Trent Lott ascends to minority whip

[Rach3]

Trent Lott, the Mississippi senator with a history of blatant racism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trent_Lott#Controversy_and_resignation), is back in senate leadership today, four years after being kicked out (http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,863964,00.html) as majority leader:

Trent Lott Wins Back Senate Leadership Slot

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 -- Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi, who was driven from the Republican leadership four years ago after he made a racially insensitive comment at a birthday party for Senator Strom Thurmond, returned to the Senate’s top ranks today, winning election as minority whip in the next session by a single vote.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/15/us/politics/16congcnd.html?hp&ex=1163653200&en=b17158b582a81cbb&ei=5094&partner=homepage

(senate whip is the 2nd highest senate party position after majority/minority leader).

It seems the new Republican minority is quite destitute, bringing back such an unpopular, vile figure.

__________________
"If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can make the world safe for diversity." -John F. Kennedy

"I know that the human being and the fish can coexist peacefully." -George W. Bush

[BobG]

It also shows Republican Senators aren't particularly cowed by Bush anymore.

However bad Lott's association with the CCC was, it was being weak on the Clinton impeachment that infuriated conservative Republicans and earned a verbal slap from Bush when Lott's comments about Thurmond raised a flap. Lott and Bush haven't been overly friendly ever since then (in spite of Bush hoping to sit on Trent Lott's front porch some time in the future) and Lott has been one of the Rumsfeld critics.

I don't think he ever was that unpopular with his colleagues, considering they made sure he didn't get booted down very far. He wound up Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee after losing Republican Senate leadership.

Lott moving back up the chain is just an indication that Bush is already on the road to irrelevancy unless he makes some drastic adjustments in his political strategy.