News stories following the struggle of Trent Lott to remain Senate majority leader regularly report how often the Mississippi senator has apologized – five times as of Thursday – for his comments at Strom Thurmond’s recent celebration. But the number misses the point because so few of the people he offended with his warm words for Dixiecrat segregation have found his apologies sincere. He has, in a sense, yet to say anything persuasive to them on the issue, which is not surprising given his lengthy record on civil rights.

The senator’s abysmal comments and record make it understandable that the Portland chapter of the NAACP this week demanded Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe announce their opposition to Sen. Lott as Republican majority leader, in writing, by yesterday. Both of Maine’s senators have been clear in their rejection of Sen. Lott’s comments – reprehensible was the word of choice – and both have indicated that they are reconsidering his role in their party. Neither agreed to the demand for the written statement and there are good reasons for this.

To keep perspective on the issue, Sen. Lott’s record has been open to the public and has been accepted with only minor protest for decades. He is not alone in having such a record. As has been thoroughly reported, much of the drive to force the senator from his leadership post comes opportunistically from the conservative right, which believes Mr. Lott has been too much of a conciliator and too easy on moderates in his party. Finally, the story itself is being dragged out in part because Congress is not in session, there is not much else going on in Washington and senators are in their home states, commenting here and there rather than organizing a swift and more certain response.

Though the Portland NAACP had concluded Sen. Lott was not fit for majority leader, its vice president, Rachel Talbot Ross, said the organization would not be suggesting an alternative because it is up to the Senate to choose its own leaders. This is correct, and the proper course for Republicans is to wait until Jan. 6, listen to Sen. Lott make his case, consider – this is crucial – the likely alternative leaders and cast a vote that reflects the next leader’s abilities in many areas, certainly including civil rights but not exclusively civil rights. Given recent events, it is hard to believe that Sen. Lott or any other senator with a similar civil-rights record could make a case for being majority leader; it is wrong not to allow them the opportunity to try.

A reconsideration of majority leader has little or no precedent, so procedural questions remain. Assuming they can be answered, the matter is not decided by Sen. Lott himself before Jan. 6 and Republicans actually decide to vote, Sens. Collins and Snowe should join colleagues and carry the party beyond the wink-and-nod racism that has helped define a part of it for too long and choose a person who will both strengthen the party while leading the Senate.