Describe for me the context of the following Lott statements. "...And I knew that the previous remarks would be just as they were. I mean, after all, Bob Dole received the Republican nomination and dang near was elected President of the United States telling Strom Thurmond jokes." [Laughter]
Was Trent Lott making a light hearted joke about Bob Dole and Strom Thrumond or was he being serious?
Was the previous speaker -- Bob Dole -- telling jokes about Strom Thurmond or was the previous speaker making serious statements?
I have no way of knowing since I never heard Dole's speech and you didn't quote it.
But even if I accepted Lott's characterization of it as Dole simply "telling jokes about Strom Thurmond", clearly Dole was tactful enough not to open up old wounds and offend large numbers of people.
Besides, I've heard Lott's speech over and over again and cannot see how the statement in question could ever be taken as simply being a joke.
He said the country would have been better off, and we could have avoided a lot of problems we have if Strom had been elected President.
If he wasn't serious and didn't mean it, that would have been an insulting form of humor.
And let's face it, Lott, in all of his apologies, never tried to explain away what he said as just being a joke.
He claimed he meant it, but was refering to things like "a strong national defense" etc. which was really not believable at all.
I will say one thing about Lott. I didn't like what he said or how he handled the controversy initially.
But I do admire him for doing the right thing and stepping down as SML when he realized it was time to, that his attitude does not seem to be one of self-pity, nor bitterness toward the Democrat and media hypocrites.
He seems to have landed on his feet and I like that.