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

[Mike Darancette]

Now can we force him to resigh the Senate or Get him kicked out.

[July 4th]

Click for ACU rating - He had 100% last year.

News networks have now picked up the story.

[dfwgator]

Frist is a Bush guy, whatever Bush says, Frist will deliver.

[smith288]

Expect the Rats now to say the GOP is racist for tossing Lott.

Oh so right. But Frist has a clue about politics and does possess a backbone.

[Bluntpoint]

Yeah, the repukes just tossed the only pro affirmative action repuke out of his position of ML.

[hchutch]

Lott's supporting Frist? Damn!

[Right_in_Virginia]

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

When Gore leaves, he's "gracious" and making the right decision. Lott leaves and you're still sticking knives in him.

Unbelievable.

[JohnnyZ]

Having FRIST would be good news for the Partial Birth Abortion Ban, at least.

Question is, will Frist now get the nod or will someone from the Lott group (McConnell, Santorum) step up as a candidate? I betcha THAT could continue through Jan. 6th too.

[deport]

...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.......

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Neither did Bob Livingston, but with spineless Trent and lack of perception who knows.... Give him a few days for it to sink in that he's the good ol' boy racist from down south in the opinion of many of his co-horts and it may begin to grate on him... But then he may can take the humilation he's brought on himself and let it run off him like water off a duck's back.

[dirtboy]

Expect the Rats now to say the GOP is racist for tossing Lott.

Expect the Rats to start worrying now that the GOP has once again held themselves to a higher standard while former Kleagle Byrd still marches within their ranks. I expect bales of political hay will be made over the next few months.

[goldstategop]

Its the first decent thing Lott has done since the brouhahaha about him broke. We need to remember that the good of the party and the country comes before any individual. Trent Lott did his service to the GOP and we're sad he had to leave under these circumstances but it was necessary. 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.

[Guillermo]

YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I KNEW THIS DEBACLE WOULD HAVE A GOOD ENDING!

[Interesting Times]

I have changed my mind, Trent should stay.

He is such a target rich topic to write about.

Cheer up. We'll still have Trent in the Senate to kick around.

And the resignation speech is yet to come...

[BUSHdude2000]

Was this part of the report?

Yes. CBS said he was going to stay in the Senate.

[RooRoobird14]

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 don't entirely believe all of that, but I do believe in rewarding good behavior. LOL

[dfwgator]

Now can we force him to resigh the Senate or Get him kicked out.

That's up to the people of Mississippi.

[Travis McGee]

Lott is going to stay in the Senate.

But will he stay in the Republican Party, or switch BACK to the Demonrats?

[Illbay]

Bush has nothing to do with it (More FReeper naivete: One of the few Constitutional constructs everyone has no problem supporting is separation of powers. The Senators in particular are very jealous of the fact that they see the Legislative branch as coequal to the Executive).

This is about Lott seeing his OWN support ebbing away. It's an internal, Senate Republican phenomenon only.

[SheLion]

MSNBC just announced it. It's 10:50am est.

[Jennifer in Florida]

Frist will make a good leader, but it sickens me how this all transpired. The double standard in play here is so unfair.