A poor choice of words. Over and over again. “I want to say this about my state: When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We’re proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn’t have had all these problems over all these years, either.”

Those were the poor choice of words by incoming Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., while at Thurmond’s 100th birthday and retirement celebration earlier this month, according to The Washington Post. In response to those words, people present at the reception gasped or remained silent and political and civil rights leaders called for Lott’s removal.

What’s more interesting about his comment is that it’s not the first time he’s endorsed Thurmond’s 1948 race for president. Thurmond ran on the Dixiecrat ticket, which stood for segregation, and carried the states of Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and South Carolina. One of the more controversial phrases the aging senator is known for is, “All the laws of Washington and all the bayonets of the Army cannot force the Negro into our homes, our schools, our churches.”

In 1980, Lott and Thurmond spoke at a rally for then-presidential candidate Ronald Reagan in Mississippi. After Thurmond made his speech, Lott followed up by saying, “You know, if we had elected this man 30 years ago, we wouldn’t be in the mess we are today,” according to CNN. Also in the late ’90s, it was learned that Lott had made speeches at the Council of Conservative Citizens, which is the group formed in the shadow of segregationist white Citizens’ Councils of the 1960s. In one of those speeches, Lott said, “The people in this room stand for the right principles and the right philosophy. Let’s take it in the right direction, and our children will be the beneficiaries.”

It’s these phrases that makes one wonder — who is this man and what decade is he from?

No Republican has called for his removal, but some of the senator’s allies are cringing from his comments, saying his two recent apologies have not been clear.

Ken Conner, Family Research Council president, said the Republican Party has had trouble attracting black voters because of Lott’s remarks. Conner said Lott’s comments continue to reinforce the racist stereotype of Republicans. Even President Bush delivered a speech on Thursday saying any indication that segregation was acceptable is “offensive, and is wrong.”

It’s unfortunate that the GOP is plagued by comments like these. Maybe Lott will learn his lesson and realize that today’s problems have nothing to do with the outcome of the 1948 presidential election. It makes us wonder why a powerful political leader is still dwelling on the glory days of a segregationist South and not on the problems — like the economy or homeland security — that plague our country today.

Editorial Board:Cavan Reagan, Amber Billings, Ayrel Clark, Charlie Weaver, Rachel Faber Machacha.