I'm not particularly fond of relics of America's participation in societal bigotry; those notables in the United States Senate would be Fritz Hollings, Robert "KKK Recruiter" Byrd, and the now-retired, 100-year-old Strom Thurmond. Thurmon, you may recall, ran for president in 1948 on an anti-integration platform.
Unfortunately, we grow from our roots and for many - including someone prominent and otherwise respectable like Harry S. Truman - racism lined the crib.
I would, however, expect that a man can shrug off his early lessons given enough courage of conviction towards the strength of love and equity. Robert Byrd, a doddering old fool, spoke of "white n***ers" in a television interview two years ago; we can either blame intransigence or senility. I don't know if Strom Thurmond - feeble and nearly as slow-minded as Byrd - has rejected his narrow misconceptions. I can only pray that he has.
What I do know is that I have another reason to dislike the perennially inertial, business-as-usual Trent Lott. He uttered the gaffe of all gaffes and, by virtue of being a Republican, risks injuring the massive gains the GOP has made in successfully breaking the chains of libel that have accumulated for years. It's inexplicable and angering; I don't vote to put racists in power.
If this insult to the party gains legs in the press, I expect to see the Majority Leader collecting unemployment before too long.