&uot;You win some and you lose some,&uot; as the trite, old timeworn expression has it.

The win-lose aphorism applies to Gov. Bob Riley, who’s smack dab in the middle of such a situation.

The loss of the governor’s recovery plan in last week’s statewide election hit Riley real hard (a death blow – another tritism). Some said the 2 to 1 vote count serves only to make the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

It fattens the bank accounts of large landowners and industrialists, they say, and makes short shrift of education.

On the other side of the ledger, the naysayers show a decided distrust of the Legislature.

They figure that the representatives and senators would continue to &uot;feed at the trough,&uot; and continue doing &uot;business as usual&uot; had the Riley plan taken the day.

Many of my fellow colleagues already have sounded a death-knell for the sitting governor’s political career, and have gone so far as to draw up plans for his final rites.

I respect these cohorts’ opinions, but I disagree with their findings; I feel that Riley, despite his loss at the polls, has worked hard and gained the respect of his fellow Alabamians, who’ll work hard with him in future endeavors.

The governor has survived and lives on with his ‘win’ on the positive side of the ledger.

His posting of the Ten Commandments for public view in the State Capitol building has found for him a vast number of supporters.

Not by any means is approval of his action in this matter limited solely to the ‘Christian Coalition,’ but is approved by the church as a whole in this Bible Belt state.

That’s a heap of support, particularly by the preponderance of the Baptist persuasion.

So Riley is, to date, a winner and a loser, but the win has an unmatched constituency.

Buster MacGuire is copy editor and columnist for the Greenville Advocate.

He may be reached by calling 334.382.3111.