Meanwhile, in Dan Maes' universe...

Remember Dan Maes? The Republican gubernatorial nominee who managed to pull just 11% of the vote last year? Well, he's got a new book out in which he sets the record, um, straight? Among his claims:

• He would have beaten Democrat John Hickenlooper if Tom Tancredo hadn't jumped in for a third-party run.
• Tom Tancredo only ran because he thought Maes was Mexican.
• Maes speaks with "the firm voice, tone, and rhythm of Ronald Reagan."

Look, one can certainly question Tancredo's actions in that race, but it's hard to question his analysis: Maes really was going to lose, badly. Tancredo only jumped in because it looked like Hickenlooper was going to get such a free ride. Indeed, if Maes had dropped out, as many prominent Republicans were urging him to do, Tancredo, despite his years of extremist rhetoric, would have had a fighting chance against Hickenlooper given the 2010 political environment.

Oh, I should particularly praise Denver Post writer Tim Hoover for these two sentences of the book review:

The 222-page book was self-published and appears to have been self-edited. It is in need of judicious proofreading in many places.

I also enjoyed this paragraph about the people who messed with Maes:

He faults a number of people and institutions for his loss, including former Republican Party chairman Dick Wadhams, a variety of Republican funders, some Tea Party activists, a liberal press and even former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who he says did not throw him any support despite his e-mail conversations with her father-in-law.

It's a damned shame when an e-mail conversation with Sarah Palin's father-in-law doesn't translate into actual political support.