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CNN Saturday Morning News
Bill Frist Fronter Runner to Replace Trent Lott
Aired December 21, 2002 - 07:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Turning now to Washington, Tennessee's Bill Frist looks like a shoo-in to replace Trent Lott as the majority leader in the Senate. With Lott stepping down, Republicans say, they can now move forward.
CNN's Kathleen Koch will tell us a little bit more about that from Capitol Hill. Good morning, Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, things are moving forward here very rapidly. Senators (UNINTELLIGIBLE), GOP senators have already set up a phone conference call for Monday, at which point they do plan to move forward and elect 50-year-old Tennessee senator and heart surgeon Bill Frist as the next Senate majority leader.
Now, Bill Frist, of course, someone who's a favorite of the White House and who helped orchestrate the successful Republican takeover, GOP takeover of the Senate back in November.
Now, all of this, the demise of Senator Lott came -- as majority leader, at least, came together very, very quickly. It was only a week ago that his staff was insisting to reporters that the senator was optimistic, they were optimistic. They believed that he could fight his way through this. He's a powerful man who's been here on Capitol Hill for 30 years. They believed that he had enough friends that he could muster the votes to make it through.
Of course, now those very same staffers won't even talk to reporters.
And basically, what many in the Republican Party are saying is that while there is indeed a sense of relief today, there is no joy, that there is a lot of sadness here on the Hill, because this is a man who did a lot of good for his state over the last 30 years, fought hard for the Republican Party on numerous issues, and many felt he was very unfairly treated in the media.
But yesterday some of those friends spoke out on his behalf, and the White House itself also had a statement of support.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
SEN. PETE DOMENICI (R), NEW MEXICO: ... those days when your mind suggests that there's a bit of sadness in the air for a man that worked very, very hard to be the leader of the Republican Party. He did it with a great deal of zest, and he worked very hard to get the job, and he worked very hard at it.
At the same time, for many of us, particularly the Republican in the United States Senate, this is a day of real hope.
ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: As you know, the president did not think that Trent Lott needed to resign. Trent Lott has come to this conclusion, and the president respects it. The president is going to continue to work with Trent Lott and with all senators in both parties on behalf of an agenda that is good for the country as well as good, of course, for the Republican Party.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
KOCH: Now, in a statement, President Bush did say that he respected, again, Lott's decision and called him, quote, "a valued friend and a man I respect." Of course, many supporters of Lott feel that these words of praise are just too little, too late. They wish that the White House had not been so tough on Trent Lott, a week ago Thursday coming out so strongly condemning his words. Many believe that if the White House had been more supportive, if members of his own party had been more supportive, that he might have been able to fight his way again through this.
But it became pretty clear late Thursday that Senator Frist, who had long said he really didn't want this post, but that the votes were coalescing around him, that Senator Lott couldn't muster the 26 that he needed to hold onto his leadership seat.
Now, yesterday in Mississippi, in Pascagoula, his home town, his wife came out, actually, with a letter for reporters and saying the senator would have no further comment, and, quote, "Please go home."
So Miles, needless to say, it's been a very tough ordeal for the senator, for his friends, and for anyone who's covered this man over the past 30 years, because most do know him as a good man who has done a lot of good for his state and for the country.
Back to you.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Kathleen Koch on Capitol Hill.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 21, 2002 - 07:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Turning now to Washington, Tennessee's Bill Frist looks like a shoo-in to replace Trent Lott as the majority leader in the Senate. With Lott stepping down, Republicans say, they can now move forward.
CNN's Kathleen Koch will tell us a little bit more about that from Capitol Hill. Good morning, Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, things are moving forward here very rapidly. Senators (UNINTELLIGIBLE), GOP senators have already set up a phone conference call for Monday, at which point they do plan to move forward and elect 50-year-old Tennessee senator and heart surgeon Bill Frist as the next Senate majority leader.
Now, Bill Frist, of course, someone who's a favorite of the White House and who helped orchestrate the successful Republican takeover, GOP takeover of the Senate back in November.
Now, all of this, the demise of Senator Lott came -- as majority leader, at least, came together very, very quickly. It was only a week ago that his staff was insisting to reporters that the senator was optimistic, they were optimistic. They believed that he could fight his way through this. He's a powerful man who's been here on Capitol Hill for 30 years. They believed that he had enough friends that he could muster the votes to make it through.
Of course, now those very same staffers won't even talk to reporters.
And basically, what many in the Republican Party are saying is that while there is indeed a sense of relief today, there is no joy, that there is a lot of sadness here on the Hill, because this is a man who did a lot of good for his state over the last 30 years, fought hard for the Republican Party on numerous issues, and many felt he was very unfairly treated in the media.
But yesterday some of those friends spoke out on his behalf, and the White House itself also had a statement of support.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
SEN. PETE DOMENICI (R), NEW MEXICO: ... those days when your mind suggests that there's a bit of sadness in the air for a man that worked very, very hard to be the leader of the Republican Party. He did it with a great deal of zest, and he worked very hard to get the job, and he worked very hard at it.
At the same time, for many of us, particularly the Republican in the United States Senate, this is a day of real hope.
ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: As you know, the president did not think that Trent Lott needed to resign. Trent Lott has come to this conclusion, and the president respects it. The president is going to continue to work with Trent Lott and with all senators in both parties on behalf of an agenda that is good for the country as well as good, of course, for the Republican Party.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
KOCH: Now, in a statement, President Bush did say that he respected, again, Lott's decision and called him, quote, "a valued friend and a man I respect." Of course, many supporters of Lott feel that these words of praise are just too little, too late. They wish that the White House had not been so tough on Trent Lott, a week ago Thursday coming out so strongly condemning his words. Many believe that if the White House had been more supportive, if members of his own party had been more supportive, that he might have been able to fight his way again through this.
But it became pretty clear late Thursday that Senator Frist, who had long said he really didn't want this post, but that the votes were coalescing around him, that Senator Lott couldn't muster the 26 that he needed to hold onto his leadership seat.
Now, yesterday in Mississippi, in Pascagoula, his home town, his wife came out, actually, with a letter for reporters and saying the senator would have no further comment, and, quote, "Please go home."
So Miles, needless to say, it's been a very tough ordeal for the senator, for his friends, and for anyone who's covered this man over the past 30 years, because most do know him as a good man who has done a lot of good for his state and for the country.
Back to you.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Kathleen Koch on Capitol Hill.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
