Well, people, I'm officially on "Panda-watch."

The greatest story ever told has fallen into my lap, and now it's a matter of waiting for the moment--the one, priceless, unrepeatable instant when history is made. And me, right there, microphone-in-hand to tell the story far and wide...

Yes, I'm talking about the moment when the Governor decides to veto elements of the state legislature's budget. (Play saintly choral music now.)

When his thorough and efficient press office decides to send word that the man himself has decided to use his almighty power of the veto (except for that two-thirds override thing that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have sworn to use), I have to haul ass one mile downtown (exceeding the speed limit at every turn, sorry to say), and work my way through the maze of the state capitol to the Red Room--that marvel of architecture in which shit goes down.

I won't bore everyone to death with the politics...I profess to have a warped (but adequate, of late)understanding of them myself. All I will say is that watching these politicians going it at it at the end of the budget season is like watching the Rock, Paper, Scissors National Championships. Someone always has to throw away the dirty diapers afterward. (Thanks to the Today Show's in depth reporting on this year's tourney this morning.)

In fact, if one really wanted to bring civics home to the kiddies, just tell them that the Legislature is rock, the governor is paper and the judiciary is/are scissors. So simple!

But back to the severity of panda watch, what makes this story particularly interesting is the fact that the Governor is a lame duck with presidential aspirations. He's gonna look pretty damn stupid any way he hashes it, as the divide he's created between himself and the legislature throughout his tenure swallows the state. I'm looking forward to how creative his administration will be in choosing the smartest political maneuvering to build a bridge over that chasm.

But I still say the best visuals will come from watching Gentleman Joe and Sexy Shelley in the ring with the governor. Jello-wrestling all the way through April!

Panda-watch is ON.