Herding Cats, A Life in Politics

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Herding Cats, A Life in Politics is a book written by Sen. Trent Lott, a Republican from Mississippi. The major points of the book are Lott's childhood in Grenada and Pascagoula, Mississippi, including his struggles with his alcoholic father; his election to Congress; his years in the House of Representatives during the Nixon, Carter, and Reagan Administrations (including his service as Minority Whip in that body); and his service in the Senate, especially his service as Majority Leader during the Clinton and Bush Administrations.

One major focus of the book are the comments Lott made at the birthday party of Sen. Strom Thurmond in 2002 and the subsequent intense media coverage, which eventually led to his resignation as the Senate Majority Leader in December 2002. Lott also names several figures who he believes orchestrated his downfall, including members of President George W. Bush's administration, such as the 65th Secretary of State, Colin Powell, and former FEMA head Joe Allbaugh (who Lott claims has admitted that he intended to bring Lott down as Majority Leader); as well as the successor to Lott as Majority Leader, Sen. Bill Frist. Lott suggests that his forced resignation was a "strategic plan" devised by Pres. Bush and others who wanted Bill Frist to take his place, since Frist supported key White House policies like the Medicare expansion which Lott opposed. Lott notes however that his response to the Thurmond controversy played poorly in the media.

Sen. Lott says in the book that Sen. Frist of Tennessee betrayed him by not telling Lott about his decision to run for majority leader beforehand. Lott says that he took Frist as his protege, as Frist had no political/public experience when he was first elected to the Senate.

Some have suggested that Lott's book, which portrays Frist in a negative light, was designed to impede Frist's expected presidential campaign, which Lott has thus far not supported. Lott indicates in the book, however, that he has repaired his relationship with Frist to some extent.

Lott also emphasizes his years as Majority Whip in the House and his years as Majority Leader in the Senate, where Lott claims to have built an efficient vote-getting organization and played a key role in several legislative accomplishments, including the Reagan-era budget cuts and tax cuts, and welfare reform and the tobacco settlement during the Clinton years. This emphasis may tie into Lott's ambition to rejoin the Senate Republican Leadership.