Is this the beginning of a domino effect? A recall effort is underway in Nevada against Republican Governor Kenny Guinn.

Emboldened by recall efforts in California, a group of Nevada conservatives upset about the largest tax increase in state history began recall proceedings Wednesday against the popular Republican governor.

The group filed a notice of intent with the Nevada Secretary of State's Office in Las Vegas to seek a recall election against Gov. Kenny Guinn. Organizers have 90 days to collect 128,109 signatures, or 25 percent of those who cast ballots in the 2002 general election.

If this means Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman can run for Governor sooner, we're all for it. Doubtful, though, as state Democratic leaders are calling the recall "stupid" and say they'd be surprised if any Democrats signed the petition.

The newest Zogby poll has Howard Dean with a 38%-17% lead over John Kerry in New Hampshire.

Jerome of MyDD who is posting over at Daily Kos since Kos is still on the road with the Dean campaign has this to say:

Dean's increase of 16% over the amount he recieved in Zogby's last poll comes half from Kerry, a quarter from the other candidates, and a quarter from those undecided voters. There still remain 23% who are unsure of who they will support, but it's clear that Dean is the frontrunner.

Oh, and Kos' luggage got lost.

Here's the latest on the potential Wesley Clark presidential bid. Bottom line: He only wants to run if he believes theres a realistic chance he can win. We hope he didn't wait too long.

Robert Kuttner, co-editor of American Prospect, says in the Boston Globe that if Clark runs, all bets are off.

Dean sprints. Journalist Dave Cullen at Conclusive Evidence has more on the newest Zogby poll results. [Ed: new link inserted]

Markos of Daily Kos is a guest blogger at the official Dean weblog today. Here too.

If momentum counts, Dean may have a lock on the nomination.

Update: Check out the Dean blog today after last night's stunning rally in New York's Bryant Park. Their energy and excitement is palpable. So, for the Dean train, which is the appropriate question: Will it be enough? Or can it be stopped?

According to Fred Hiatt in the Washington Post, Howard Dean's makeover is underway. In an interview with Hiatt and a colleage before a recent rally, Dean said he is not a "dove." While he thinks entering the war was wrong, now that's it's happened, we need to stay in both Iraq and Afganistan, long-term.

It's true that he opposed the war in Iraq, he says, but he supported the 1991 Gulf War and the Bush campaign against the Taliban in Afghanistan. More interesting, at a time when many politicians are shuddering at President Bush's ambitions to remake the Middle East -- conservatives, because they are skeptical of such grand reshaping ambitions; liberals, because they see resources being diverted from social causes at home -- Dean sounds if anything more committed than Condoleezza Rice to bringing democracy to Iraq.

..."We have no choice. It's a matter of national security. If we leave and we don't get a democracy in Iraq, the result is very significant danger to the United States." And "bringing democracy to Iraq is not a two-year proposition.

Dean is almost as sweeping about Afghanistan, where "losing the peace is not an option" and "pulling out early would be a disaster." Five times the current level of troops are needed, he said. "Imagine making deals with warlords to promote democracy. What are these people thinking?"

Thoughts? Is he being realistic or changing colors?

A recent poll shows Colorado's Republican Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell only five points ahead of democratic Congressman Mark Udall, who has not declared his intention to run.

Democrats took heart from a poll by Talmey-Drake Research & Strategy Inc., of Boulder, showing that in a head-to-head matchup, Campbell would lead Udall by 5 percentage points - 45 percent to 40 percent, with 13 percent undecided and 2 percent naming other candidates.

Campbell's slim lead and his failure to reach 50% is considered by experts to be a sign of his weakness going into the 2004 election.

We have been a strong supporter of Udall in his past campaigns. We've worked with him and his staff on issues and find him to be honest, exceptionally dedicated and truly progressive. In fact, we can't praise him enough.

Gary Hart has also been mentioned as a possible candidate against Campbell. We think Gary Hart would blow Campbell out of the water if he decided to run. We'd champion that decision in a heartbeat.

As an aside, when we covered Gary Hart's possible presidential run months ago, we mentioned that we weren't sure of his position on some criminal justice issues, like the death penalty.

We had an opportunity to ask Hart directly a few weeks ago when we were seated at the same table at the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers' (NACDL) luncheon in Denver, where he was the keynote speaker.

Hart emphatically told us he opposes the death penalty and has opposed it his entire career.

In the past, we've had the opportunity to ask Mark Udall the same question. Same answer--Udall opposes the death penalty.

We hope one of these two fine men decide to challenge Campbell. Either won would win handily, in our opinion. And the nation would be far better off.

The Idaho Statesman reports that county election boards have been denying ex-felons the right to vote--erroneously.

As city elections fast approach, county officials could be depriving untold numbers of felons from the ballot box by saying they can´t vote in Idaho. The fact is, people convicted of a felony in Idaho can vote once they´ve completed their sentence, unless they´ve committed treason. Yet it is generally assumed that felons are excluded from the voting booth.

But when The Idaho Statesman surveyed all 44 county election offices, almost a third got it wrong.

Here's the law, so if you know an ex-felon in Idaho, please get the word out:

The state constitution guarantees former felons the right to vote once their citizenship has been restored. State law says that happens once prison, probation or parole are complete for felonies committed in Idaho.

The law applies to those living in Idaho who have felony convictions in other states--if that state has restored their rights.

