So someone is putting before the public, via the New York tabloid press, that maybe Eliot Spitzer will be an elected official somewhere, some day. For what office, his people do not say. Not governor! That did not work out, due to his visits to prostitutes. So will he run for.... Kirsten Gillibrand's Senate seat? No. Here is what my focus group says: he cannot even possibly run against a woman. All she has to do is look at him with a pitying gaze during one debate and the whole thing is over. Meanwhile, he is apparently teaching an undergrad class at City College? Sheesh. But who's running this operation, which gets two days of tabloid play? Well here are two theories!

Theory One: This is actually what it looks like: an old-school trial balloon, gauging the response and getting the early blowback, so when he actually makes an announcement later, everyone's already gotten the outrage out of their system. This operation would most likely be run by Dan Klores Communications, and I would suspect by William Cunningham. In that case, it's going fairly well!

Theory Two: This is slightly trickier. What if this wasn't a trial balloon op, but was actually a sabotage op, run by enemies of Spitzer, to show him that he's still a tabloid scandal mess? The fact that Spitzer enemies are talking to the press now too is pretty enlightening to this angle! What if a Spitzer enemy-oh, I don't know, hungry hungry hippo Andrew Cuomo, who is still in his mind convinced he can be the President of America someday, if he can just crush all his enemies-had someone running to the tabloids-say, former Dan Klores flack Joe DePlasco?-with the idea that Spitzer was getting back in the game, just to stir the pot and keep Spitzer down.

Hmm!

In other important political news, and, wow, is it ever right before Labor Day, the Daily Politics goes in for deep coverage of New York governor David Paterson's mustache. Yes. Dog days. But it includes commentary by the chairman of the American Mustache Institute!