Poor Charlie Crist.

An ex-Republican, when he finally steps up and decides it's time to take a stand and do the right thing... even his good intentions are not wanted.

Gov. Charlie Crist's announcement that he is mulling whether to drop the state's appeal of a ruling that allowed a Miami Beach homosexual to adopt could capsize advocates' efforts to declare Florida's 33-year-old ban on adoption by gays unconstitutional.

Pulling the plug on the closely watched case of Martin Gill, who adopted two brothers he had raised as a foster parent, would mean that, at least for now, appellate courts would not rule on the constitutionality of the ban and leave gays in legal limbo.

"We'd still be left with the statute" that bans gay adoptions, said Miami Beach lawyer Alan Mishael, who has represented two homosexuals who successfully adopted. "We'd still be where we started - judging on a case-by-case basis."

Timing, babe.
If you wait 'til it's safe to be courageous, people sometimes see your hedging for what it's worth.