Marc Cooper attended the weekend strategy session at Arianna Huffington's house and thinks she is running for real, as an independent, but with a solidly left team. Bill Zimmerman, who led Tom Hayden's race for U.S. Senate in 1976 and dozens since, would manage. Also there were Salon.com editor David Talbot, producer Lynda Obst, Crossroads School president Paul Cummins, former mayoral candidate Nick Patsaouras and civil rights attorney Connie Rice, among others.

Cooper, you'll remember, floated Huffington's name as a recall candidate way back.