The Lott Parable; America Must Be colorblind.(OPED)

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Byline: Diana West, THE WASHINGTON TIMES

I couldn't make up my mind about Trent Lott right away. First, it was hard not to believe the embattled Senate Majority Leader's explanation for the furor: namely, that his remarks about how much better things would have been had Strom Thurmond become president in 1948 were just an "ill-considered" gaffe, a ham-fisted attempt to toss a bouquet to Mr. Thurmond at the near-ossified senator's 100th birthday party.

My thinking went like this: Any man who becomes Senate majority leader must be a consummately political animal. A pol of the highest order. Someone who instinctively knows that opening his raincoat to flash a little nostalgia for the segregation era - the obvious interpretation of his testimonial to …