Was Sen. Orrin Hatch playing hopscotch last week, when he tripped on his shoestrings and arose with that wound on his head?

Is the bright red blotch evidence of a stumped senator suffering from writers block while thinking-up a new tune? Perhaps he was dancing and prancing before he plummeted to the ground?

Apparently, he was just walking.

Whatever he tripped on, Sen. Hatch was reported to be "recovering nicely" from a tumble last week that branded the 74-year-old senator with a nasty head wound.

The oval-shaped splotch that embellished the right third of his forehead hardly slowed Hatch, who wore it like a pro during his live interview with CNBC on Tuesday.

-- Lindsey Hough

When Sen. John McCain came to Utah in March, we reported that the presumptive presidential nominee had a private meeting with executives from EnergySolutions, the nuclear wastse and Utah Jazz arena folks.

What did they talk about? Was it about importing Italian waste? Was it about the future of the nuclear industry? What could it be?

Now it all makes sense. They were buying some advertising on the McCain campaign. Check out this image from McCain's campaign stop today in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

Compare the words behind him to the corporate logo.

Clearly McCain is blazing new ground in the field of corporately endorsed campaigns, kind of like NASCAR.

Check local listings for Barack Obama's next appearance, sponsored by Winston Ultra Lights. Or the Levitra Straight Talk Express.

-- Robert Gehrke

Acting Assistant Labor Secretary Richard Stickler had just launched into his speech before a room of about 150 mining types, discussing the agency’s response to the Crandall Canyon mine collapse last year, when there was a distinct and growing din from the hallway.

Utah locals are familiar with the 140-decibel noise, recognizing it as Channel 2 reporter Rod Decker doing his live feed for the noon news.

Stickler, who ain't from these parts, was a little stunned, and stopped his speech until Decker was done.

"That gentleman speaks louder than I do," Stickler said.

That gentleman speaks louder than any of us do.

-- Robert Gehrke

Talk about getting off-message, the White House this weekend sent reporters (inadvertently, I'm assuming) a copy of a Reuters story detailing Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki's support for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's 16-month timeline for withdrawing troops from Iraq.


In an interview with Der Spiegel released on Saturday, Maliki said he wanted U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq as soon as possible.


"U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes."


It is the first time he has backed the withdrawal timetable put forward by Obama, who is visiting Afghanistan and [is] set to go to Iraq as part of a tour of Europe and the Middle East.


Later in the story:


The White House said on Friday President George W. Bush and Maliki had agreed that a security deal under negotiation should set a "time horizon" for meeting "aspirational goals" for reducing U.S. forces in Iraq.


Keep an eye out for the next White House releases: "10 ways McCain is just like us," and "Republicans are to blame for high gas prices, economic woes."


I suspect somewhere at 1600 Pennsylvania, someone is getting an earful.

-- Robert Gehrke

As far as political reversals go, this one was brilliant.

Utah's Hogle Zoo had counted its votes and felt confident Tuesday that the Salt Lake County Council would put a $65 million bond -- pegged for one of the largest renovations in park history -- on November's ballot.

The council's four Democrats hadn't wavered in their support. And GOP Councilman Marv Hendrickson, the key swing vote, told reporters three times that Hogle had his nod.

If only politics were that predictable.

One hour into Tuesday's Hogle Zoo debate, Democrats called an impromptu recess to resolve questions about whether the council should require the east-side animal park to raise private donations before receiving public funds.

When the backroom brokering ended and the council meeting resumed, Democrats thought they were running the show. Democratic Councilman Joe Hatch even confirmed the arrangement before the vote. Hendrickson nodded.

But Hendrickson had struck a secret deal with fellow Republicans that would pass, but possibly kill, the bond. Here's the play by play:

Hatch pitches his zoo-friendly proposal and sits back in his chair visibly victorious. Hendrickson, without a word of explanation, votes "no." Hatch's jaw drops.

Republicans counter with a motion to put Hogle Zoo's request on the ballot -- no flip-flop for Hendrickson there -- but say the animal park will have to come up with $20 million in private funds before tapping the public's pocketbook.

Hogle leaders grimace, file out of the meeting after the 5-4 vote and decline to comment when asked by reporters whether they still will pursue the bond.

It was political theater at its prime. And it continued as the council overwhelmingly approved Tracy Aviary's ballot initiative -- once considered a divided issue.

"It's amazing," Hatch remarked. "It's unanimous. But why am I so pissed?"

-- Jeremiah Stettler

Like parents meticulously picking out baby names, the West Valley City Council ploddingly pondered names for 11 light-rail and bus-rapid-transit stations in Utah's second largest city.

The Utah Transit Authority had asked the City Council only for its recommendations. (No names of individuals or businesses, please.)

But that didn't stop council members from debating dozens of suggestions. Should one stop be called Chesterfield Station? Or should the Redwood Road stop be a "crossing," "junction" or "connection?"

Ah, the wheels of government.

As the naming process dragged on -- 20 minutes had been allotted to the task and it had taken a half-hour to settle on half the names -- Mayor Dennis Nordfelt grew a tad perturbed.

"I named all nine of my children in less time than this," he said.

-- Maria Villasenor

Deseret News TV critic Scott D. Pierce is apparently making his move into politics coverage.

While at the Television Critics Association press tour in Hollywood, newly minted FOX News commentator Karl Rove spoke to the group. Pierce wrote this story focusing mainly on a critique of Mitt Romney's presidential bid.

But the most interesting part was in the story's "In other comments" section:

"Rove criticized presumptive Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama's (D-Ill.) decision to stop wearing a flag lapel pin. . . ."

"I think it went one step too far to say that wearing a flag lapel pin was not true patriotism," Rove said. "For a lot of people, it is true patriotism. And that kind of judgmental comment, I thought was inappropriate. I don't suggest it's un-American, but it was questioning, inherently, the patriotism of people who said, 'You know what? I'm going to put a flag on my lapel or on my sleeve or on my uniform." '

He may have left the White House, but he's still fighting the good fight against the evil doers -- people who once wore flag lapel pins but have stopped and are now turning their judgmental questioning on the true patriots who do wear flags on their lapels and other places, including their sleeves.

-- Dan Harrie

Ethan Millard, of KSL's Nightside Project, had an interesting approach to debating ethics reform Monday.

Filling in for KSL morning drivetime talk show host Doug Wright, Millard called for a complete gift ban for Utah lawmakers. He argued the the ban should be absolute -- allowing state legislators to take no gift or trinket from lobbyists.

Then, in a neck-wrenching twist, he offered Real Salt Lake soccer tickets to any lawmaker who would come on the air to defend the current practice of accepting lobbyist gifts.

I didn't stay tuned long enough to hear whether there were any takers, but it certainly sounded like an offer they could refuse.

-- Dan Harrie