Seems to me the failure to object occurred well before Lott began to grovel.
How does one object to another chewing his foot off on videotape? Start with fact 1: Lott, himself, implied he was a racist. Foot chewed off, gaping wound resulted which was
immediately terminal (and it should have been). No need to object to the liberal press, which simply watched him bleed while he then continued to gnaw off the rest of his leg in stages.
So why do you insist on beating this dead horse? (sorry for the mixed metaphor)
The failure occurred when Lott opened his mouth.