Lottsa Trouble - Conservatives from across the chattering classes continue to pile on poor Trent Lott for his praise of centogenarian Sen. Strom Thurmond's 1948 segregationist presidential campaign. Rarely do right-wingers act so much in lock-step (at least since Bill Clinton left office), but these days they all seem to be working from the same talking points memo. (Sean Hannity is a rare exception.) Even before liberals chime in with "I told you so's," you get the feeling that Lott's comments have already spoiled their fun of winning the House and the Senate in November.

Meanwhile, I've got a theory about what Lott really meant by his comments. (The lack of any detailed explanation from the Senator -- as opposed to apology -- really baffles me.) I think what Trent had in mind was Thurmond's Dixiecrat philosophy of states' rights. Of course that ideology was deployed chiefly to support racial segregation, but there are those who support the policy who aren't bigots -- they just believe the country is better off with a weak Federal government. I'm pretty sure Lott is one of those. Is it so hard to get that explanation out to the media?

It seems like a long shot that Lott would get replaced as Senate majority leader as a result of this fracas. Regardless, here's hoping that a cowed Lott would be less successful at pushing his extreme right-wing agenda.