IT'S ONE RACE BILL NELSON AIN'T GETTIN' ANYWHERE CLOSE TO

U.S. Senator Bill Nelson is generally considered a moderate among most politicos, occasionally bucking the party line when he feels it necessary. At least he's well thought of among much of the electorate, especially the Democratic faithful. That's unlike the situation in the Connecticut U.S. Senate race, where incumbant Democrat and 2000 vice presidential nominee Joe Lieberman is in the primary race of his life, as progressives have vilified him for, among other things, his support of the American military incursion into Iraq.

Friends and collegues often will make campaign visits for each other, a la "you scratch my back...". But don't look for Nelson to travel to Connecticut on behalf of Lieberman. According to this piece in the St. Petersburg Times political blog The Buzz, the Florida incumbant referred to Lieberman as "a personal friend of mine and one of the finest senators in the U.S. Senate". But he then said that "I'm engaged in my own race in Florida and I won't be involved in the Connecticut senate race."

Smart move. Friend or not, with the degree of vemon coming from the progressive wing both within the Constitution State and nationwide, Nelson doesn't need any degree of that grief.