Lott resigns from U.S. Senate

KATC.com ^ | 12/19/2007 | ap

[FishTale]

"Could Barbour appoint himself?"

If Barbour had any designs on a future presidential run, he's better off staying out of the Senate and staying put as Governor.

[RoadTest]

Another DEMONRAT character assassination.

[Bulldawg Fan]

Haley Barbour, absolutely!

[Jane Austen]

A scandal forced him out or the failure to assure the pass of amnesty?

[Scythian]

Yay !!

[Starwolf]

And only by the Dems...and the e-Texan

[ejonesie22]

He has work to do as Governor...

[ejonesie22]

I disagree!

He was never that spectacular...

[Xenalyte]

state Attorney General Jim Hood, a Democrat, issued a nonbinding opinion this week that the election must be held within 100 days of Lott's departure.

Um, Mr. Hood, "non-binding" means no one MUST do anything.

[Gurn]

A couple of thins:

1. Trent Lott's staff found out about his resignation (the announcement last month, I mean) the same way we did: through the media. That's a crappy thing to do to your people.

2. Lott and John Breaux are setting up a lobbying shop together.

[The Pack Knight]

I certainly wasn't disputing Pickering's popularity. The problem I have is with his record on spending, which has been far from sterling over the last few years. In particular, he seems to have voted against every attempt at earmark reform over the last year.

Now, if there's a good explanation for those votes, I'd sure like to hear it. Pickering had a decent, not stellar, but decent, record on spending earlier on in his career, but it's really gone down the tubes over the last two Congresses. I'm sure there are several reasons for his popularity, but his willingness to spend federal tax money in Mississippi can't hurt.

As for Barbour and Warr, I've always been a fan of Barbour's, and Warr I knew next to nothing about.

[Theodore R.]

I thought they could appoint themselves.

[Theodore R.]

It does make one question the collective “wisdom” of VA and MS people, doesn’t it?

[Theodore R.]

Actually, Trent could have never obtained a conviction of his friend “Bill” anyway under any circumstance without the defection of one algore. However, he could have let the real goods come out and spare the country an HRC Senate seat and possible presidency. Of course, the American people may have repudiated the goods on their Bill, as they have done for fifteen years now. Now, it’s up to the Oprah-backed Obama to stop HRC. But he agrees with HRC on every item, I beleive. I don’t think the American people can figure things out.

[griffin]

Must have pegged out his retirement benefits....no longer any reason self-serving reason to stay?

[Theodore R.]

I wonder if joining the popular do-nothing Breaux is all there is to the story; I doubt that.

[Badeye]

‘Sen. John Warner, R-Va., praised Lott Tuesday for “your magnificent and courageous restoration of your career in full.”’

Gee, a bumbling fool complimenting the worlds only living spine donor.....

[Gritty]

[WoofDog123]

“pure speculation...”

Sorry, a long-time senator announcing his retirement ONE YEAR into his term *2 days* before his brother-in-law is indicted, is unlikely to be a coincidence.

Note that I am not saying Lott was involved in any way, but just that even an off-the-cuff remark in a recorded conversation would present something that, when shown to him, he might find simpler to just step down rather than create scandal. Not a criminal action, but something so clearly inappropriate that he know the media would burn him in effigy through the 2008 election over.

If we were talking about a senator from some faraway place where we just known names and dates, with the available data, it is hard to believe one would not suspect that there was an issue.

Being from Mississippi and actually liking Trent Lott’s public persona, I still believe it. Call your brother-in-law up at his office, and off-hand remark is made, and you (Lott) are shown it along with a copy of scrugg’s warrant and asked how you want to handle it. This IS speculation, but it fits the available data.

[dixiechick2000]

"Well FR won’t have Trent Lott to kick around anymore."

You got that right!

Though he's taken some positions that I totally disagree with, he's been good for Mississippi, and was one of the most conservative in the Senate.