Mississippi: Lott to resign but faces golden future
The New York Times reports: Senator Trent Lott’s announcement on Monday that he would resign in a few weeks added to the growing Republican exodus from Congress, but may have strengthened Mr. Lott’s post-Senate job prospects.
By retiring before the end of the year, Mr. Lott, the 66-year-old minority whip and Mississippi dealmaker who fell from power with a remark touching on segregation but then bounced back, avoids new rules forcing senators to wait two years before lobbying former colleagues. ...
James A. Thurber, director of the Center for Presidential and Congressional Studies at American University, said there was no question in his mind that Mr. Lott’s decision had been influenced by the new ethics and lobbying rules. Senators who retire this year have to wait only one year before lobbying their former colleagues, instead of the two years that go into effect in 2008.
“The new two-year cooling off period is encouraging people who have been around for a long time, especially in the minority, to leave,” Mr. Thurber said. “They know that the golden window of opportunity is immediate.” -- Mississippi’s Lott to Leave Senate Seat