INSIDERS WARN: STEP DOWN OR BE PUSHED
Mon Dec 16 2002 22:45:08 ET 2002
In words that seemed sure to surprise and possibly infuriate a good portion of Sen. Trent Lott's traditional political base, he told his interviewer, Ed Gordon of Black Entertainment Television, "There has been immoral leadership in my part of the country for a long time."
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Many Republicans said Lott might not survive until a planned Jan. 6 Republican meeting, as some prominent party officials predicted privately that the Mississippi Republican might have to relinquish his post even sooner if it became clear he did not have the support of a majority of Republican senators or the White House, the NEW YORK TIMES is reporting on Tuesday.
"One outside adviser with close ties to the administration said Lott had become a "walking pinata" and that the Mississippi Republican's departure from the Senate leadership had now become inevitable.
"Political physics has set in -- it's only a matter of time," the adviser said. "The best scenario is for Lott to come to the obvious conclusion himself and avoid a painful confrontation."
Another sign of Lott's growing political problems were private discussions among some of his colleagues to find an alternative position for Lott, other than his current leadership role. Such a position, such as a committee chairmanship, might help keep him from resigning his seat in the event he is dislodged as leader, the paper claims in its lead story.
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Lott told a national black television audience that he regretted his vote against a national holiday honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.; seeking to explain his vote in 1983, Lott pleaded ignorance. "I'm not sure we in America, certainly not white America, people in the South, fully understood who this man was, the impact he has had on the fabric of this country," he said.
