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Lott to Step Aside! CBS Radio Reporting it will happen later today....
Posted on 12/20/2002 7:40:32 AM PST by BUSHdude2000
Edited on 12/20/2002 7:53:56 AM PST by Admin Moderator.
[history]
Just heard that CBS News Radio is about to announce this...
Admin Moderator added update:
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
TOPICS: Breaking News
KEYWORDS: letsroll; stopthebleeding
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To: BUSHdude2000
Good news, if true. Anyone else hear this?
21
posted on
12/20/2002 7:45:09 AM PST
by
Peach
To: mhking; Poohbah
VICTORY!!!!
Majority Leader Frist! Damn, gotta love that.
22
posted on
12/20/2002 7:45:15 AM PST
by
hchutch
To: wimpycat
I agree. I am just relieved we're going to start after the New Year on the right note. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year's Freepers!!! :)
To: ApesForEvolution; Poohbah; BillCompton; BuddhaBoy; hole_n_one; Tall_Texan; dirtboy; Howlin; ...
PiYANNNNNNNNNNNG!
To: Interesting Times
I have changed my mind, Trent should stay.
He is such a target rich topic to write about.
To: Interesting Times
Your personally autographed, hand-crafted Trent Lott pinata is on its way.You mean he didn't break in all the beatings he took since this sorry circus started?
I make light, but all-in-all, it's a pretty damn sorry state of affairs if you ask me...
26
posted on
12/20/2002 7:46:26 AM PST
by
mhking
To: BUSHdude2000
FoxNews is behind. They are still speculation "whether he will or whether he won't."
27
posted on
12/20/2002 7:46:29 AM PST
by
TomGuy
To: BUSHdude2000
Kudos to Don Nickles for putting his ambition aside for the good of the party.
28
posted on
12/20/2002 7:46:30 AM PST
by
dirtboy
To: BUSHdude2000
Democreeps must be disappointed. HEH HEH!! What a relief. I was afraid he was going to draw this out forever! WHEW!!!
To: BUSHdude2000
Warner was the death knell last night, and the fact that Lott only had 21 votes.
30
posted on
12/20/2002 7:46:51 AM PST
by
ewing
To: BUSHdude2000
Perhaps Lott has been visiting Free Republic and knows that he has lost the grass roots of the Party.
Let him have Jesse Helms' old committee chair. That would be a fair tradeoff. Give him a power base from which to rebuild his tattered reputation.
To: BUSHdude2000
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.
To: BUSHdude2000
He WILL stay in the Senate.
Was this part of the report? Thanks for the quick post-
33
posted on
12/20/2002 7:46:59 AM PST
by
July 4th
To: P-Marlowe
Will he make the announcement on BET?
To: hchutch
How is Frist on gun control?
Somewhere I read that his is more liberal than most repubs in the Senate, favors the assualt weapons ban etc...
To: Mr. Jeeves
Word on the street is that none of the senators like Nickles, and absent any other challenger Lott would have defeated Nickles. But other challengers stepped up to the plate and Lott saw the writing on the wall.
Now, what information does Lott have on those who worked against him and how soon will he leak it?
To: BUSHdude2000
The Republican Sweep continues!!
To: goldstategop
Fox News confirming now - Lott will release statement in 13 minutes.
38
posted on
12/20/2002 7:47:52 AM PST
by
Peach
To: BUSHdude2000
Warner and Nickels supporting Frist, I mean.
39
posted on
12/20/2002 7:47:56 AM PST
by
ewing
To: Phantom Lord
On FNC now, will have a written statement @ top of the hour.
40
posted on
12/20/2002 7:47:57 AM PST
by
bigaln2
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