Lott is sticking around for this?

If this tidbit in the American Prowler is to be believed, Lott is having a hard time adjusting in the Senate.

One potential chairmanship he now is said to be eyeing is the Senate Rules Committee, currently chaired by Pennsylvania's Sen. Rick Santorum. Previous rumors had Lott circling the Energy Committee, where Pete Domenici now controls the chairmanship and Budget, where Lott's old rival Don Nickles, is slated to take over. On all three committees, Lott isn't thought to have a chance.

The White House, which suddenly is taking a very proactive approach to its dealings in the Senate, does not want Lott on Budget, where he would have to work with both the Bush Administration and Democrats. "You saw how fast he sold the Senate Republicans down the river to save his job," says a White House legislative liaison staffer. "Can you imagine the kind of deals he'd cut on Budget?"

The same reasoning holds for Rules, where prior to the Lott debacle, Republicans were said to be holding tight to demands that Democrats not get an even close to equitable shares of staff levels and budgets on committees. Again, there would concerns about Lott's ability to stand firm on conservative, Republican policy and game plan.

Lott still has a seat on the coveted Finance Committee, so he doesn't go home emptyhanded. But unless the Senate GOP gives Lott some love (something they don't seem inclined to do), I don't think a Lott resignation is out of the realm of possibilities.

Look again at those quotes about "selling out Republicans." Wasn't that the kind of talk, that level of disdain, that drove Jeffords over to the Dems?

Posted December 26, 2002 03:54 PM | Comments (33)