19 Dec 2004 Trent Lott and Don Rumsfeld: Calling the Kettle Black

Scrappleface has a fun news parody up about the U.S. Senators who believe themselves to be more capable than Secretary Rumsfeld. (Hat tip: David Limbaugh.)

Speaking of Senators who like seeing their name in the newspaper are criticizing Rumsfeld, I had to laugh at ex-Majority Leader Trent Lott’s criticism of Rumsfeld: “I don’t think he listens enough…”

There’s the pot calling the kettle black. Here’s a story from my infinite archive of boring Washington tales:

Back in ’97, when the Senate was asked by then-President Clinton to ratify the chemical weapons treaty, many conservatives were very much opposed to ratification on national security and civil liberties grounds. Then-Majority Leader Lott was in charge of the Senate schedule. He could single-handedly delay or halt a vote on the treaty.

Knowing this, long-time conservative leader Paul Weyrich gathered the CEOs of about thirty (maybe it was more) conservative organizations to visit Lott (an old friend of Weyrich’s) at Lott’s Senate office, to explain why we were concerned about the treaty. It was a pretty good group, full of very serious people, many of whom you would have heard of. As I recall, a significant number had flown in to D.C. specifically for the meeting.

Well, we showed up on time, but Lott was late. And later, and later, and later. Every now and then, some minion would come in and tell us he was still coming but he had some important meeting to finish. (I suspect we would have left, but when people have flown in to a city specifically for a meeting, it tends to make it harder to walk out.) Finally, Lott shows up, about an hour and a half late to a meeting in this own office, and proceeds to make it very clear that he isn’t paying the slightest attention to any argument made about the substance of the treaty. I have been to many, many meetings with Congressmen and Senators over the years (I will get critical e-mails from people because I wrote that last bit — they will say I am boasting), some of which broke down to the point that the elected official was red-faced and screaming. But although Lott did keep his “official (polite) face” on, I have never, ever seen any elected official so thoroughly convey to a group of people that he had no respect whatsoever for anything they thought or had to say.

Keep in mind that this is a guy who supposedly was a conservative Majority Leader. He wasn’t even polite enough to pretend he was listening. I can’t imagine why he agreed to the meeting, if he wasn’t willing to pretend he didn’t think we were beneath his notice. Why take time out of his day just to offend people?

Also, why not listen? Treaties are very important things. Listening does not take longer than acting openly dismissive.

Let’s put it this way: If Trent Lott ever talks to the Indiana Pacers, he’s a dead man. They don’t wait seven years and then blog about it when they get dissed.

So, when Trent Lott says Don Rumsfeld doesn’t listen, I scoff. I also note that when you read the Mississippi news media instead of the national press, Lott’s real complaint about Rumsfeld becomes clear: Rumsfeld isn’t shoveling enough pork to Mississippi.

Lott doesn’t want to be heard — he wants to be fed.

Speaking of Senators who criticize Rumsfeld: Blogger Ed at Captain’s Quarters says: “If [Senator Norm] Coleman has lost confidence in Rumsfeld to the point of threatening an investigation over the armor issue, then the White House — as I said yesterday — has a potential meltdown with its own loyalists in the Senate. It’s becoming apparent that the GOP expected Bush to replace Rumsfeld in the second term and are quite unhappy with his failure to do so. This has to be about more than up-armoring Humvees; something else is at play here.”

I usually agree with Ed but I think he’s in left field here. The GOP did not expect Bush to replace Rumsfeld. What is going on here is that the mainstream media, aided by a few who either genuinely disagree with Rumsfeld, find their careers at odds with Rumsfeld’s, who are running for something or helping someone who is, is going after Rumsfeld. This means that Senators who speak out about Rumsfeld GET INK. (‘Nuff said?)

(Side note: Do you suppose that maybe someone in the established conservative press — by which I mean a publication with paid subscribers — could be looking for a prestigious White House staff job if McCain should happen to be elected in ’08? And maybe is writing copy accordingly?)

Captain Ed has spoken highly about Norm Coleman, citing particularly his work on the oil-for-food scandal. I, too, was impressed by what I have seen of Coleman’s work on oil-for-food. Yet, I am very much concerned about any Senator who plays to the MSM peanut gallery this early in a Senatorial career. It usually takes them longer to be corrupted.

Postscript on the chemical weapons treaty: Back in ’97, Lott not only scheduled the chemical weapons treaty for a vote, but voted for it himself. A 1997 letter quoting Judge Robert Bork about the treaty said that, if it were ratified, foreign states would have the right to inspect U.S. facilities without the grounds essential for a search warrant, even over opposition from the owner. On-site personnel could be compelled to answer questions, provide data, and permit searches of anything within the premises — including records, files, papers, processes, controls, structures and vehicles.

Don’t you just love thinking that this is the law of the land now, given the way much of the world feels about the United States?

Well, if you can actually get him to listen, thank Trent Lott.