Pragmatism in action

The Alabama Democratic Conference has crunched the poll numbers and decided it will have little choice this weekend but to endorse Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley in the party's gubernatorial primary. It's big news because Baxley's major opponent, former Gov. Don Siegelman, traditionally has had strong support in Alabama's black community, and the ADC is the state's chief black political group.

The ADC's director cited "electability" as the key factor in the organization's move: "[E]ven if [Siegelman] doesn't get convicted, all the taint of impropriety of his staff members; ... you know good and well he's not going to be able to overcome that. If he couldn't hold on to his seat when he had it ... how in the world is he going to get it back with all this stuff swirling around him?"