SOME were on the right side from the beginning. Other white southern gentlemen of Jeff Sessions's vintage-the incoming attorney-general is 70-changed their views on race and society after moments of epiphany. Still others made crab-like accommodations with reality, considering themselves free from prejudice on the grounds that they opposed its violent manifestations. Where Mr Sessions belongs on this spectrum of conscience was an implicit theme of his confirmation hearing this week before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Given the powers of his new office, it is more than an arcane question.
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