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"const char *" is best C practice, so the docs should 
encourage it, and that should be the officially documented 
signature.  All the standard C library functions to which it's 
safe to pass a string gotten via PyArg_ParseTuple already 
have const char* prototypes, so the danger of const 
poisoning (needing to supply a cascading number of casts) is 
minimal here.  Most of the likely Python C API functions to 
which we'd pass one of these things are already prototyped 
with const char* too (e.g., PyDict_GetItemString and 
PyString_InternFromString).  Some others should be.  Fighting 
a hopeless rear-guard reactionary battle isn't like Raymond -- 
don't listen to old farts, Brett, our youth is our future <wink>.