Al Sharpton spoke to the Democratic Convention last night in prime time. Al Sharpton.

In saner times, just that mere phrase would have woken up even addled Democrats. No longer.

Al Sharpton--the same Al Sharpton of Tawana Brawley fame, the same Al Sharpton of Crown Heights fame, the same Al Sharpton of Freddy's Fashion Mart fame-- is now the mainstream of the Democrat Party.