Regular visitors to Hub Politics might be forgiven for thinking that exactly 30 seconds after he takes his oath of office, Deval Patrick will jump into his limo and drive out to Shirley to personally free Benjamin LaGuer (and then point him in the direction of the white women).

Unfortunately for Hub Politics' finely developed sense of schadenfreude, Patrick could not unlock LaGuer's cell door on Jan. 1 even if he wanted to. Unlike, say, the governors of Texas or Alabama, Massachusetts governors can only recommend commutations to the Governor's Council, an elected holdover from pre-Revolution days that must approve all commutations (thanks to that pesky Part 2, Chapter II, Section I, Article VIII of the state constitution).

There are nine councilors - the lieutenant governor and councilors elected from eight districts across the state. The council doesn't always do what the governor wants. Just ask Norman Porter, who fled Massachusetts after the governor's council rejected Michael Dukakis's proposed commutation of a murder charge.

Kimberly Atkins posts the letter from the members of the Governor's Commission on Sexual and Domestic Violence, who want her to resign from the commission because of her rape ads.

Much ado about nothing, Hub Politics says.

The Missus explains why those rape ads convinced her to vote for Patrick.

Mihos comes out against the tollbacks on the turnpike as a cheap political trick.

Elias calls it electoral blackmail. Berto thinks eliminating the tolls is a great idea, but predicts the plan will die when Patrick wins.

Outraged Liberal: OK Mitt and Kerry -- how about rolling back T fares too?

Oh, but what would a campaign report be without long discussions of rape and murder?

Mass. GOP News puts together a Deval Patrick word-search game that wittily ties Patrick to alleged perv David Scondras.

Adam Reilly at the Phoenix, meanwhile, says he'll spring for a $10 taco gift certificate for the best Kerry Healey ad parody. Reilly also offers up the conspiracist view of those Romney Healey-is-toast comments: That she must lose so that he can prove to primary voters that only he's a special enough Republican to win in Massachusetts.

Charles Foster Kane gets a Healey push poll that brings up everything from LaGuer to Ameriquest:

... Why on earth would I vote from anyone who would authorize such a poll or associate with people who would authorize such a poll? We already knew Kerry Healey is pathetic and desperate. Now we know she's a fraud as well.

Oh, but of course there's more in this very special, all new episode:

You go away (mentally, at any rate) for a couple of days and you come back and people are still going on about the LaGuer case. Here goes:

First, some fun: Are Democrats cutting and pasting from the Healey campaign Web site? Via Scott Allen Miller, who also takes the time to try to stomp out Democratic zombies, or something.

OK, but what about those hordes of cop-killing rapists doing everything they can to elect Patrick?

Unlike Kerry Healey, Mike Mennonno actually lives in a neighborhood where violent crime occurs (Dorchester). He is not amused by what he says is her fearmongering:

Watch the original Horton ad. Then the 21st-century version.

Charley on the MTA to Healey: Bring it on, beeyotch. He notes a Phoenix article that shows violent-crime rates have soared under Romney/Healey:

There has been quite an outcry at Blue Mass Group over the stealth nomination of James Lemire to a Superior Court Judgeship. The process stinks. His name was forwarded the day after the primary election when no one was paying attention and then they tried to bulldoze him through. Go over to BMG to find out more about the nominee and how you can contact your governor's council member to voice your opposition.