Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi, the Senate’s No. 2 Republican, plans to resign his seat before the end of the year, congressional and White House officials said Monday.
Lott, 66, scheduled two news conferences in his home state later in the day to reveal his plans. According to congressional and White House officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the announcement, Lott intends to resign effective the end of the year.
No reason for Lott’s resignation was given, but according to a congressional official, there is nothing amiss with Lott’s health. The senator has “other opportunities” he plans to pursue, the official said, without elaborating.
Let me suggest a couple of reasons: He figures that if he stays, he’ll still be in the minority, except with a Democrat president as well. And he doesn’t like the brightness of the porklight shining on him every time he crawls out from beneath his rock. Finally, after all the favors he’s done for people over the years, he figures it’s time to cash in, while the cashing is still good.
As Glenn Reynolds says, he won’t be missed. By anybody other than those whose pockets he’s been living in for the past few decades.
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Allahpundit has the real reason:
Sleaze personified.
Yep, as I said: Cashing in while the cashing is good. Or, more accurately, cashing out while the cashing in is still good.
I’ve never been a big fan of Sen. Lott’s, and I’m happy to see him go; but I’m pleasantly surprised to discover a long-time Senator that did not manage to get rich while in office. I did not know such a creature existed.
My interpretation of that is that Lott is not only sleazy but incompetent as well.
Hastert is leaving too. My blog post title over at QandO on both of them is “Today must be ’stuffed shirts resignation day’”. It just seemed to fit them both so well.