Here's a little something I wrote on a message board a couple of weeks ago:
So now the real question is, will Lott serve as a back-bencher, or will he be rewarded for stepping down with a committee chairmanship? Lott currently serves on three committees, Commerce, Finance, and Rules, and on none of them does he have enough seniority to claim the chairmanship the normal way. He's closest on Rules, but even there he's got two or three more senior Republicans above him. The caucus can appoint whomever it wants to be chairman, of course, but its unclear whether they be willing to rock the boat by deviating from the normal process. On the other hand, Rules would be a good choice for him if they did decide to give him a committee, because it's so low profile.
And here's a little something Jesse J. Holland wrote for the Associated Press earlier today:
Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi will take over the Senate Rules and Administration Committee when Congress returns to Washington next week, the senator told The Associated Press Friday.
This will go down in history as one of the greatest feats of prognostication in the history of the world.