The American Spectator

Washington Prowler

p> SOMEONE'S UP TO SOMETHING br> So much for no one doing opposition research on former Vermont Gov. Howie Dean . You'll recall that the campaign of Sen. John Kerry denied that it was using staff to do opposition research on Dean, who is shaping up as the media darling and far-left Democratic Party favorite. /p>

But suddenly little bits of dirt are dribbling out of Vermont, and it isn't Dean who's letting them out. In fact, his effort to control information about himself is one of the stories.

Just before Dean left office, he signed orders that sealed almost half of his gubernatorial documents from public view until 2013 -- ten years after the end of his service as governor. That is at least four years longer than any previous Vermont leader had held back his (or her) political papers.

Dean made it clear that he was locking up his documents to avoid political embarrassments, but was hesitant to explain why at the time. Dean staff believe the story now circulating is the direct result of Kerry's opposition research attempts. "We certainly weren't publicizing that the governor had sealed half his papers," says a Dean volunteer. "But a bunch of political hacks looking for dirt would certainly have found out about it soon enough."

Dean was also hit with a mini uproar when it was discovered that he had failed to pay state taxes and license fees in the past, again, a story that -- at least to the Dean people -- smacks of oppo research. "We were expecting it, but this is pretty lightweight stuff, like the candidate who is authorizing the mud-slinging," says the Dean staffer.

p> SENATORITA SANCHEZ br> Democrats in Washington and California were surprised at how forcefully Rep.

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Taxes, NATO