Empty Lott
The problem with Trent Lott isn’t that he made a stupid comment a couple of weeks ago, one he’d get away with if he had the correct opinions. The problem is that he’s had a history of making stupid comments, and he was a poor majority leader the last time around. Nothing in Lott’s history indicates that he will grow more prudent or intelligent by remaining in a leadership position.
The Senate needs to consider some bills that will loom large in the light of history, foremost among them the partial-birth abortion and cloning bans. It will consider at least one or two Supreme Court nominations. If this guy were Sen. Santorum, you bet he’d have plenty of people willing to defend him, but as he is neither effective in a Machiavellian sense nor principled, he’s as good as gone. Look, it isn’t a human right to hold a political office. Don’t cry for this guy, if you’re at all tempted to rail against the “injustice” of a politician being held responsible for his remarks.