The LA Weekly says that, yes, a Gray Davis ally is behind at least one of the Gropinator stories.

The Times maintains that none of the women came forward at the behest of Schwarzenegger’s opponents. That claim, however, is looking increasingly dubious. One of the three women in the story says she came forward at the urging of Jodie Evans, described by the Times as a peace activist and "co-founder of the women’s peace group Code Pink." At best, this is an incomplete, misleading description.

Here’s what the newspaper should have said about Evans. She is actually a former close colleague of Gov. Gray Davis, a longtime Democratic operative and a friend of noted Democratic hit man Bob Mulholland. Evans is also the ex-wife of Westside financier Max Palevsky, the man who gave Gray Davis his first job in politics as the fund-raiser in Tom Bradley’s 1973 mayoral campaign.

A few thoughts:

* Why are Democrats so much worse at lowball politics -- more ham-fisted and more likely to leave fingerprints -- than Republicans? (Surely you don't think anyone will ever suffer any consequences for outing Valerie Plame, do you?)

* There are reasons not to like Gray Davis. Wouldn't it have been nice if some part of the Democratic Party had established itself as a beachhead of anti-Davis but also anti-GOP sentiment? (The Democratic Party agrees on a message for practically the first time in its history, and the message it agrees on -- save Gray Davis's job -- is about as popular as toxic waste.)

* If people with ties to an embattled Republican governor floated a story like this to Fox News, can you even conceive of any publication or group on the Right that would expose the connection rather than helping to circle the wagons?

* Schwarzenegger is still a sleazebag.