Wonkette

With Lott’s “surprise” resignation announcement today, the real question is who will take over the seat by appointment until January 2009? Most of the speculation rests of the boyish shoulders of the dude on the right, Mississippi Congressman Chip Pickering. Chip is the son of Charles Pickering, who couldn’t get confirmed for an appeals court position despite his son’s lobbying efforts. Chip also announced he wasn’t running for reelection this year because he really, really, really wanted to be a Senator but no one had yet resigned and so he was taking his toys and going home (or, more likely, becoming a lobbyist). Coincidentally, Chip used to work for Trent. [CQ Politics, The Clarion-Ledger, CNN]