Holy cow! We hit the trifecta!

#1 Mary Matalin leaves her post as top advisor to Bush.

#2 Cardinal Law resigns.

#3 Kissinger steps down as chairman of 9/11 panel.

What a shame Trent Lott is still trying to deny being a racist. If he would have stepped down as incoming Majority Leader, I would be out blowing my paycheck on lottery tickets.

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Women's groups condemning other comments Lott made at party.

When I was a kid playing football, we called this "piling on."

"Lott not only insulted millions of African-Americans last week, but he also offended women," said NOW [National Organization for Women] President Kim Gandy. "The Thurmond birthday celebration sounds like a toast to the 'good old white boys.' Lott clearly yearns for a time before women and people of color crashed the party."

The story quotes Lott joking with Thurmond with remarks about Brittany Spears, Viagra pitchman Bob Dole, and Hooters. NOW and Lott have battled for years, as Lott seems to hate gender equality as much as racial equality.

If somebody can track down an audio tape of Lott that starts with, "A rabbi walked into a bar....," Lott can be credited with a hat trick.

Another AJC story has interviews with people from Lott's hometown.

"Lott just took his hood off, that's all," said Kevin McBeath, 25, a food service worker who was getting a haircut at Brothaz and Sistahz Barber and Style Shop on Market Street. "Trent Lott is four steps away from the president, saying the nation would have been better off if Thurmond had been elected in 1948."

Asked how he thought the nation would regard Mississippi in the wake of Lott's remarks, McBeath said, "How's it look? How's our state flag look, you know what I mean?"

It appears that African Americans interviewed think Lott is a racist, and have always thought that way. White people, however, think Lott is a good ol' boy "fine fellow" and not a racist. There are clearly some race issues in this state that recently voted to leave the confederate battle flag on their state flag.

This whole issue sadly shows a much more serious problem, that most are ignoring. Trent Lott, a high ranking elected Republican, was allowed to make racist and sexist remarks for decades without ever being criticized by the press or other elected officials. That this could go on this long, is ridiculous. The man is obviously a racist and has always been given a pass. The only reason it hit the mainstream press this time is because leftist bloggers like Joshua Marshall and Atrios kept pushing the issue. The mainstream press choose to ignore the story until it no longer could. Democrats choose to jump on the bandwagon after it left the station, likely to avoid Republican criticism.

Don't expect any serious change to occur after this story dies. This is all for show. Business as usual will take place when the Senate reconvenes in January. Lott may have to step down as Majority Leader, but he will still sit in our United States Senate making decisions for our great country. We are still fighting racism. Lott is probably not the only elected official we are fighting against.

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