Lott should do party a favor and step down

Frontiersman editorial board

There are times when an apology is simply not enough, and the controversy around the offensive remarks made by Senator Trent Lott, has given us one of those times. An apology may suffice when someone makes an off-hand comment that, taken out of context, seems insensitive or ignorant. An apology may be enough when someone chooses the wrong word in a spontaneous response. An apology is certainly not enough when the remarks are simply one more example of a person's belief system -- a belief system that is so out of step with modern thinking that it is beyond offensive; it is intolerable.

Lott has apologized several times now, and some of his supporters would have us accept those apologies and move on. The problem is, Lott himself has not moved on since the 1950s when he fought to keep his college fraternity segregated. His voting record has consistently shown an animus toward the ideas of integration and social equality. This was not a case in which Lott misspoke. He did not say one thing when he meant another. There was no mistaking Lott's meaning when he said that had the entire country supported Strom Thurmond's run for the White House 50 years ago, we wouldn't have had all the problems we've had all these years hence. Thurmond ran on a platform with only one discernible plank -- that of segregation. It is a concept Lott has held in high esteem for many years.

The senator has attempted to show remorse about his choice of words, but his actions over the years make it hard to swallow this show of contrition. If Lott were truly contrite, he would save his colleagues the trouble of haggling over whether to censure him or not. He'd save his party the embarrassment of either accepting his apology and letting him remain majority leader or the embarrassment of asking him to step down. He should step down without being asked.

Of course, even the Democrats have remained largely quiet on the sidelines as the drama plays itself out. They've largely left the Congressional Black Caucus to carry the torch. It's not that the Democrats have been bland that is troubling, but it is the reason for it. It's a political reason. Lott represents an easy target for them. He stands for everything in the Democrat's definition of the ugly Republican, and he makes himself a target nearly every time he speaks. This is an opportunity for the Democrats to put a potential political advantage aside and speak up for what it right. They should that that chance -- standing for what is right may bode well for them in the next round of elections.