Senators mull challenging Trent Lott

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">WASHINGTON: Several US senators are contemplating whether to challenge Trent Lott as majority leader in the wake of his recent racially divisive comments even as some administration officials have expressed reservations about whether he can survive as the chamber''s top Republican.<br />The administration is wary about getting behind Lott, with both National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of State Colin Powell rebuffing Lott''s request for support last week.Some White House officials said it was clumsy of Lott to ask.<br />Administration officials said President George W Bush was unlikely to intervene to save Lott''s job if another Republican challenged him for the comments he made at a celebration for Sen. Strom Thurmond, the <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Washington Post</span> reported on Sunday.<br />Lott had said he was proud of having voted for Thurmond who ran for president in 1948 on a promise to preserve the legal segregation of blacks and whites.<br />The beleaguered leader used a news conference on Friday to ask for forgiveness, calling his comments a "grievous mistake", but some administration officials said Lott lacked the emotion and sincerity that might have helped him.<br />"No one thinks the press conference was successful," an official was quoted as saying by the <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Post</span>. The official also said White House aides have urged Capitol Hill allies "not to get very far out there defending Lott."<br />Several senators are looking to Bush for direction, aides said. But Bush has no plans to either ask Lott to resign or to contact a senator about challenging Lott, White House official said. </div> </div>