Trent Lott's hangin' 'em up. He's quittin', takin' the easy road off into the sunset, ostensibly, as Roll Call reports (subscription req'd), because of a "general fatigue of Congress" and to spend more time with his family.
Yeah, his family of dead presidents:
While the exactly reason Lott is stepping down before he finishes his term is unknown, the general speculation is that a quick departure immunizes Lott against tougher restrictions in a new lobbying law that takes effect at the end of the year. That law would require Senators to wait two-years before entering the lucrative world of lobbying Congress.
That might also explain the recent spate of Republican retirements, might it not? A smart person:
...a friend asked -- with all these mid-term resignations, when is anyone going to stop looking at the political implications and start asking about the ethical ones? It's a fair point -- and one that I hope goes a few steps further.
Big Head DC hears that Hustler's >Larry Flynt may have played a role in the sudden and unexpected announcement of the resignation of Sen. Trent Lott this morning. Flynt was already involved earlier this year in uncovering Sen. David Vitter's involvement with the so-called DC Madam escort service. He has said he would reveal more "huge" tawdry politico sex scandals by year's end.
