WASHINGTON (Dec. 16) - Anxious to end a political uproar, Senate Republicans
set a Jan. 6 meeting on Monday to settle the fate of Sen. Trent Lott, their
longtime leader weakened by a backlash over racially insensitive remarks.
``There needs to be some closure soon,'' said Sen. Conrad Burns of Montana,
who joined a growing list of Republicans voicing concern about the impact of
the furor on the party.
The call to a closed-door meeting came as the Mississippian appeared on Black
Entertainment Network, where he made the latest in a string of apologies for
remarks about segregation. He said he could use his post to ``move an agenda
that would hopefully be helpful to African Americans and minorities of all
kinds and all Americans.''
As examples, he said he spoke with Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., about setting up a
task force on reconciliation and with Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas,
about setting up an African-American summit.
There were fresh signs of weakness in Lott's position elsewhere, as his
comments were attacked anew from the White House podium and the Republican
National Committee maintained its silence about the controversy.
The announced meeting sets the stage for a remarkable closed-door session for
which there are few, if any precedents. And the senator who emerges from the
meeting as the GOP leader - Lott or another - will swiftly ascend to the
position of majority leader, charged with pushing President Bush's agenda
through in the GOP-controlled Senate.
Under Republican rules, any senator may propose new elections once the doors
are closed, although no balloting would proceed unless a majority of
Republicans wanted to go ahead. Lott's office did not return several calls
seeking a response to the meeting, and there was no shortage of speculation
about potential successors.
Sen. Don Nickles, the outgoing whip, topped the list, although his spokesman
said he didn't know what his boss's plans were. Nickles, R-Okla., Lott's
longtime rival within the GOP leadership, was the first Republican to break
ranks over the weekend and call for new leadership elections.
Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., has also gained prominence in recent months,
following a successful stint as chairman of the senatorial campaign
committee. Several Republicans have said for months that Frist's political
goal was capturing the White House in 2008.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has been a leading Lott defender in his role as
incoming GOP whip. His spokesman did not return a call for comment on plans
for the closed-door meeting.
Some Republican aides speculated about an effort to coax him from his
leadership post, perhaps by offering the prospect of a committee
chairmanship. That would also address a separate concern of some Republicans,
the fear that Lott might resign his seat if he lost his leadership post, and
allow his state's Democratic governornor to name a replacement. A Democratic
replacement would leave the Senate at a 50-50 tie, and complicate Republican
efforts to advance their agenda.
Rep. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., chairman of the GOP conference, issued a terse
one-sentence statement announcing the meeting, saying the decision had been
made ``with a number of members, leadership, Sen. Lott and Sen. Nickles.''
Santorum reacted coolly to the idea in a Sunday interview on NBC, but once
Nickles proposed new elections, a growing number of senators endorsed a
meeting, and the momentum was too strong to resist. While the decision to
hold the session was a setback to Lott, the three-week delay appeared to give
him time to reassert his control.
At the White House, spokesman Ari Fleischer called Lott's remarks about the
1948 presidential campaign ``offensive and repugnant.'' At the same time, he
said, ``The president does not think he (Lott) needs to resign.''
Lott's predicament stemmed from remarks he made earlier this month at a 100th
birthday party for Sen. Strom Thurmond. Lott said Mississippians were proud
to have supported Thurmond for president when he ran in 1948 as a
segregationist. ``And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we
wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years, either,'' he said.
Lott has apologized repeatedly for the remarks, declaring them insensitive
and worse. But the furor has persisted. And a strategy of laying the
controversy to rest with an apology on Friday, a defense-by-proxy on the
Sunday talk shows and the BET appearance failed to do the job.
``My Republican colleagues and I are actively engaged in deciding what is in
the best interest of the Senate as an institution and the country,'' Frist
said in a statement. ``I am confident a consensus will emerge, but no
decisions have been made yet.''
``Sen. Lott's comments were inappropriate and do not reflect the party of
`compassionate conservatism, but I want to hear from my colleagues before I
make any decision about who should lead the party and the Senate,'' said
Burns.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said he, too, supported a closed-door meeting to
air the issue and ``make clear to the American people that the GOP remains
the party of Lincoln both in word and in deed.''
12/16/02 19:07 EST
