I had one of those moments of perfect clarity this afternoon that reminds me why I don't invest much time listening to AM talk radio.

Driving home, I heard the start of KFI's "Total Recall" show. The male host opened by making it clear the show's overriding goal is the ouster of Gray Davis. Fine, I appreciated the fair warning that everything to come would be skewed that way. Even so, I cringed when co-host Jill Stewart assured listeners that of course the new L.A. Times Poll showing Bustamante ahead was probably cooked. She had no actual evidence but plowed on anyway with a conspiracy theory about the poll questions not all being on the Times website -- and wasn't that "incredible?" I actually felt bad for any listener-victims who might be falling for the spin.

So I get home, sign on and find that Dan Weintraub, the most popular and respected blogger by many on the pro-recall side, also addressed the Times Poll. He knows that recall suporters didn't like it, and he gives some good reasons why its snapshot may already be outdated, if it was ever valid given the volatility of this campaign (it's no more suspect than any other poll). But he also fact-checks the conspiracists (emphasis below mine):

Smart, knowledgeable and honest, or "more stimulating talk radio." Take your pick.