I confess to having mixed feelings about this story concerning Rep. Nick Lampson's political strategy these days. I like Rep. Lampson, and have liked him for a long time. He's a good guy, a dedicated member of Congress, and easily the best representative District 22 has had in a long time, or could reasonably hope to have any time soon. Though he's made a number of votes I don't like, he's still good on a lot of issues I care about. I'm generally willing, perhaps more so than some, to cut guys like him in unfriendly districts a certain amount of slack. I can even overlook the otherwise tedious "I'm not going to be afraid to go against the party" stuff on the grounds that being a Democrat in his district is not exactly an asset, though how it will ever become one without people standing up for its honor is beyond me. I just wonder if this balancing act is going to succeed. Will the activist base work for him this time around? Are there enough soft-Rs who can be persuaded to cross over? Obviously, he and his campaign have put a lot of thought into this, and they're pursuing what they have concluded is the best course. I don't know how well it will go, but then I can't say any other strategy would be better. I'm glad it's someone else's problem, that's for sure.