California: Pete Wilson

Apparently that elephant is anti-tax too, and he remembers the good old days!

Among their finds, to be formally announced today, is the nearly intact skeleton of a Columbian mammoth -- named Zed by researchers -- a prize discovery because only bits and pieces of mammoths had previously been found in the tar pits.

OK, Dennis Hollingsworth's new name is Zed.

I was just on KPFA's Morning Show with former Assemblyman John Laird, and we'll have audio of that in a bit.  But as we see the Yacht Party spiral ever more into neanderthalism, I want to make a couple points.  First, Zed Hollingsworth is crazy but that's a matter of degree.

Former Gov. Pete Wilson tops the list of early endorsers of Meg Whitman's exploratory run for governor.

Wilson, who served two terms as governor, has signed on as her campaign chairman.

Topping the list of her campaign co-chairs is Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who has experienced a meteoric rise in Washington D.C. to become the GOP's chief deputy whip - the No. 3 post in the Republican caucus - after just a single term.

Other co-chairs:

Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Moorpark
Rep. Mary Bono-Mack, R-Palm Springs
Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, R-San Diego
Former Assemblywoman Sharon Runner, R-Lancaster

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and 18 other governors (if you count the Virgin Islands) sent a letter to President Barack Obama supporting the stimulus plan working its way through Congress.

The $800 billion-plus spending package could help California close its roughly $40 billion budget deficit as well as pump money into infrastructure projects in the state.

"We urge the Congress to reach prompt resolution of all outstanding differences and you to sign the bill when it reaches your desk," the bipartisan group of governors write.

Meanwhile, on Monday, three ex-California governors -- George Deukmejian, Pete Wilson, and Gray Davis -- co-wrote an op-ed in the Washington Times with some advice for the Congress and president on how to best put together the stimulus package.

The full letter from Schwarzenegger and the other governors after the jump.

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - Former California Gov. Pete Wilson said he sees this year's presidential election in much the same way as former President Ronald Reagan saw the only acceptable conclusion to the Cold War: "They lose, we win."

Wilson, speaking to the state's delegation to the Republican National Convention, said making sure U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) won in November would require legwork and financial support from California, which has the largest delegation in Minneapolis.