Lott Blames Frist for Downfall

[Wakie]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8989917/

Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott blames his fall from power in 2002 on a “personal betrayal” by an ambitious Sen. Bill Frist, his successor, adding in a new book that President Bush, Colin Powell and other GOP associates played a role.

Frist, R-Tenn., “didn’t even have the courtesy to call and tell me personally that he was going to run,” the Mississippi Republican wrote of a tumultuous period in which he lost his position as Senate leader after making racially tinged remarks.

“If Frist had not announced exactly when he did, as the fire was about to burn out, I would still be majority leader of the Senate today,” Lott said in “Herding Cats, A Life in Politics.”

In the book, Lott described an unusual partnership with President Clinton that worked to the detriment of 1996 GOP presidential nominee Bob Dole; praised former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota as trustworthy; and recalled that Vice President Gerald R. Ford personally cautioned him “not to go so far out on a limb” in defending President Nixon during the Watergate scandal.

A native of Mississippi, Lott recalled feeling “anger in my heart over the way the federal government had invaded Ole Miss to accomplish something that could have been handled peacefully and administratively,” the admission of the first black student to the University of Mississippi in 1962.

As a law student at the school, Lott wrote, he remembered the visiting professors from Yale, brought in to teach constitutional law. “Instead of making us more liberal, they helped create a generation of thoughtful, issue-oriented conservatives who grew up to run Mississippi politics.”

Lott, first elected to the House in 1972, moved to the Senate in 1988.

He became majority leader in 1996, succeeding Dole when the Kansan quit to campaign full time for the White House.

In the book, Lott wrote he quickly formed an unusual alliance with Clinton. Political consultant Dick Morris was the go-between.

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[Virginian87]

Good for Trent to have been so willing to compromise, I guess.  I don't remember him being that willing to work with Democrats before.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

Lott needs to blame himself.

[J. J.]

Just curious, but what would to say to the people that put pressure on Lott to leave.

[AuH2O]

I like Lott. He was always a compromiser, which at times was irritating, but he's not spineless and phony like Frist. It's good he's calling that asshole out.

[J. J.]

I like Lott. He was always a compromiser, which at times was irritating, but he's not spineless and phony like Frist. It's good he's calling that asshole out.

Which "a**hole?"

[??????????]

Lott needs to blame himself.

Lott didn't do anything wrong at all. He was attacked by the liberal media for some silly comment that wasn't nearly "racist".

[Smash255]

Lott needs to blame himself.

Lott didn't do anything wrong at all. He was attacked by the liberal media for some silly comment that wasn't nearly "racist".

Umm saying we would be better off if someone who ran on a Segregationlist platform was President.....

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

Lott needs to blame himself.

Lott didn't do anything wrong at all. He was attacked by the liberal media for some silly comment that wasn't nearly "racist".

Actually, it was the religious right who called for his head.

[J. J.]

Actually, there were a lot of people calling for his head, and it wasn't "as the fire was about to burn out," that Frist made his announcement.  At least a sizable minority, if not a majority, of the GOP conference was looking for a way to remove Lott.  Frist just stepped up to bell the cat, as it were.

[MODU]

I agree.  Lott was tarred and feathered for a rather harmless comment, especially when you compare it to the crap Byrd says all the time.

[Virginian87]

Lott needs to blame himself.

Lott didn't do anything wrong at all. He was attacked by the liberal media for some silly comment that wasn't nearly "racist".

While I disagree with the whole concept of the "liberal media," I believe that Lott was just trying to complement Thurmond.  He wanted to honor the old guy somehow, and he thought by saying that his state voted for him it would make Thurmond proud.  I don't think he meant anything racist at all.

[AuH2O]

Frist is the a-hole. To add insult to injury of course he's been a terrible leader... surprise.

[Virginian87]

Frist is the a-hole. To add insult to injury of course he's been a terrible leader... surprise.

No surprise there. 

To Republicans who don't like Frist: Who would have been your choice for Senate Majority Leader?

[A18]

Lott was bad. Frist is worse.

I don't know who I'd pick, but just about anyone would be better than Frist.

[CheeseWhiz]

Lott needs to blame himself.

Lott didn't do anything wrong at all. He was attacked by the liberal media for some silly comment that wasn't nearly "racist".

While I disagree with the whole concept of the "liberal media," I believe that Lott was just trying to complement Thurmond.  He wanted to honor old guy somehow, and he thought by saying that his state voted for him it would make Thurmond proud.  I don't think he meant anything racist at all.

Yeah, I still can’t believe people would bring him down when he was just trying to say something nice to an old Senator on his birthday!  I hope he becomes the Majority Leader again when Frist leaves just because of all of those people who were so hard on him.

[WalterMitty]

i dont like lott.

BUT he was treated unfairly.  he said nothing wrong.

the democrats should be outraged that they have a kkk member who still enjoys throwing around the n word on telelvision in their delegation.

but saying nice things to a 100 year old man at his birthday party is obviously a bigger sin  in the land of the delusional left.

[Virginian87]

land of the delusional left

I do not consider this to be an appropriate reference to the Democratic Party.

[A18]

He wasn't referring to the Democratic Party. If he was doing that, he would have said communists.

[J. J.]

The problem I had with Lott was his serial apology.  He represents a state where something like 30% of the people are Black, and it looked like he never met any of them.

Compare him to Judge Pickering, a conservative, but one who did interact with the Black community.

[dazzleman]

Lott made a very stupid comment.  He could have said something nice to Thurmond without saying what he actually said.

On the other hand, others have made similarly offensive comments, on the topic Lott discussed and others, without suffering the repercussions that Lott did.

If Lott should be blaming anybody for his downfall, it's the liberal media, for not publicizing and demanding the head of people like Robert Byrd, Ted Kennedy and Dick Durban when they make outrageous comments.

It also seems that Democrats back up their people who make outrageous comments or do outrageous things, no matter what.  Republicans don't do that, but tend to stand on principle more.  I don't know whether this is a good or bad thing.  Probably a little bit of both.

[Akno21]

Lott should still blame himself for the downfall, since it was a very stupid thing to say, and if he hadn't said it, he wouldn't have been ousted, so his comment directly led to his downfall. While the comment itself may not be so bad, it's something he should know better than to say.

[??????????]

Actually out of the choices in 1948 Thurmond would have been an excellent choice for the presidenc.