Salon.com | Total recall: "So, however corrupt the parentage of this recall effort, it offers Californians a golden opportunity to send a message: that it's time to reorder our policy priorities and get back to serving the people. "

Arianna, who normally has great fun attacking Republicans, is a pretty equal opportunity slammer of political bullies. Here she points out that the Cal recall movement is founded in a certain groundswell of public discontent with big money and politics.

On the subject of the recall, however, Streak reminded me the other day about the iron rule of "unintended consequences." Republicans might want to consider that using the recall to get rid of an opposition leader they don't like is a bell that can't be unrung. Are they really sure that voters might not turn on the next Rep governor as well? In that vein are several other conservative movements afoot now. In Texas, Karl Rove and Tom Delay are trying to push redistricting through outside the 10 year window, mostly because they think they can. In the Senate, Pat Robertson's legal monkey, Jay Sekulow is trying to get the Senate to change rules so that Bush's conservative judges can be approved on an up and down vote, essentially killing the filibuster. In both cases, Streak's reminder is a good one. Republicans won't always dominate, and when they lose power, Democrats will remember all of this. Plus, changing the rules means that both sides have access. Streak thinks that Tom Delay will eventually get his. I hope so.

Good dog.