YAHOO ... Trent Lott is LEAVING the Senate!!

Lott says he'll resign by end of year

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071126/ap_on_go_co/lott_senate


By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and JACK ELLIOTT JR., Associated Press Writers
3 minutes ago



PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott, the Senate's No. 2 Republican, announced Monday he will retire from the Senate before January, ending a 35-year career in Congress in which he rose to his party's top Senate job only to lose it over a remark interpreted as support for segregation.

"It's time for us to do something else," Lott said, speaking for himself and his wife Tricia at a news conference.

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Lott becomes the sixth Senate Republican this year to announce retirement. Democrats effectively hold a 51-49 majority in the chamber, including two independents who align themselves with Democrats. His retirement means that Republicans will have to defend 23 seats in next year's election, while Democrats have only 12 seats at stake.

Lott expressed some frustration with the pace of progress on legislation under Democratic leadership, and said it was clearly better to be in the majority.

But he also said that politicians often take themselves too seriously.

"In Washington, in life, we tend sometimes to get to thinking that we are especially anointed that only we can do this job, but somebody will pick up the flag and carry on."

Barbour, the governor, could name a replacement to serve until the next election.

Lott's seat is likely to remain Republican. GOP Rep. Chip Pickering of Mississippi, a former Lott aide who recently announced his retirement from the House, is widely seen as a potential successor. Aides to Pickering said he would withhold comment until after Lott's news conference.

What do we know about "Chip" Pickering?

:shrug:

Happy to see him going, though :)

Seems to be what is happening every day to the Repukes.

factor, though ... new rules that take effect in January prevent members of congress from taking jobs with/as lobbyists for two years after leaving office; but for those who leave before the law takes effect, the old standard of one year will remain in effect. Perhaps that's an issue (though Lott denies it):

He said he doesn't have a new job lined up and that new restrictions on lobbying that take effect after Dec. 31, 2007 "didn't have a big role" in his decision to retire. The regulations extend the "cooling off" period for lobbying by former members of Congress from one to two years.

with Barbour 100% certain to appoint a repuke.

Thad Cochran's seat is up for re-election in 2008 already. Lott was just re-elected last year, and they wouldn't have to defend his seat until 2012 if he stayed in office.

I am just wondering why Lott quit so suddenly.
Was he seen lurking in the men's room at an airport?