PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) - Sen. Trent Lott, in his first public remarks
since resigning as Senate Republican leader, said Sunday that he had
fallen into a ``trap'' set by his political enemies and had ``only myself
to blame.''
Lott became the focus of a raging controversy for his remarks 2 weeks ago
praising Sen. Strom Thurmond's 1948 segregationist run for president.
Asked in an interview Sunday with The Associated Press whether he was
disappointed in a lack of support from President Bush in keeping his post,
Lott said:
``I don't think there's any use in trying to say I'm disappointed in
anybody or anything. An inappropriate remark brought this down on my head.''
However, he said there were those who had been gunning for his resignation.
``There are some people in Washington who have been trying to nail me for
a long time,'' Lott said. ``When you're from Mississippi and you're a
conservative and you're a Christian, there are a lot of people that don't
like that. I fell into their trap and so I have only myself to blame.''