Issa makes the big time

On the front page of the New York Times today are two dead Husseins, one Private Lynch and congressman Darrell Issa. The money man behind the Gray Davis recall jokes with Charlie LeDuff about the charges floating up out of his past:

"Some day," Mr. Issa [says], "somebody's going to report on those little pineapple squares I snitched at a party."

But a blind quote from a GOP insider says Issa's days in the spotlight are numbered.

"Schwarzenegger's the choice," one Republican operative said. "So, in two weeks, Republicans are going to pat Issa on the head, thank him for his service, then walk over his dead body."

It's also in the Daily News (of L.A., not N.Y.)

The L.A. Times, meanwhile, surveyed the counties and found more than enough signatures already validated for the recall to go ahead. The counties will report to Sacramento by 5 p.m. today. Lt. Gov. Bustamante will act within 24 hours to set the election date -- but may try to separate the recall question from the who-replaces-Davis ballot. And Steve Lopez says the episode where some Democrats were caught talking about making the budget crisis worse was the most revealing outing since Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee's home video.