12-29-02, Political Footnotes
Lott's Loss
By Stuart James
IPS Features
In the December 20th, 2002 issue of the Chattanooga Times
Free Press, the Free Press Editorial Page wrote:
“ Well, they got him! The Democrats have shot down Senator Trent Lott,
the Senate Republican majority leader. They shot him down like a bird on a limb
–sitting, not flying.
And when he fluttered, they fired again. He may not know it yet, but
he’s been shot down and has become the Democrats “secret weapon,” their
means to wound the Republicans whom the Democrats could not defeat November 5th
elections.”
Nothing could be further from the truth. The Republican President
“shot down Senator Trent Lott” and he “shot him down like a bird on a limb
– sitting not flying.” The President accomplished this goal while hiding in
the bushes.
Here is what the Times Free Press Reported on Sunday, December 22, 2002
about the Lott resignation.
The headline reads “Lott ouster called skillful maneuver.” The
article reports “as President Bush was cheerily shaking hands of thousands of
guests at glittering White House Christmas parties last week, his advisers and
influential Republicans were working overtime to jettison Trent Lott has Senate
Republican leader. One Republican close to the White House who talked to
reporters about the troubles Lott was bringing upon the party said Friday that
he’d been given careful instructions by top White House officials to stick to
the President’s words – meaning that he should take his cues from the
President’s criticism of Lott on December 12... and to stay out of the story.
That meant critics should remain anonymous when they talked to reporters about
Lott, according to this Republican ally of the White House.”
The article further credits Washington’s political professionals with
the following: “the President, they said, had reached new levels of political
maneuvering and ruthlessness to contain a stain on Republicans that was
threatening his own agenda. And he did it without overtly appearing to be behind
the effort...
In just eight days, influential Republicans said, the White House used a
succession of carefully timed public statements and anonymous, damaging leaks to
bring about the resignation of Lott and the ascension of Frist, all while
publicly denouncing the leaks and repeatedly expressing the view that the
President did not think Lott should resign.”
After his comments regarding Senator Strom Thurmond, Senator Lott
lost the support of fellow Republicans in the Senate and, most important, the
support of the President. Senator Lott’s comments undermined the strategy that
President Bush is using to gain Republican support – that strategy is to
reach out to minorities thereby expanding the Republican base; particularly in
the South.
The Chattanooga Times Free Press suggestion that the Democrats got
Senator Trent Lott is ludicrous. The suggestion that Democrats “shot him down
like a bird on a limb” is an irresponsible comment that does not put the blame
where it lies, on Senator Trent Lott. Moreover, the commentary does not
consider the maneuvering by Republicans to remove Lott from office. The
commentary misses the true reason for the resignation–an irresponsible
statement by Lott and skillful maneuvering by Republicans–including the
President.
Senator Lott shot himself. Furthermore, the Office of the President
“shot [Lott] down like a bird on a limb – sitting not flying” and “when
[Lott] fluttered, [the President] fired again. He may not know it yet, but
he’s been shot down and has become the [President’s] secret weapon,” a
weapon used to change leadership in the Senate to advance the President’s
political agenda.
Did the Democrats orchestrate Senator Lott’s resignation? No, Senator
Lott is the victim of artful political maneuvering by Republicans and the Office
of the President. He is, most important, a victim of his own conduct–
nothing more, nothing less.
Stuart F. James
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