Yesterday, we brought you the nice farewell statement proffered by U.S. Sen. Harry Reid in the wake of the retirement of U.S. Sen. Trent Lott. It was full of praise, and Reid said Lott was a "true friend" the most "pleasant" of senators and was a "distinguished public servant."

So what gives with U.S. Sen. John Ensign’s lame two-liner, e-mailed just moments ago from the National Republican Senatorial Committee — which Ensign runs — a full news cycle after Lott confirmed he was stepping down? Check it:

"Senator Lott has served the people of Mississippi honorably for over 30 years and his dedication to the Senate and this nation will be sorely missed. We are confident that voters in Mississippi will continue Senator Lott’s legacy and we will work closely with Governor [Haley] Barbour and state officials to provide any necessary support."

Is it just us, or are we not feeling the love? Only one line for Lott, when Reid had whole, wet-kiss-laden paragraphs? Or was it that Lott was a little too close to Reid for Ensign’s comfort? Reid is — as the Review-Journal editorial page suggested today in one of its most nutty remarks ever — the mouthpiece for the "hyperleftist wing" of the Democratic Party. (Hell, who knew the party even had an "hyperleftist wing"?)

Could it be Ensign is upset that Republican senators are dropping like flies, felled by scandal and the realization that their party is in deep shit come 2008? Or that the people he wants to retire because they allegedly committed sexual misconduct (Larry Craig) are acting like the people he doesn’t want to retire even though they allegedly committed sexual misconduct (David Vitter)?

Poor Ensign. We wonder what they’ll be saying about him in statements when he comes up empty on Election Day a year from now?

UPDATE: Although we received the e-mail from the NRSC at 3:17 p.m. today, it was actually sent at 9:35 a.m. yesterday. (We at Various Things & Stuff are saddled with the venerable Lotus Notes e-mail program, which is not exactly a popular choice for, say, communications companies. Even so, we’re not entirely sure the problem is on our end. We just have to remember that, until we finally hook up that iPhone we got for our recent birthday and go totally digital, our usual mantra applies: Trust no e-mail.)

UPDATE 2: See what we mean?