This completely summarizes the problem with Lott and the overwhelming majority of the "leadership". These guys are far more interested in what is best for themselves than what is best forthe country. De Toquville once said that one of the flaws of American democracy is that we "are only allowed to choose our leaders from among those who choose themselves". This means we are always dealing with a suspect group.
Just out of curiosity, how many of those who have replied here actually listened to the whole Tony Snow interview?
I would make three points about what Trent said in his interview that I didn't see mentioned in any of the other posts:
1. Trent stated he was not an outrider on this effort, he was keeping Frist informed of his progress - and Frist supported his efforts. Trent is Chair of the Senate Rules Committee, and this proposed rule change falls under the jurisdiction of his cmte. He also said he didn't give Frist every detail of the ongoing negotiations, but Frist supported Trent in his efforts.
2. Trent said no judges would be left behind - all of them would get an up-or-down vote in the Senate. There would be no way to pick who gets a vote and who doesn't among these qualified jurists. He also stated that a minority of the minority was not going to have their way.
3. Part of the reason for these negotiations was to assure the more liberal Republican Senators from the NE part of the US that everything possible was tried before the "constitutional" option was invoked on the floor.
These aren't quotes, but the gist of what he was saying.
As a final note, Trent got a raw deal from his fellow Republican senators during the Thurmond kerfuffle, and he has every right to remember that and act as he sees fit.