Finally: A St. Petersburg Times editorial I can recommend

A St. Petersburg Times editorial this week by Adam C. Smith actually manages to provide a good perspective on the role of race in the upcoming presidential election.

The person who composed the headline ("Polls can mask racism, but ballots won't")appears to be the kind of idiot who doesn't bother to match the headline to the content, unfortunately. The headline suggests what the editorial does not.

"The fact that the race has been much tighter than that, even before the conventions and vice presidential picks, suggests that there's some kind of drag on the Obama candidacy," he said. "My suspicion is that it has to do with his race."

Or it could be Obama's lack of experience. Or that he's perceived as aloof or too liberal. Or that Republican John McCain, a national figure and respected war hero, has been largely immune from the taint on his party. No one can know with certainty how much race matters and probably no one ever will.

Smith notes that racism almost certainly plays a role in the election since some (not necessarily just whites) simply will not vote for a black. But that tendency may be wholly offset in the election by the racism of those (not necessarily just blacks) who will vote for Obama simply because he is black.

Good work by Smith. And may the racists perfectly cancel one another out so that the election is decided by those who consider the issues irrespective of the race of the candidates.