I've been considering a templating solution, although my choices are between Mako and Genshi. I find templating in Genshi a bit ugly, so I'm shifting more towards Mako.
I've gone to wonder: what is so good about the fact that Mako allows embedded Python code? How is it convenient for the average joe?
Wouldn't templating JUST suffice without having embedded Python code?
Wouldn't templating JUST suffice without having embedded Python code?

Only if your templating language has enough logical functionality that it is essentially a scripting language in itself. At which point, you might just as well have used Python.
More involved sites often need complex presentation logic and non-trivial templated structures like sections repeated in different places/pages and recursive trees. This is no fun if your templating language ties your hands behind your back because it takes the religious position that "code in template are BAD".
Then you just end up writing presentation helper functions in your Python business logic, which is a worse blending of presentation and application logic than you had to start with. Languages that take power away from you because they don't trust you to use it tastefully are lame.
Should I use Mako for Templating?