In discussing McIntosh v. State Farm with Attorney Jay Brown for this month's cover story, I was struck at how the utter disintegration of the case, which was deemed the torch that would burn down the insurers' temple of greed, came and went with very little pomp and circumstance. After all, this wasn't a typical settlement. The McIntoshes flat-out admitted that their claim was handled appropriately by State Farm from the start. No jury decision. No summary judgment. No Supreme Court. The plaintiffs essentially said, "never mind."

Excuse me, but where did all the fire and brimstone go? The proselytizers? One of the most vocal critics of insurers, Former Mississippi Senator Trent Lott opted to move to the private sector last year. He settled into his first month of retirement in January 2008 after serving more than 35 years in government. I remember the surprise of Lott's decision to leave the Senate. Not only did he hold the second-highest position in the Republican Party as Senate Republican whip, but he also had five years remaining on his term. I don't pretend to be a political analyst, but one thing I've gleaned over the years is that most politicians have a disdain for the campaign trail. So why leave?

There has been much speculation — none of which has anything to do with the reasons Lott himself has stated — but it's better off left in the hands of more capable pundits. However, one conspiracy apple I couldn't resist taking a bite out of involved the timing of an indictment against Lott's brother-in-law by the FBI, an indictment delivered a mere two days following his retirement announcement. You might know the name of his brother-in-law if you heard it, but then again, maybe not. But I'm guessing our readership would recognize it if they saw it: Richard Scruggs.