So Lott has made it clear that he will not resign. That's his choice, and it's a legitimate one. Who would want to surrender his current gig, head of the majority party in the United States Senate?

So now the onus falls on the rest of the Senate Republicans. This isn't a decision to be made by the pundits, or the voters, or any Democrats, or the president, or House Republicans. At this point, the ball is entirely in the court of the Senate Republican caucus. How they handle the situation will say a great deal about the future direction of the Grand Old Party. "Compassionate Conservatives" or "Trent Lott Republicans"?

Republicans have 51 senators. Twenty-six of them will need to turn against Lott for a successful challenge to Lott's leadership (assuming that the Republican Party bylaws allow Senators to replace their leader, which I would assume it does). So, will 26 GOP senators help rescue their party from itself?