Vacant Lott for Rent: The Trent Lott Press Conference Live Thread.

FOX News Channel ^ | 12/13/02 | Li'l Ol' Me

[section9]

Trent "Vacant" Lott is up to bat at 5:30 EST.

[kcvl]

It's not as if there is a WAR to worry about! Let's make a BIG DEAL of a STUPID mistake from a STUPID politician! GAG!

[Ragin1]

I think Trent fell on a sword for the party. In one swoop, the majority leader can be changed, and the R party can show how much they love negroe's.

I would love to see the short list, but we'll know soon enough.

[Dog]

A heckler......from Al Sharptons group.

[Endeavor]

Whoa! What was that interruption - some guy from Al Sharpton's group?

[F16Fighter]

CNN interviewing a three-dollar bill from Frisco, and "Butch" from Chi-town...

CNN Poll -- 39% FOR Lott; 61% AGAINST...

[EternalVigilance]

Why is everyone coming down on Lott for supporting thurmond... why isn't THURMOND HIMSELF being raked over the coals...???

No need to come down on Lott...watching this whole thing is like being a bystander at a trainwreck.

Thurmond was a canny old man who scared the bejeebers out of the liberals. That's the problem, they aren't in the least afraid of Trent...(I mean really, how can you be scared of somebody named 'Trent'? Just kidding about the last part...kinda... ;-)

[usmcobra]

It was a brillant apology, and what's best about it is that it completely disarmed any further such attacks by Democrats using race as a issue.

The BET interview to explain his remarks is a gem of Strategery, and I might add could go a long way towards bringing more blacks into the republican party.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Whew...bless you. I thought I was all alone here.

[EternalVigilance]

Yeah, but he grew up! :-)

He's a good man.

[cake_crumb]

"But has Lott ever specifically talked to Barrett about supporting segregation? Barrett finds the question naive. "Does Jesse Jackson talk to Al Sharpton abut integration?" he asks. "Do they have to?"

Cut me a break...you can condemn a man as a bigot on the words of a known bigot who says he never SPOKE about it!

[michigander]

Lott Apologizes Again, Denounces Racism

By DAVID ESPO
AP Special Correspondent

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Republican Leader Trent Lott denounced segregation and racism as immoral Friday and asked "forbearance and forgiveness" as he struggled to quell a controversy that threatened his hold on power.

"I apologize for reopening old wounds and hurting so many Americans," Lott said at a news conference in Mississippi meant to end eight days of controversy that he triggered with comments that seemed to imply support for racial segregation.

"I'm not about to resign for an accusation for something I'm not," Lott said emphatically at the news conference.

Some Democrats have called on Lott to step aside, and President Bush sharply criticized the Mississippian's comments in a speech Thursday.

In a brief opening statement, Lott said several times that segregation and racism were wrong - "immoral," he called them.

"I take full responsibility for my remarks and only hope that people will find in their heart to forgive me for this grievous mistake," he added.

Lott, 61 and in line to become Senate majority leader in January, triggered the controversy when he said last week that Mississippians were proud to have voted for Sen. Strom Thurmond in 1948 on the pro-segregationist Dixiecrat ticket. "And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years either," the Mississippian added in remarks at Thurmond's 100th birthday.

Lott said he was "winging it" with those words, saying they were not part of prepared remarks and were not meant to convey support for racial segregation.

[Yankee]

"Sheets" Byrd is not his party's point man in the Senate. They know enough to limit the media exposure of THEIR dinosaurs.

Byrd was both minority and majority leader in the Senate from 1979 to 1989.

History didn't begin last week.

[Wordsmith]

How has he "damaged the country"?

By contributing to the stereotype that conservatives are bigots.

If Lott weathers this storm, are you gonna keep screaming?

Absolutely. Whether he remains as a Senator is up to the folks of Mississippi, but I will continue to tell my two Republican Senators that they should not support him as Majority Leader.

[Nita Nuprez]

I don't give a rat's a$$ if every Democrat in the country thinks they were successful in making Lott step down as Speaker. If they're stupid enough to think it, let 'em. We have a chance to use this to our advantage, but the man doesn't have enough class to step aside.

BTW, if you'll notice, the intelligent Dems aren't saying a word. Have the Clintons said ANYTHING that resembles calling for Lott's head on a platter? Daschole? No, they haven't. They're holding their breath that the Republicans will use this little "incident" to make this useless Republican WIMP step aside and let someone with balls take over.

[Poohbah]

Don't forget #4:

Strom has long since repudiated his beliefs of 1948.

[My2Cents]

Clearly, Kissenger and Mitchell didn't know what they were getting into -- a highly controversial investigation, involving a major investment of time, and no pay!

[Endeavor]

Amen

[Right_in_Virginia]

Let's keep our fingers crossed. (And, thanks)

[Poohbah]

At 100, I would be surprised if he would understand what was happening.

At 100, he's definitely sharper than Trent Lott is at 61...