Like Sen. Trent Lott, professional moralizer Bill Bennett was forced to recant (if not quite apologize) for his excessive gambling.
Conversely, Sen. Rick Santorum has gotten away with being defiant, following his expressions of anti-gay bigotry.
The difference?
Lott and Bennett were abandoned by the soul of the GOP, the Religious Right, which warmly embraced Santorum.
In Lott’s case, much of the Right was looking for an excuse to bump him off, because he wasn’t recalcitrant enough in his Senate dealings.
In Bennett’s case, the substance of the charge was too much for the Right to handle.
More secular conservatives tried to help Bennett wriggle free.
But the Christian right wasn’t buying.
