In his weekly Cheers & Jeers column, Sandy Patano cheers ... Sandy Patano of Coeur d'Alene. Once a top aide to Sen. Craig with serious political bona fides of her own, Patano is in the thick of a battle to cleanse the Panhandle of its wingnut legislative brigade. Along with establishment Republicans such as former state Rep. Dean Haagenson, R-Coeur d'Alene, and former Intermountain Forest Industry Association head Jim Riley, Patano has founded a political action committee to support "reasonable" Republicans. Two years ago, they helped pragmatic incumbents such as Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, survive Tea Party challenges in the state's first closed GOP primary election. Now they're trying to ditch five Tea Party incumbents, including Sen. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d'Alene, and Reps. Shannon McMillan, R-Silverton, and Vito Barbieri, R-Dalton Gardens. If they succeed, you may have heard the last of Barbieri's flirtation with nullification and Nonini's unconstitutional ploy to siphon off your tax dollars from public schools toward private and religious academies. Godspeed/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. More here (5th item). (Duane Rasmussen photo, of Matt Roetter and Sandy Patano at a recent forum for precinct committee candidates)

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