You're looking too hard in the wrong direction.
This was just Trent Lott in pander mode. After this comment on O'Reilly, his office revealed that there was no "troops on the border" legislation in the works. Trent Lott was no hardliner on the borders or Illegal Aliens, hagiographers notwithstanding.
Did you ever hear of James "no mass deportations" Ziglar? He's the outgoing INS Chief. Wanna know how he got the job?
He's a childhood chum of Trent Lott. Pure political patronage.
Lott lost his job as Senate Majority Leader because he shot his mouth off one too many times sounding sympathetic to the Dixiecrats and the Old South. Even if he'd turned over a new leaf on Illegal Aliens, he was damaged goods, and could never have gotten anything effective done.
This is not an endorsement of Bill Frist's positions on Illegals. He'll have to be watched very closely.
Since you got what you wanted you better watch this guy closely. If Frist's past record on immigration legislation is any indication, he will rubber stamp every Bush initiative to compounded the twin crisis of illegal and legal immigration into a greater nightmare for America. Lott, despite your propaganda, had a much better record on immigration reform than Frist.
Didn't you once say that you were a libertarian? I think you still are.