Whole Lott a Trouble?

So former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott has made his soft landing -- in the chair of the Senate Rules Committee, courtesy of Rick Santorum, who graciously agreed to give up the seat to his former boss.

Granted, it's more of a consolation prize than a real leadership post -- the Senate isn't the House, where the Rules Committee has serious clout. But we may not have heard the last of the man from Pascagoula. According to the Washington Post, Lott told the AP he believes he still has "the experience and the background to be very much a player" in the Senate, despite his sudden demotion.

Was Santorum's gift a simple act of charity (a noticably rare quality in his career to date), or was it something, well, less noble -- a political chit to be squirreled away for future use . . . in , oh, say, a bid to unseat Bill Frist, perhaps?

Could it be that the old Lott-Santorum-McConnell power axis is still quietly in business? Are the latter two members hoping the first one will help them overthrow the usurper? Could Lott, who through the first two weeks of December demonstrated a certain ability to live in a dream world, be hoping for eventual rehabilitation, even restoration?

We all know the Senate is the world's most exclusive club, and one of the least transparent, now that the old Soviet Politburo has gone the way of the dodo. So your guess is probably as good as mine.

But I've a funny feeling Bill Frist may soon discover why successful usurpers (Henry IV, Richard III; any number of Roman emperors, Russian Czars and Renaissance popes) were fairly meticulous about eliminating their predecessors -- as well as their relatives and retainers.

The best advice for kings who would keep their crowns (and their heads): Trust No One.

Billmon

Posted January 03, 2003 07:32 PM | Comments (21)