If Lott didn’t see the storm coming, it was in part because it was so slow in building. The papers did not make note of his comments until days after he had made them. But the stillness was broken by the hum of Internet “bloggers” who were posting their outrage and compiling rap sheets of Lott’s earlier comments.

Tripped Up By History
G.O.P. leader Trent Lott’s remarks on race raise a storm and a hot question: Have Republicans really outgrown their past?
By Dan Goodgame and Karen Tumulty for Time.