Lott called allegations that DeLay had broken House ethics rules by taking trips paid by lobbyists and placing family members on his campaign payroll "a rehash of a rehash of something that was reported two years ago, which is not a violation of ethics or the law."

The Mississippi Republican said that DeLay is under attack because he is "an aggressive, strong leader who's done a fantastic job in the House of Representatives for ten years."

Lott's comments suggested that he was trying to head off the kind of Republican cave-in that forced him to step down as Senate majority leader in December 2002.

After he praised one-time segregationist Dixiecrat, the late Sen. Strom Thurmond, at his 100th birthday party, Democrats – whose leaders include Ku Klux Klansman-turned Senator Robert Byrd – complained that Lott's remarks were racist.

Rather than demand that Byrd leave the Senate over his long history of racism, the Bush White House abandoned Lott, making his resignation as majority leader all but inevitable.

Editor's note: