Anchorage Daily News Editor Pat Dougherty has finally fessed up to a three-month coverup, namely that, in the weeks before the Nov. 4 general election, he DID have a reporter, namely Lisa Demer, investigating the (still-unanswered) rumors around Trig Palin's birth. The revelation comes as part of an exchange of e-mails between him and the governor, excerpted on my blog.

Texas progressive pundit Jim Hightower's most famous book is probably "There's Nothing in the Middle of the Road but Yellow Stripes and Dead Armadillos."

Well, in case Dougherty didn't realize it before, in current Alaskan politics, there's nothing in the middle of the road but yellow editors and live wildcat Sarah Palin.

That said, he should have realized it.

In his blog post on ADN's editor's blog where he admits the deception, while at the same time dissing people with questions about Trig's birth (or Tripp's now) as conspiracy theorists, he tells Palin, in his New Year's Eve e-mail response to her, just how little cooperation his reoprter, Lisa Demer got from Mayor Whazzup and her staff and others.

In spite of that, in spite of the election upcoming, etc., shades of the 2004 New York Times, he decided to sit on Demer's reportage. And still is.

Hello???

Here's my blog take on this. Needless to say, Doughertyis getting royally reamed in comments.