Lott to DC: Run for your lives

August 3, 2007

I realize that the White House is desperate to gain increased surveillance power under a “revised” FISA, and I know lawmakers have shown a serious willingness to give the president more of what he wants.

But there’s just no reason for Trent Lott to scare the bejeezus out of people who live and work in the nation’s capital.

Roll Call reported late yesterday, “Capitol Police officials have stepped up the department’s security presence on Capitol Hill in response to intelligence indicating the increased possibility of an al-Qaida terrorist attack on Congress sometime between now and Sept. 11.” One assumes they’re working on something more reliable that Michael Chertoff’s gut.

But leave it to Lott to push the matter too far.

Without mentioning a specific threat to the Capitol, Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott (R-Miss.) ominously advised Thursday that Congress needed to pass changes to terrorist surveillance laws before leaving for the August recess and warned that otherwise “the disaster could be on our doorstep.”

When asked if people should leave Washington, D.C., during the month of August, Lott responded, “I think it would be good to leave town in August, and it would probably be good to stay out until September the 12th.”

Now, tell me. What, exactly, are people who live and work in DC supposed to do in response to comments like these? How about families who’ve planned August vacations to DC before the kids have to go back to school?

As Spencer Ackerman put it, “There’s irresponsibility. There’s demagoguery. And then there’s Trent Lott.”

Couldn’t resist an update to Brave, Brave Sir Robin

Bravely bold Trent Lott rode forth from Mississip
He was not afraid to die, O brave Trent Lott!
He was not at all afraid to be killed in nasty ways,
Brave, brave, brave, brave Trent Lott!

He was not in the least bit scared to be mashed into a pulp,
Or to have his eyes gouged out, and his elbows broken;
To have his kneecaps split, and his body burned away;
And his limbs all hacked and mangled, brave Trent Lott!

His head smashed in and his heart cut out
And his liver removed and his bowels unplugged
And his nostrils raped and his bottom burned off
And his pen–

Brave Trent Lott ran away.
Bravely ran away, away!
When danger reared its ugly head,
He bravely turned his tail and fled.
Yes, brave Trent Lott turned about
And gallantly he chickened out.
Bravely taking to his feet
He beat a very brave retreat,
Bravest of the brave, Trent Lott!

  • This is the same mentality that showed up in the Katrina aftermath.

    All the real people left town, as for the people who couldn’t…? Tough shit.

    I find it incomprehensible that serious Republicans (and they do exist) could ever support someone so cravenly idiotic as Trent Lott. They probably wouldn’t buy a used car from the guy, but there he was controlling the most powerful branch of government.

  • Dc has 3 electoral votes that are solidly democratic.

    If he REALLY thought DC was getting nuked while congress was out of town, he’d have tighter lips than a mafia boss with laryngitis.

    (Aside from a courtesy call to Cheney I suppose. Wouldn’t want president pelosi, now would we?)

  • Just more disgusting bile from the bilge of the NeoCon 9/11 Hit Squad. Isn’t Lott making a tacit admission that the meme “fight ’em there, so we don’t have to fight ’em here” is a load of horse manure?

    A hog has more dignity and self-respect!

    For a sitting Senator of the United States of America to stoop so low as to engage in the exploitation and manipulation of fear, and to prolong the psychological trauma to the American Psyche brought about by 9/11 is despicable and unconscionable. The “man” should be censured and expelled from Congress for such an authoritarian attack upon domestic Tranquility that the American People rightfully deserve.

  • If Lott is lucky he will escape a tar n’ feathering by the thousands of people who rely on tourists’ $$.

    Thing is, DC residents have known for a very long time that someone wants to kill us. Could be the Russians with nukes, could be some crazy guys with guns. Anyone who can’t cope with the idea of living on Ground Zero for unpleasant shit has either never lived here or moved away.

    Besides, this is Decadent City to the rest of the country. I’m sure all of Lott’s supporters are hoping something goes Boom!

  • There’s nothing wrong with the FISA law and there is no terrorist threat. It’s all made up to control is through fear, and it’s working. The demise of the constitution and the spirit of 1776 can only be achieved from within. What’s happening to America? George Washington is weeping.

