The quest for the reverse coattails

How comfortable is Gov. Bob Riley's huge lead in his re-election campaign? So comfortable that he appeared Monday -- willingly -- with Vice President Dick Cheney, whose approval rating these days falls somewhere between those for airplane turbulence and cavity searches. Yes, the Bush administration is now at the point of looking for a bump from the governor of Alabama.

Riley's Democratic opponent, Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley, was downright down-home in her response to the $5,000-per-couple fundraiser held in her home county: "That's the ultimate overkill to show how you big-dog it over country folks."