The watermelon thing  —  Race is a hard issue for older conservative politicians from the Deep South seeking national office.  The roots of Southern Republicanism are in the segregationist split from the Democratic Party, and so there's no presumption of innocence, and no second chance, as Trent Lott learned.

Barbour doesn't remember Civil Rights era being ‘that bad’  —  Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour says he doesn't remember the Civil Rights era being “that bad,” citing his attendance at a Martin Luther King Jr. rally nearly 50 years ago.  —  “I just don't remember it as being that bad,” Barbour …

Barbour Spokesman: Mississippi Gov. Is Not Racist  —  I just spoke with Dan Turner, the official spokesman for Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS), who responded in strong terms to criticism of Barbour's recent praise for the segregationist Citizens Council groups of the Civil Rights era.

State Budgets: The Day of Reckoning  —  Steve Kroft Reports On The Growing Financial Woes States Are Facing  —  (CBS) By now, just about everyone in the country is aware of the federal deficit problem, but you should know that there is another financial crisis looming involving state and local governments.

The Most Important Free Speech Issue of Our Time  —  What's Your Reaction:  —  This Tuesday is an important day in the fight to save the Internet.  —  As a source of innovation, an engine of our economy, and a forum for our political discourse, the Internet can only work if it's a truly level playing field.