Generally, if a person has had their civil rights restored by another state, they can vote here, Ysursa said. A felony conviction does not affect a person´s ability to vote in Idaho, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Arnold is down in the latest poll, but maybe his new look will push him back into the lead. On a more substantive recall topic, here's how the candidates differ on social issues.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports today on hope for the Democrats as the recall momentum drops off a bit. The San Diego Union says latinos are pumped by Bustamente's run. The Mercury News compares Bustamente and Arnold in The Odd Couple.

We remain hopeful Californians will come to their senses and vote no on the recall.

The higher-ups in the national and Colorado state democratic party are urging former Senator Gary Hart to run for U.S. Senate against Republican Ben Nighthorse Campbell. We're all in favor of it. When Campbell first ran, he was a Democrat. He switched parties some years after being elected. We'd love to see the seat returned to the Democrats and think Hart is the one who could do it.

But what is up with the difference in the articles between the print version that arrived on our doorstep this morning and the internet edition? Check this out. From the online edition:

Hart, a Denver lawyer, refused to say Friday how seriously, if at all, he's considering another stint on Capitol Hill. "He won't be commenting on that," his assistant said.

Cinamon Watson, a campaign aide to Campbell, scoffed at the possibility of a Hart candidacy. "It's as simple as this," she said. "It's all monkey business."

Hart's 1988 bid for the presidency was derailed by his dalliance with model Donna Rice - with whom he was photographed sitting dockside in front of a pleasure boat named Monkey Business.

Here's how that part of the article in the print edition reads:

Hart, a Denver lawyer, refused to say Friday how seriously, if at all, he's considering another stint on Capitol Hill. "He won't be commenting on that," his assistant said.

Campbell, in Pueblo on Saturday to participate in events at the Colorado State Fari, said he wasn't aware of efforts to recruit Hart. "I don't think Gary will do it," Campbell said. "It's not prestigious enough. He wants to be President and that's not going to happen."

Hart's 1988 bid for the presidency was derailed by his dalliance with model Donna Rice. Campbell said he expected others would raise questions about the affair should Hart enter the race, but pledged that he would not. "I'm not running for pope. I'm running for Senate."

Why was Campbell's direct quote (and pledge) omitted from the online edition of the article? Why was it replaced by a campaign aide's negative, mocking comment? Do Campbell's advisors want to leave him open to attack Hart on the issue, just in case Hart enters and starts beating Campbell in the polls? And why would the two reporters go with a campaign aide's quote when he they have a first-hand quote from the Senator?

It may be that the online article was written earlier, before Campbell was personally interviewed, but in that case, why hasn't the paper updated the online version?

Walter Shapiro says in USA Today that John Edwards is the most anti-Ashcroft Democrat in the presidential nomination race:

...the Democrat who devotes the most energy and passion to challenging the Ashcroft record is John Edwards. On a supporter's front lawn in Waverly last week, Edwards dramatically switched gears in his stump speech to announce, "I want to say this to everyone here who is supporting me or thinking of supporting me. If you think what I'm about to say is wrong or dangerous, you should be for somebody else — don't be for me."

All this was intended to whet the appetite of his audience for what would come next. Edwards thundered, "I want to say this loud and clear: We cannot in this effort to fight this war on terrorism allow people like John Ashcroft to take away our rights, our freedoms."

....when it comes to battling Ashcroft, Edwards boasts a credibility that his rivals lack. As a veteran of North Carolina courtrooms, he instinctively grasps the legal implications of military tribunals and the government's claimed right to declare American citizens to be "enemy combatants." The only Democratic hopeful on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Edwards has been adept in his aggressive questioning of Ashcroft during the attorney general's rare appearances on Capitol Hill.

Next stop on Ashcroft's Patriot Act tour: Salt Lake City, Monday. At least one protest is planned.

Both of Salt Lake City's daily newspapers have criticized the sweeping measure that gives the Justice Department broad investigation powers. Libertarians have protested at the state Capitol -- twice. And Tuesday, K-Talk radio host Barbara Jean Whitely and others plan to ask the Salt Lake City Council to join more than 150 local governments and three states that have adopted resolutions condemning the act. A protest is planned for Monday outside the hotel where the attorney general is scheduled to speak.

Dean Barkley, Arianna's campaign manager, has resigned from her gubernatorial campaign. Barkley had been a tobacco lobbyist in Minnesota, and he and Arianna felt that his past activities might hurt her chances.

Barkley's role in Huffington's campaign was questioned after the Los Angeles Times reported last week that he is a lobbyist for major tobacco, gambling and waste-hauling companies. Huffington said she did not know that when she hired him.

Huffington's campaign has gotten off to a rocky start. The syndicated columnist, who lives in a home in Brentwood reportedly valued at $7 million, also has been dogged by reports that she paid only $771 in federal taxes the past two years. Huffington has called the stories unfair, noting that she paid $98,000 in property taxes and $50,000 in payroll taxes during that period.

Arianna would do better to ignore the tax charges than to give such a lame --and insulting--excuse. Every homeowner pays property taxes and every employer pays payroll taxes. What does that have to do with her obligation to pay income tax? Not to mention a significant portion of the payroll taxes she paid likely came from amounts withheld from her employees under FICA and the like.

If Arianna had so many business ventures that lost money that she ended up with only a $771 tax bill, the citizens of California justifiably might conclude she can't manage her own finances, let alone those of such a big state.

There's a growing list of Hollywood celebrities who are vocalizing their opposition to Arnold:

Cybil Shepherd, Barbra Streisand, Steven Spielberg, Warren Beatty, Susan Sarandon, Al Franken, Ed Asner, Carrie Fisher, Mike Farrell and Rob Reiner are among them.

In other recall news, Sen. Diane Feinstein says she is so opposed to the recall that she will not vote for a replacement candidate if the recall passes.