Now comes news that an effort to recall the Democratic speaker of the state House in Michigan has gained new momentum. Conservatives there are upset about Speaker Andy Dillon's support for tax increases. It's already a nasty business. As the Detroit News reports, recall supporters are criticizing Democrats for hiring a convicted felon to lead a "blocking campaign" to dissuade voters from signing the recall petition. Dillon's supporters went to court and got an order telling recall backers to stop using out-of-state petition circulators. But Dillon is taking it seriously, sending out mail to every voter in the district.

Recalls are a dangerous game, and not just for the officials who face the recall. Most recalls fail, and in many cases, there's a boomerang effect, with the targeted politician emerging stronger and more popular from the near-death experience. Since recall campaigns tend to be bitter and personal (and backed by some weird folks), sympathy rises for the targeted politician. Just ask Dianne Feinstein, the California senator. As mayor of San Francisco, she was targeted for recall by a group that called itself -- this is not a joke -- the White Panthers who objected to her support for gun control. Since Feinstein became mayor because of the assassination of her predecessor, George Moscone, her views on the issue seemed to make a lot of sense. She overwhelmingly defeated the recall, and became so popular she eventually won a U.S. Senate seat.