MEL GOES FOR THE TED DANSON VOTE

Let he among you who has never performed in blackface for the Kiwanis Club cast the first stone. On second thought.... The only thing more ludicrous than the Republicans denying they knew how the Gov. Mel Carnahan-performing-as-a-minstrel-in-1960 photo got leaked to the Associated Press was Republican strongman John Hancock admitting that the Republicans had the photo but hadn't released it yet because the "timing wasn't right." So they had it and would have released it but didn't, only because they wouldn't get the maximum effect? What a shaky defense. This mud-wrestling match between Sen. John Ashcroft and Carnahan won't be decided at the polls until a year from now, but they're off to a great start.