“The governor intends to veto the state budget, and the Legislature intends to override–if the Republicans hang tight. Is the governor showing real strength and defiance, or is this a stunt? Does this play into a recall drive?”

 All of a sudden the Governor gets a conscience? It’s a budget without new

“The prison officers’ union says Gov. Schwarzenegger should be recalled from office for a myriad of sins. Is the recall serious?”

No. But fun to watch.

Absolutely. An angry, wealthy special interest is a dangerous foe

Any one with that much money has to be taken seriously. People have collected

“Sarah Palin — does she help or hurt John McCain’s chances in November? If she hurts him, does she get booted off the ticket?”

We’ll find out over the next two months. She’s one tough lady and my bet is she’ll prove to be a net plus.

She helps by

"A two-part question: Looking ahead a few days, who do you think John McCain will pick as his veep? And does Joe Biden help or hurt Obama?"

According to the I Love Lucy rule about older, dowdier sidekicks, McCain needs a 95-year-old congressman with the charm of a Nazi dentist.

"A timely question for Democrats: What's more important, getting a budget written or going to Denver? Is the timing of the convention the real driver of our state budget negotiations?"

Which would you rather do — hobnob with celebrities, get jacked on Obamamania and whoop through a thought- and angst-free week in

"Has the presidential campaign devolved to the frivolous? McCain depicts Obama as a star, and Obama sinks in the polls. Obama returns fire with McCain as a mere Beltway star, and McCain is rattled. So what's wrong with being a star?"

Yes, this whole thing has degenerated into a schoolyard taunting contest.

Jerry Brown changed Proposition 8's ballot statement to read "only marriage between a man a woman is valid or recognized in California." The proponents describe Prop. 8 as "a limit on marriage" and are challenging Brown's wording. Is Brown playing politics or is he doing his job to ensure ballot accuracy?

 Brown

“The public has lost faith in the leaders’ ability to deal with the state budget crisis. So how would you solve the budget crisis?”

There is no solution to the budget crisis.

First, I’d restore representative democracy by repealing the two-thirds requirement. Then, I’d rely on accounting gimmicks and rosy

"Another feud in California politics: This week Jerry Brown seemed to provoke Gavin Newsom by considering the hire of Alex Tourk (Newsom's former aide who resigned after it was disclosed that Tourk's wife had an affair with Newsom). What is the nastiest political feud you can remember?

The Doris Allen speakership. Doris

“It’s back: A ballot initiative to take redistricting away from the Legislature and turn it over to an independent commission. Is this a good idea? Would it really make a difference in the partisan makeup of the Capitol?”

This is a good idea for symbolic reasons. It eliminates a conflict-of-interest and restores