Please leave the shears at home

The Birmingham News hit the road recently to follow former Gov. Don Siegelman across central Alabama on his "listening post" tour, which is like an ongoing political campaign but allegedly different. Siegelman, who roamed the state Tuesday in a state-owned SUV, said he may hold off on joining the 2006 gubernatorial race, if at all, until next year.

That late entrance would give his Democratic primary opponent, Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley, almost a year's head start on fund raising and could help her build the kind of lead that even the reddest garden shears couldn't touch.