Today's Fresh Meat

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, California's only down-ballot Republican, will spearhead the effort to defeat a ballot measure meant to alter term limits, the Sacramento Bee reports. It's a bit ironic that Poizner is probablyusing the term-limits issue to build name recognition for himself, inanticipation of 2010 gubernatorial bid. And, as Lt. Gov. John Garamendiand other have pointed out, shouldn't he be looking after victims ofthe Southern California wildfires, not playing 2010 politics?

Dan Walters of the Bee offers some additional analysis of Poizner's foray into the ballot measure battle. Poizner is doing a political "three-fer," as Walters put: he's raisinghis profile, ensuring Proposition 93 will be competitive and threatensto take away Republican support for the initiative. LIke we said, agreat a way for a moderate to gain some trust in a GOP primary.

Saying he needs to devote his full time and energy to the "baseless " charges filed against himself, Orange County Sheriff Mike Caronna announced hisdecision to take a paid leave from office today, the Los Angeles Timesreports. it's sort of like Congressman John Doolittle, who has taken a"paid leave" from the House but still shows up and votes now and then.

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Photo courtesy of the New Republic.