Senate: Timing aside, issues matter

The Clarion-Ledger Editorial, 2/3/8

Gov. Haley Barbour has asked the Mississippi Supreme Court to decide if he was correct in setting a Nov. 4 special election date to fill the seat of Republican U.S. Sen. Trent Lott.

While there’s more than a little political intrigue in the argument between Barbour and Hood over the election date, the real issues facing Mississippi voters in choosing a replacement for Lott don’t have a lot to do with when the special election is held. For the record, we think Barbour made a prudent choice in scheduling the election in November.

But as the 2008 presidential election unfolds, the real issues facing Mississippi’s next U.S. senator are clear and unrelenting.