sunday shows this week. The New York Times is keeping the racial fires stoked with front-page headlines like these: "In Lott's Life, A Long Shadow of Segregation." Newsweek gave it the cover "Race and the Life of Trent Lott." This won't end any time soon. The Left will continue to hit the Lott piñata during debates about affirmative action, crime, and judicial nominations.

Some conservatives thought Lott wasn't aggressive enough in opposing affirmative action (a.k.a. racial quotas) before this controversy. How tough will he be now?

Republicans certainly are right to worry that tossing Lott to the race sharks will merely make them hungrier and nastier. Lott isn't a racist and most Democrats know he isn't. They are using Lott's lot as part of their battle plan against George Bush, who was looking politically invulnerable until the GOP's "race problem" began to dominate the headlines. Democrats have yet to announce an agenda on the economy or health care so why not a race scare? They are already on the verge of over-playing this hand. How many swing voters really believe that racism is one of the biggest problems facing the country today?

Lesson: Do the right thing, even if the other party is playing dirty.

The American Left has been frustrated and angry for two years now. The public has rallied to support President Bush on the war and still doesn't blame him for the economy. Even Bob Woodward thinks George Bush is smart! But Trent Lott has given the Left an early Christmas present. Instead of focusing their energy and resources crafting an ambitious legislative agenda, Republicans will kick off the New Year still cleaning up a problem that was entirely avoidable.

WORD OF THE WEEK

Abecedarian (adj.) 1. Of or relating to the alphabet; 2. Elementary or rudimentary.

As in-

It is an abecedarian rule of politics, get out in front of a controversy before it swallows you whole.

CLICK HERE for more

[Poohbah]

Sgt Stryker had some appropriate words for Senator Lott:

"Life's hard. It's even harder when you're stupid."

[ALOHA RONNIE]

NEVER FORGET

...LOTT goes this week or it's...

...President HILLARY RODHAM in just 2 years.

Choose -1-

NEVER FORGET

[MeekOneGOP]

And I am William Wallace...

LOL !

[Mudboy Slim]

Howdy C.W.!! Hope you and yer family have a wonderful holiday season!!

FReegards...MUD

[Mudboy Slim]

Heh heh heh...actually, I'm more like the Crazy Irishman, Steven...MUD

[Mudboy Slim]

"Don't you have a BACK-UP machine to let you keep posting when your PRIMARY system goes down?"

SHEEEESH, we ain't made outta money, dude!! Somebody put in a call to Mr. Mellon-Scaife and see if he can't wire us some spending money...MUD

[MeekOneGOP]

Since stepping on his own career ten days ago, every single decision taken by Sen. Lott has been wrong. Every tune he played was flat, and every maneuver he tried, transparent. These past few days have been like watching Steve Martin dance – funny and awful at the same time. Mostly awful, though.

I'm tryin' to imagine that, LOL !!

[PRO 1]

Now all in FR know why long ago, when I would refer to this FOOOOOO in this forum I would always call him Trent **IDIOT** Lott.

[MeekOneGOP]

It looks like Trent Lott will be (is already?) singin' the Senate Majority Leader Blues, huh? (#53)....

[Mudboy Slim]

"What about a Majority Leader who isn't nostalgic for the DixiecRATS?"

Paging Senator Nickles...paging Senator Nickles!!

FReegards...MUD

[savedbygrace]

He is to Washington, D.C., what the present defense is to the NFL.

I think he means the prevent defense. </NIT-PICKING>

[Sabertooth]

Nickles is good, but I prefer McConnell. He's dogged and smooth, even when the heat is on.

More than anyone else, he kept CFR off of Clinton's desk.

[doug from upland]

Thanks, RD. Hugh is on the case, as usual.

[Mudboy Slim]

I could handle McConnell...he came and spoke to us at CPAC last January and I trust his dogged determination and political instincts.

MedyuhRATS will have a ball with his southern twang, but I say "F**K 'EM!!"

FReegards...MUD