To: AllPolitics Subject: Lott vs. Daschle
From: Mike Roselli/CNN
In: Washington
Posted: 3-17-97
Dueling news conferences this morning between the Senate Republican and Democratic leaders covered much of the same territory the two have been laying claim to for weeks.
The one thing Sens. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) seem to agree on were their greetings to the press. "Top of the morning," they both said.
Lott hoped there would be movement on the budget, possibly in a bipartisan fashion, but said it was up to the president to start focusing on the process.
Daschle said it was up to the Republicans to "show us some amendments."
"How stalled is the budget process?" Lott was asked. His joking response was, "It is always darkest before it's totally dark or bright."
On the nomination of Anthony Lake to be CIA director, Lott said he believed there was agreement between the committee chairman and vice chair to review "enhanced" FBI files. Lott indicated he didn't believe the committee would finish work on the nomination before the Easter break.
Daschle said the delay was unfortunate and that it was time for the committee to come to a conclusion and either support or oppose the nomination and send it to the floor.
Lott didn't say when there would be a final vote on his resolution dealing with an independent counsel to look into White House fund-raising allegations.
Daschle repeated his comments from Friday when he said it was "politics at its worst."