However! Don't despair! This sad state of affairs can be worked around by using LaunchCFMApp as follows. Put this line in your ~/.tcshrc (or in aliases.mine, if you're set up that way):
alias bbroot "sudo -b /System/Library/Frameworks/[Enter all on one line with no added spaces except replace [space] with an actual space character]
Carbon.framework/Versions/Current/Support/LaunchCFMApp
[space]'/Applications/BBEdit Lite 6.1 for OS X'"
This defines a bbroot command which, when entered in later Terminal sessions, will launch a root BBEdit process. There, we can open, edit, and save root-owned files by all the usual GUI methods. (E.g., open files by dropping them onto the active dock icon. Preferences go in /var/root/Library, and should probably be adjusted to use Unix line breaks.)
[Editor's note: This method should be extendable to run any application as root...]

