Governor Granholm was having a grand ole time waxing on about how she was going to help Joe Biden beat Sarah Palen in their October Vice Presidential debate.  And she went on and on about her 6 foreign trade missions netting 9,000 jobs and $826 million in investments for the state.

         And then a skunk showed up at the news conference.

         Governor do you believe the state police should reopen their probe into the alleged party at the Manoogian Mansion?

         It's ironic because moments before the news conference, media secretary Liz Boyd popped out to say hi to the assembled reporters wanting to know if there were any surprise questions for her boss.

         Well there is was.A 0 The story that refuses to go away but the governor deftly pushed it aside apparently wanting no part of this aspect of the Kwame Kilpatarick story.

         That's up to the professionals at the Michigan State Police she went into a defensive mode.  She noted that everyone wants to turn the page on the mess in Motown, but when asked if that was possible with this party stuff hanging around, she would not bite.

         But she did bang on the table just a bit to inform everyone that as a former prosecutor she "will not interfere with a criminal investigation."

         Now could we have more questions on Sarah Palin, she must have been thinking.

         The questions were relevant because House Democrats, members of her party, are divided on whether the Speaker Andy Dillon should ask the state cops to beef up the probe.

         Some want to review the role of Republican Attorney General Mike Cox who declared the party an "urban legend."

         But the second in command in the democratic caucus does not want to launch a "fishing expedition."  Rep. Steve Tobocman of Detroit wants to see a "smoking gun" before the state spends investigative resources on that.  He does not see one now.

         The House GOP Leader Rep. Craig DeRoche dismisses all this as a "cheap political trick" by the D's to divert attention from all the state tax dollars they sent to the soon to be ex-Mayor of Detroit.

         As for the governor?  She's off to Japan where supposedly she won't run into any more skunks.

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