Oddly enough, the Washington Post can tell us about senators adhering to principle. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, in particular, makes the vital statement regarding Trent Lott's babbling, frothing apology for voting against a nationalized holiday for Martin Luther King, Jr. "It's a responsible conservative position," Inhofe said.
He's got it right: a weak-kneed self-server like Lott will do the most damage to the Republican party simply by falling to his knees and /kowtowing to liberal demogoguery, incorrectly assuming that any disagreement with a "civil rights" issue from the Left is starkly racist. A desperate, greedy man like Lott is a gift from the heavens for Democrats: he'll nod until his head snaps off. Inhofe and others will, hopefully, stipend this misconception - and the buckling of the Right.