Lott to Step Aside! CBS Radio Reporting it will happen later today....

[BUSHdude2000]

Just heard that CBS News Radio is about to announce this...

Admin Moderator added update:

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Lott Will Step Down
WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2002


Sen. Trent Lott plans to resign as the Republican Senate leader, CBS News has learned.

CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent Bob Schieffer reports that Lott is now calling colleagues to tell them he intends to step down. Lott plans to have some kind of statement later today and will remain in the Senate.

Two weeks after lamenting that segregationist Strom Thurmond had lost his 1948 presidential bid, Lott faced mounting opposition to his remaining in the post he has held for six year.

Sen. Bill Frist of Tennessee won public endorsements from four GOP colleagues in his emerging bid to supplant Lott. He is now poised to be the next leader.

Frist, a staunch ally of President Bush and the man who headed the GOP's successful effort to snatch control of the Senate in last month's elections, said Thursday he would "likely step forward" and challenge Lott. Virginia GOP Sens. John Warner and George Allen had said Frist was definitely a candidate.

In addition, candidacies were considered possible by Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky or Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania. Both men have been among Lott's staunchest supporters.

Warner, a 24-year Senate veteran and the incoming Armed Services Committee chairman, said, "This is bigger than friendship."

"This is ? a country at war, this is a president who is making very difficult decisions each day and he needs the support of his Republican colleagues united and led by strong leaders in both houses," Warner said.

Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., incoming Environment and Public Works Committee chairman, was also supporting Frist, said Inhofe spokesman Gary Hoitsma. And a Republican aide close to No. 2 Senate Republican Don Nickles of Oklahoma said Nickles, a longtime Lott rival, would probably support a race by Frist.

Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., on Friday said he had called Lott a day earlier and "asked him to make way for a new Senate Republican leader who is able to speak with a strong voice to Americans of all races." Bond then endorsed Frist.

Allen, who will head the Republican Senate campaign effort for 2004, said he believed Frist already had the support of about 10 GOP senators, including James Talent of Missouri and Mike Enzi of Wyoming. Enzi's spokesman said he would make no comment.

Signs of trouble for Lott have multiplied over the week. First, liberal Rhode Island Sen. Lincoln Chaffee became the first Republican to explicitly call for Lott's ouster.

Then, a CBS News/New York Times poll of members of the Republican National Committee ? the party's ruling body ? released Thursday found 45 percent of them thought Lott should go, while just 20 percent thought he should stay on as Senate leader.

The 51 GOP senators in the Congress convening Jan. 7 plan were to meet the previous day to decide who will lead them.

Many Republicans privately expected Lott to step down before that meeting.

Following Mr. Bush's criticism last week of Lott's Dec. 5 remarks, administration officials have sought to distance themselves from the leadership struggle.

Until now, Republican lawmakers, aides and lobbyists had said Frist was reluctant to seek the job. Besides being a political lightning rod for attacks by Democrats, the post would be extremely time-consuming, taking away from his pursuit of health issues and, perhaps, preparations for a White House run in 2008.

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/12/10/politics/main532405.shtml

[shortstop]

He just didn't want to go on the John Lewis "reparations tour".

[dfwgator]

I can't imagine why he'd stay in the Senate if he's giving up the top spot. Newt didn't stick around in the House.

Pork...the other white meat.

[Congress Shall Make No Law]

I don't think he will resign the senate. He knows that if he does Chefey will switch and the Republicans will lose the majority. Trent Lott may be a lot of things, but he is no Jeffords.

[Ditter]

I don't know Frist. Does he have a spine?

[copycat]

IMHO, THIS IS A GIFT. I wanted Lott out as SML before this happened. Now he is going, staying in the Senate, and the Dems have looked outright vicious and racist in the last two weeks to most Americans.

Sweet...

[Alberta's Child]

I'm fairly certain that no GOP senator is going to jump ship anytime soon.

Jeffords is about as relevant as a cow turd right now, and since the GOP is likely to pick up a substantial number of seats in 2004 there is no up-side to making a switch.

[NittanyLion]

I love it. As soon as ANYTHING like this is announced, we always have a batch of people who want to know "how is he on the Second Amendment? If he's not in full support of an assault weapon in every schoolchild's hand, I'm going to do all I can to defeat him!"

Spoken like a good liberal. Long on emotional appeal, real short on substance.

[SwinneySwitch]

It was the APOLOGIES that did him in!

[sweetliberty]

Well I see that the Rats have found a way to continue to control the Senate in spite of the fact that we have the majority, and I guess that they are quite proud of themselves that they have succeeded in destroying another Republican over nothing.

[Austin Willard Wright]

Don't go after Byrd yet (at least as far as legislative action goes). This should only be done *if* the Democrats try to force Lott to resign or try to censure him.

[finnman69]

Lott staying in the Senate.

[Peach]

Now let Republicans take on Byrd's racism

[nutmeg]

Not Soon enough.

(IMHO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

I will consider this my Christmas present from Washington!!!

WOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I couldn't agree more! Go Senator Frist!

[Dog Gone]

Please let me take this opportunity to thank whichever Democrats got this ball rolling for us. You've done for us what we never could have accomplished without you.

AMEN

[copycat]

GOP: "You Democrats are supposed to have all the answers on health care, education, and the economy? Then why are all of your party leaders lawyers instead of doctors (Frist), teachers (Hastert), and businessmen (Bush)?"

Good call. Dems - "Lawyer's Party" GOP - "Professionals Party"

[Austin Willard Wright]

I don't much about him either. I could be wrong but, on paper at least, he seems to be better than Lott. He couldn't be much worse in the spine department! We shall see.

[ThinkingMan]

If Lott does step down as ML but stays as Senator, we all should call his office to thank him profusely and tell him he's a true statesman, he'll go down in history as a good man caught in a bad situation, he put love of country before self-interest, blah, blah, blah.

I agree absolutely. Thanks for saying so publicly.

As do I.

[Joe Hadenuf]

finally! stick a fork in him - he's done.

You bet, lets tar and feather him and paint his house black.

He should be imprisoned

[calvin sun]

Trust me the Dems will be sorry they kicked Lott down and they find in Frist a much tougher foe to deal with after January.

This statement reminds me of a football game several years ago between the NY Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles. Philadelphia attempted a field goal, but New York blocked it. But Philadelphia player Clyde Simmons picked it up and ran it in for a TOUCHDOWN.

Or how about this one, from YEARS ago (back then, FYI the rules were different in that a failed field goal that rolled into the end zone was a touchback): Minnesota kicker Fred Cox attempts a field goal against Detroit. The Lions block the kick, but the ball continues to roll on the ground toward the Detroit end zone. A Detroit player puts a block on Minnesota center Mick Tinglehoff (?sp?) to prevent him from downing the ball short of the goal line. But in throwing the block, he brushes against the ball, which rolls into the end zone. Minnesota safety Paul Krause (?sp?) sees what happened, rushes into the end zone, pushing aside the official, and falls on the ball. The official looks down for a second, then signals "touchdown."

[BibChr]

Don't like his reported ties to an abortion-providing institution, and don't like that he helped David Satcher get Surgeon General.

Dan