In a surprisingly sharp editorial yesterday arguing that Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler will be “crucified in the general election” if Republicans choose him to take on Hickenlooper, The Colorado Springs Gazette cited two anonymous sources:

“Democrats will have a field day with Gessler,” said a ranking Colorado Republican insider who spoke to The Gazette on background.

“I don’t think he’s electable.” Another ranking Republican, asked about Gessler as nominee, said only this: “train wreck.”

How can the Gazette offer up these anonymous sources without at least telling us that the people quoted don’t back State Sen. Greg Brophy or any of Geessler’s opponents?

So I asked Gazette Editorial Page Editor Wayne Laugesen if he’d tell me whether these sources are supporting one of the other GOP gubernatorial candidates. Or if they’re on the payroll of another candidate?

Laugesen: “Members of The Gazette’s editorial board know who the two sources are. Among those board members is my immediate supervisor, the publisher of The Gazette. Neither source has decided on a candidate (or so we are told). Each has employment that would forbid obtaining compensation from a candidate.”

Laugesen might consider tossing his clarifying statement onto his editorial page, in the unlikely event that any of his readers miss this blog post.

So now it’s up to readers to decide if they trust the Gazette on this. I do.

The Denver Post’s Lynn Bartels took us down the GOP-Nightmare-Memory-Loop in an article yesterday pointing out that Sen. Greg Brophy  endorsed former Congressman Tom Tancredo in 2010, calling him a “selfless hero,” but now Brophy says Tancredo is “unprepared” to be governor.

Asked by Bartels to explain his change, Brophy said:

“He was our best choice in 2010, so I worked really hard for him and lent him my credibility,” Brophy said. “No matter how much of an optimist I am, I know not to back a loser twice.”

Discussing Bartels’ article yesterday morning on KNUS’ newly retreaded Dan Caplis Show (7-9 am), Brophy expanded on his comments to Bartels

Caplis: How can you say he’s unprepared now, when you thought he was well-prepared two years ago.

Brophy: I guess that’s in comparison to a guy like me who has experience running his own small business and current experience working on the policy issues that really matter to the people of Colorado.  So it’s a comparison of preparedness, and compared to me, frankly, he’s not ready to debate the issues of the day, because these are things  I’ve been working on for the last half-dozen years, and he’s been writing books [BigMedia emphasis].

Listen here to Brophy explain why Tancredo is no longer prepared to be governor

For the record, and Caplis should clarify on air, if you know Tancredo, you know he hasn’t been bunkered down writing books over the past “half-dozen years,” while Brophy was out riding his bike and battling the left.

First, Tancredo has written only one measly book, Hating America:: The Left’s Long History of Despising (And Slowly Destroying) Our Great Country with Phil Ross (2013). It sounds like fiction, which is easy to write, plus he’s got a co-author, which could have reduced Tanc’s time spent writing to near zero.

Second, if you know Tancredo, you know he’s been rushing from microphone to microphone over the past half dozen years, and for a while he actually had his own Colorado Springs talk-radio show, complete with microphone, giving him plenty of time to polish his debating skills.

Overall, if you review Tancredo’s last six years, it looks like he’s been running for office constantly, including running for president. And that’s not counting all the years he spent running for office when he was in Congress.

Tanc’s book is a throwaway, in more ways than one. You can say a lot about Tancredo, but it’s inaccurate to say he’s been writing books over the past six years, isolating himself, ivory-tower-like, from the debate.