The American Spectator

Washington Prowler

p> LOTT'S LANDING br> A month ago The Prowler outlined how Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott was attempting to hold up federal funding for expansion of Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. This, in order to embarrass Illinois Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin , who is running for re-election and who wanted the funding bill to help promote his campaign back home. Durbin hadn't supported the nomination of Lott's friend, Judge Charles Pickering , to the federal appeals court and after Pickering's defeat Lott was determined to engage in some payback. Republicans said tossing Durbin's runway project in the legislative dustbin would be the first of many Republican actions intended to show Democrats what their killing of Bush administration nominees would cost them. /p>

Well, so much for the tough talk. Late last week, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle called Chicago Mayor Richard Daley to inform him that he had the votes to approve the O'Hare Airport expansion. "Lott didn't have the numbers and never did," says a Daschle staffer. "He just hoped people would forget about the tough talk and be distracted by other issues."

The Daschle staffer went on to crow that Lott has lost control of his side of the aisle. "It's nothing less than slightly controlled chaos on the Republican side. We're going to be making them miserable through Memorial Day."

Republicans don't quite agree. "There are some things we aren't going to be able to do simply because we aren't in control of the Senate," says a Republican staffer. "But that's totally different from 'chaos.' We haven't had a vote on the O'Hare legislation, let's see what happens."

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