Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott addressed the GW College Republicans Monday night, hitting on such issues as the upcoming election, energy policy and life in the Senate.

Lott, who represented the state of Mississippi for 35 years in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, resigned from his seat last December. He is now a partner at the Breaux Lott Leadership Group, a lobbying organization he founded with former Sen. John Breaux, D-La.

He began his political career at the grassroots level, hanging signs and encouraging people to vote for his candidate. He first came to D.C. in 1967 and returned the following year to work as an administrative assistant to former Rep. William W. Colmer, D-Miss. Four years later, Colmer retired and Lott won the race to replace him.

Lott recalled his stints as both majority and minority leader in the Senate, as well as his most recent post, minority whip. The job of whip, which requires him to count the votes of other members, gave him a close look at how Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain voted.

The former senator spoke about what he thought an Obama administration would do for many hot-button issues and what a McCain administration would accomplish. Lott said, however, he disagreed with Sen. Obama’s energy plan to increase ethanol production.

“I’m not for ethanol because we’re burning more food,” he said.

Most important for Lott is taxes, he said. Calling himself a single-issue voter, he said he would never vote for a candidate who would raise his taxes.

Although Lott acknowledged that he has disagreed with McCain in the past, he said his longtime colleague’s willingness to speak his mind has earned Lott’s respect. He said disagreed with those who say McCain’s temper would be a liability in office, claiming that a passionate president is precisely what the country needs.

Lott praised Republican vice presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin and said her work as Alaska governor would provide invaluable executive experience.

He went on to recognize conservatives on college campuses nationwide for challenging the liberal mindset and speaking their views.