Jon Keller has sussed out that Deval Patrick was on a book-pitch trip to NYC on the day of the casino vote -- and in retrospect, couldn't we have guessed that from the clues?

I don't think it means much of anything. But the story may matter nevertheless.

It's absolutely legitimate for Mass. residents to be wary of gubernatorial absenteeism, even to the point of hypersensitivity, after Romney, Cellucci, Weld, Dukakis.

Patrick's Obama-promotion travels have already helped fuel rumors that the gov has got things other than the Bay State on his mind. An autobiography will of course be seen by many as another piece of evidence toward that. So, as symbolism, a trip out of state, during a high-profile vote, to shop that book deal is pretty potent.

And the reason this all actually matters is that right now, the strongest weapon Deval Patrick has going for him is the perception that he's going to be around longer than Sal DiMasi.

True or not, there is a widespread perception on Beacon Hill that DiMasi is a short-timer at this point, and his move to follow Trav (and so many others before them) into the lucrative world of lobbying is only a matter of time.

If folks think that Patrick will stick around, fully engaged, for a good long while -- long after Sal is calling his golfing partners clients rather than contributors -- they'll be far more likely to see the benefit of helping move his agenda. Anything that works against that perception -- real or symbolic -- can only hurt him.

State senator Robert Hedlund does not, in fact, hail from the mythical town of "Weyland," as I wrote in the current issue of the Boston Phoenix, but from the beautiful burb Weymouth. Bob can feel free to make fun of me on his radio show for that one. Also, Darrell Crate does not spell his name "Darryl."

On another note, Methuen Mayor Bill Manzi maintains a strong public facade in response to my decision to root for his arch-nemesis Michael Sullivan of Lawrence in their weight-loss contest. But you can sense that his will is crumbling -- I'll bet he was chowing down a pint of B&J as he typed.

...how many of the state reps who voted to kill the casino plan were keeping track of NCAA hoops scores during yesterday's floor debate for the pool they're in?

The Herald has a story today about the pols with the biggest campaign war chests, but I'm afraid Dave Wedge is going to be a little red-faced when he realizes his numbers are all wrong.

He made a common mistake: not realizing that the monthly campaign-finance bank reports do not include funds that have been transfered to other banks, usually in the form of CDs.

So for instance, Wedge has State Treasurer Tim Cahill sitting fourth on his list, with $429,000 cash on hand. But Cahill's committee has roughly another $2 million in CDs; he is actually far and away number one. (See my year-end list here, second page.) Likewise, William Galvin really has $2 million, not $600,000.

I'll give Wedge the benefit of assuming that he's only including pols holding state offices. (In my list, six of the top ten spots were held by county or city officials -- and I didn't even include the US Senators and Congressmen this time, because their FEC year-end reports weren't in yet.) Nevertheless, I suspect one of the first calls Wedge will get this morning will come from the Mayor's office -- Wedge's list would suggest that Tom Menino failed to make the top 20, and must have less than $150,000 on hand. That's not going to scare off any challengers. In fact, Tommy has about $1 million. The second call: Michael Flaherty.

Still, it's a little amusing to see the Herald scream of "Staggering Stash Of Cash," when it only saw a fraction of the real dollar amounts. Oops!

“When all is said and done, the cancer that was growing within the Boston Police Department will be removed.”

a further remedy lies with the voters at the next election when they decide who will represent them "agreeably, to the rules and regulations of the constitution, and the laws of this Commonwealth."

"Benny" writes:

Any insight on the Walsh senate seat race? Who's going to run, and who's got the best shot?

This all assumes that Marian Walsh gets her judgeship, which certainly seems like a done deal from what I've been told by insiders for some time now. Most people I've talked to agree that there's room for one Boston pol and one Dedham or Norwood pol in the race; city councilor John Tobin's pulling papers to prepare for a run may be a signal to Rep. Michael Rush and councilor Rob Consalvo that he's planning to claim the Boston spot. From outside Boston, I'm hearing a lot about Jerry Kelleher of Norwood; John Rogers is unlikely, but who knows.

I'm hard-pressed to predict this one yet, especially not knowing who else might jump in from Norwood or Dedham. But I do think that Tobin would have a great shot at it -- and I will go out on a limb and predict the winner of the election to replace him on the City Council, should that happen: Matt O'Malley. (Although to be sure, it would be a hotly contested race.)

In response to my call for questions, "Hoss" writes:

Some Boston politics questions:

- Does Sonia Chang-Diaz have a chance to beat Dianne Wilkerson?
- Will Ralph Martin run for Mayor?
- Will Mayor Menino run for reelection in 2009?

Basic questions, but probably complicated answers.

For a little Friday fun, I'd like to invite you all to ask me any questions you might have on your mind. Any topic you'd like: local or national politics, something I've recently written, current issues and events, gossip and rumor, whatever. Ask away using the comments for this entry, and I will try to answer in posts later today. I look forward to your Qs!

It is a sure sign of the idiocy of today's 24/7 media whirlygig that a casual catty remark made by an unpaid campaign advisor to a Scottish newspaper during a book-promotion tour becomes the center of the political universe. Alas, 'tis all too true. Our own local academic celeb Samantha Power, of Harvard's Kennedy School, blurted out some ill-chosen verbiage about Hillary Clinton during an interview with the Scotsman about her latest book. Power is an unpaid senior advisor to Barack Obama. Believe it or not, today all the buzz is about the Obama camp calling Clinton a monster. Welcome to the funhouse!

This falls right under the heading of "haven't they learned by now" that I mentioned in a post yesterday: when Obama, his supporters, or the media treat Hillary like she's doing something wrong, something unseemly, by continuing to campaign, they help her.

But they just won't stop mocking and belittling her, often in the most sexist manner -- whether it's Margery Eagen comparing her with Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction or Larry David calling her "Sybillish" and on the brink of madness. 

Obama can hardly clam up Eagen and David, but you might think he'd keep his own team under control.

There's another, more serious reason for Obama to sweat this "monster" mash-up, though: he really doesn't need Samantha Power to draw attention to herself right now.

Power (with whom I have spoken several times over the years), is primarily known for her work on genocide issues. But she has a bit of a reputation for being perhaps not the greatest friend to Israel. She can be seen as advocating a position that the broad Middle East problems will not be solved until Israel stops maltreating the Palestinians. That may not be exactly her stand, but there's more than enough truth to it to justify the wariness about her among many staunch defenders of Israel. Of whom, there are quite a few who vote in Democratic Party primaries. Including in, say, Pennsylvania.

I'm not trying to take sides in that controversy; just pointing out that Obama has recently come under attack on his views on Israel, and anything that draws attention to the role Power plays in his campaign is certain to revive those complaints.

Update: Like John de Balliol abdicating at Stracathro, Power has met her end in Scotland; she has reportedly resigned from Obama's campaign.