  • First they need to explain EXACTLY why FISA is broken. I have not heard one even semi-convincing argument about this yet. It’s about grabbing more power, more control of the people through the fear of ‘them’, those ‘terrorists’. In the meantime, the repigs are the ones who keep eroding our freedoms and our rights. THEY are to be feared, and vanquished (politically speaking, of course). They are the ones who will wreak more havok and sorrow on the people of this wonderful country who don’t happen to agree with their self-serving ideology. How much longer will we allow them to make, ferkrisesake, “free speech zones”, overseas torture camps, and false war for profit? Surely we stand up NOW, as one voice, or we, and our children, and our country become victims of the P. N(atzi) A.C. vision of AmeriKa. The more fear, the better for the neo-pigs. Why is FISA broken, and how does YOUR version of a ‘better’ FISA protect American rights and liberties any better than the current version? I’m waiting…..

  • Hmmm….

    Yesterday, while on the MARC train to Baltimore, (I work in DC) a train friend working on some intelligence program did say, “I don’ t know if I can sleep at night after what I heard today….” and discussed plans to cease working in DC. I largely dismissed the statement, but reading this report has me rethinking my dismissal.

    I’m pretty sure that Lott’s comments are more GOP fear mongering then anything, but I sometimes wouldn’t put it past this administration to “let something slip”, causing another attack simply to show us Democrats! Do you really think they care about the loss of innocent lives? No—They wouldn’t have entered into this war if that were the case.

    Boy, does that sound tin foil hat-ish. Sorry.

  • “I think it would be good to leave town in August, and it would probably be good to stay out until September the 12th.”

    I think it would be good for Trent Lott to leave town in August, and it would undoubtedly be good for him to stay out until, say 2020.

  • “Yell Fire!: Bush to freeze peace activist assets? – Executive Order to “Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq””

    “Theocratic “U.S. is building database on Iraqis”: today Iraqis, but how many Canadians?”

    “Murdoch buys Dow Jones: “Bancroft family accepts News Corp. deal””

    “RCMP & U.S. Army block public forum on the Security & Prosperity Partnership”

    Spread Love…
    … but wear the Glove!

    BlueBerry Pick’n
    can be found @
    “We, two, form a multitude” ~ Ovid
    ==
    “Silent Freedom is Freedom Silenced”

  • I guess they want the streets cleared when they launch their coup against Congress.

  • I think this is meant to be further inducement for Congress to recess. Bush is eager to make recess appointments that will not be reversible before the end of this session of congress.

    They’re worried that Reid and Pelosi won’t recess and W won’t get his appointments.

  • Just love it when our “leaders” yell, “Run for you lives” because someone lit a cigarette in a no smoking zone. If Lott is so anxious to leave DC because a terrorist might attack why doesn’t he vote to get our troops out of Iraq where terrorist are sure to attack. If Troops have to stay “in session” then Iraq’s parliament and our Congress should also stay. Or else bring the troops home till they call session again.

    Are we to believe Lott is too stupid to not know what he is saying. Great leadership skills. Or is it just more blackmail to get this revised FISA legislation through…Terrorists might attack congress this month unless we get this legislation passed immediately, and oh…president says he’ll make us stay in congress unless we pass this legislation through immediately.

    Legislation by blackmail.

    And at the last minute they’ll sneak in some amendment(like they did with the Patriot Act on USA appointments without Senate approval) like judicial appointments without senate approval, or funding without congressional approval etc. President doesn’t need this measure to do what he wants so something is wrong. Please don’t let them blackmail you into legislating.

  • Explain to me, please, Senator just WHY al Qaeda would strike Washington while all the members of Congress are out of town.

  • Pardon me for paying attention, but didn’t our dear leedur and his henchman, dickless cheney already say that they had ‘all the legal authority’ they needed when this spying scandal first came out? If that is so, then what is the issue here? Why change it? They can already spy all they want, and get permission later. Something smells fishy, and it isn’t boy george’s clown feet!

  • No wonder traffic is so light here in DC this week. If we could only get Trent to do this all the time, we could all sail to work without traffic congestion.

  • What I keep wondering is not what “they” know, but, rather, what “they” have planned as retaliation for not getting their way.

  • So, if Democrats don’t do what Bush wants, he’ll let Washington, DC get blown up?

    Is it too much to ask that our political leaders *not* blackmail our citizens into helping destroy their own democracy?

    Sorry, apparently that’s a rhetorical question nowadays. Remind me how we can tell who the terrorists are?

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