Commentary: Some start-of-summer drive-by Muthings

I'm waiting for the World Health Organization to declare infidelity a pandemic in the Republican Party and then maybe they'd get some help.

Now that Sen. Ensign has apologized to his colleagues in Washington, do you think he'll get around to apologizing to Nevadans?

If there was any chance that Congressman Dean Heller would take a run against Sen. Harry Reid next year - and there was - it went right out the window with Sen. John Ensign's marriage vows. Bring on the B-Team.

By the way, exactly what were Dan Hampton's credentials for getting that $13,000-per-month gig in Sen. Ensign's office in the first place? And what was the plot for that movie "Indecent Proposal" again?

Gov. Jim Gibbons is trying to keep his phone records secret from lawyers representing a cocktail waitress who alleges the Luv Guv tried to take her on a hike on the Appalachian Trail a couple years ago. Might be a smart legal move, but dumb as dirtwater politically. Unless there really is something to hide in those records.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman considering a run for governor next year as an independent is intriguing and maybe even doable. Reno Mayor Bob Cashell considering a run for governor next year as an independent is purely delusional.

The state's Constitution provides Nevadans with the ability to gather enough signatures to put a "citizens' veto" of this year's tax hikes on the 2010 ballot. TEA party activists wondering what they should do next - take note.

Four of the seven conservative Republicans in the state Assembly are likely to run for state Senate seats next year. That's bad news for moderate Senate Minority Leader Bill Raggio who is actively recruiting moderate GOP primary candidates to block the conservatives from joining his caucus. If he fails, bye-bye Minority Leader.

UNLV president David Ashley is about to be canned from his highly-paid taxpayer-funded job. I wonder who will get custody of his $15,000 desk?

It took the Supreme Court of the United States to decide that strip-searching a teenage girl while looking for ibuprofen in a public school amounted to an "unreasonable search"? How did this case ever make it to the highest court in the land in the first place?

Gingrich-Palin 2012?

• Chuck Muth, of Carson City, is president and CEO of Citizen Outreach and a political blogger. Read his views Fridays on the Appeal Opinion page or visit www.muth

struths.com. You can e-mail him at chuck@chuckmuth.com.