Lott To Take Over Key Committee
Senator Rick Santorum (R, Pennsylvania) has offered to step down as chairman of the powerful Rules and Administration Committee, offering the post to Trent Lott. Lott accepted. I have little doubt this was a "wink, wink, nudge, nudge, step down, Trent, for the good of the party, but we'll take care of you" kind of deal.
Senate Republicans still have to vote to confirm this, so I imagine that they'll be paying careful attention to public reaction over the weekend. If the outcry is large enough, look for them to vote against it. If people ignore it, look for him to be confirmed. This would give the Democrats something to point to in 2004, though. "The Republicans weren't really serious about rooting out racists in their midst." Must be nice to be part of the old boy network.
Comments
Do the political games ever cease? Sure, it's a step down for Lott, but it amounts to nothing more than a slap on the wrist if he's approved. Where's the lesson? They impeached Clinton for nothing more than hanky panky in the Oval Office, but Lott's punishment for something worse (being racist and divisive) is to trade one powerful Senate post for another, possibly more powerful post.
Posted by: Jon | January 3, 2003 08:02 PM
Well, you know we're going to disagree on that Clinton thing. He was impeached for committing perjury, which is a crime. Recall, though, that he was not convicted, so the impeachment effectively didn't amount to even a slap on the wrist.
Posted by: Lesley | January 3, 2003 08:23 PM