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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: calgal who wrote (329012)	12/16/2002 8:49:56 AM
From: goldworldnet	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769670

Pressure grows for Lott to resign leadership post 1 hour, 23 minutes ago Laurence McQuillan USA TODAY WASHINGTON -- As clamor grew for Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi to give up his post as majority leader, his deputy became the first Republican senator to say that Lott's remark alluding to segregation undermines his ability to do his job. Sen. Don Nickles of Oklahoma on Sunday called for Senate Republicans to pick a new leader. ''This is bigger than any single senator now,'' Nickles, Lott's deputy for six years, said on ABC's This Week. ''I am concerned Sen. Lott has been weakened to the point that it may jeopardize his ability to enact our agenda and speak to all Americans.'' Some Republican senators have spoken in Lott's defense and said he is not a racist. Some who think he should step down have been silent publicly, waiting to see if that is a fight they could win. A decisive factor in whether Lott keeps his position will be public reaction to his appearance on Black Entertainment Television, set to begin at 8 p.m. ET. Lott plans to offer public contrition for the fifth time over his statement Dec. 5 at Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday party that the nation would have been better off if Thurmond had been elected president in 1948. Thurmond, the eight-term senator from South Carolina, ran as a segregationist. Lott is expected to discuss legislative proposals he says would benefit black Americans. Nickles has long been a rival of Lott and is considered a strong candidate to replace him. Other top contenders: Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Sen. Bill Frist of Tennessee. The uproar comes as Republicans, led by President Bush (news - web sites), have been trying to appeal to black voters, who traditionally have been aligned with Democrats. Last week, Bush said Lott's comments were ''offensive'' and ''do not reflect the spirit of our country.'' But Bush did not ask Lott to step down. White House officials have been cautious, emphasizing that the leadership spot is determined by the 51 Republicans who will control the Senate. Despite issues like Iraq and a new team of economic advisers, no Bush aides hit the Sunday morning talk-show circuit. And when Lott, 61, tried to recruit endorsements from two prominent African-Americans in the administration -- Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites) -- he was turned down. Lott's future drew mixed forecasts Sunday. McConnell said on ABC's This Week that Lott ''knows that he's weakened. He knows he made a bad mistake. But he's apologized. . . . I think we ought to accept the apology and move on.'' William Bennett, Education secretary in the Reagan administration, when asked on CBS's Face the Nation if Lott will survive, said, ''I don't think he can, I don't think he will, and I don't think he should.'' Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., said he had confidence in Lott. ''I think we should not lynch him, we should give him an opportunity,'' Shelby said on CNN's Late Edition. Sen. John Warner, R-Va., told CNN, ''It is our responsibility as a group to come together, make a decision and then go forward -- not to let this thing be dangling out there day after day.'' Republicans fear that the turmoil will complicate Bush's plan to unveil a new economic stimulus package of tax cuts early next month and press for quick passage. Some conservatives complain privately that Lott has been too willing to compromise with Democrats to get legislation through Congress. They say they would like to see Nickles replace him because they view him as a stronger advocate. Some Republicans worry that if Lott lost a showdown over the majority leader's post, he might also resign his Senate seat. Assuming Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove appointed a Democrat to replace him, the GOP's one-vote majority would slip to a tie with Democrats. story.news.yahoo.com * * *