As soon as it became clear that the state is headed toward another round of water torture in the guise of an election recount, I knew I had to find Cindy Reichert, the former head of elections for Minneapolis.
Reichert, a longtime, hard-working and by all reports ethical public servant, is now in the elections department of Anoka County.
"Hi, Cindy," I said. "There is going to be another recount, and I want to look in the trunk of your car."
There was a brief pause, then a hearty laugh.
"You'll find the same thing as they did last time," Reichert said. "Nothing."
Reichert would really rather that I not bring this up again, but given the tenor of this year's election we need to be aware that in the next few weeks the 2010 version of Cindy Reichert will surface, as political operatives scrounging for stray votes point fingers at people who don't deserve it.
During the 2008 recount of the Norm Coleman-Al Franken mess, Coleman lawyer Fritz Knaak told reporters that Reichert had been giving a box of ballots a joy ride in the back of her car for several days. Gov. Tim Pawlenty repeated the claim on Fox News with a furrowed brow, and the car ride became the signature anecdote of conspiracy theorists everywhere.
The trouble is, it never happened.