Before we turn former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman into a liberal icon, a few words of caution. While I don't find it hard to believe that there was some Rove-an conspiracy behind his prosecution--and, if accusations of that conspiracy turn out to be true, then Siegelman's conviction should be thrown out--the guy was a bad governor. On the issue in Alabama that liberals should care most about--which is the state's highly regressive tax code--Siegelman didn't lift a finger. In fact, it was Siegelman's Republican successor Bob Riley--at whose behest Rove allegedly committed his dirty tricks--who actually tried to ease the tax burden on Alabama's poor. Although Riley was unsuccessful in his efforts, at least--unlike Siegelman--he tried to do something. What's more, the guy who Siegelman was convicted of appointing to a state regulatory board in exchange for $500,000 in campaign contributions wasn't just some run-of-the-mill donor. He was Richard Scrushy--whose time as CEO at HealthSouth coincided with HealthSouth committing Enron-like corporate fraud. Indeed, one of the reasons Scrushy managed to avoid Ken Lay's fate (not the heart attack, but the felony conviction for fraud) wasn't necessarily because he was innocent but because he shamelessly--not to mention hilariously, considering he's white--played the race card in his trial on fraud charges, at the end of which he was acquitted. (Scrushy was convicted, along with Siegelman, on bribery charges in a second, separate trial.) In other words, just because Siegelman may have been the victim of GOP dirty tricks doesn't mean he's worthy of Democratic veneration. --Jason Zengerle