Trent Lott will resign soon.

Certainly, this will not tilt the Senate balance in any real way, but Trent Lott, the number 2 Republican in the Senate, is resigning, suddenly, in the middle of his term.

Do I believe the MSNBC speculation as to why he's going?

While the exactly reason Lott is stepping down before he finishes his term is unknown, the general speculation is that a quick departure immunizes Lott against tougher restrictions in a new lobbying law that takes effect at the end of the year. That law would require Senators to wait two-years before entering the lucrative world of lobbying Congress.

(AP) "The senator has ''other opportunities'' he plans to pursue."

(PS. I think that leaves Ben Nelson with the worst hairpiece.)