The tipster called me midday Friday with two eye-popping political developments, namely that 4th District state legislative candidate Amy Biviano appeared topless in a 1995 Playboy magazine spread. Five words immediately came to mind. “Well, it’s about damned time!” (Contractions don’t count.) See, I’ve been around politics a long time. And the mantra of every politician is that they have “absolutely nothing to hide.” Which always turns out to be an utter falsehood when candidate so-and-so is found to be heavy into cross-dressing or addicted to toilet stall sex in airport men’s rooms. And those are just Republicans. So this is the first time in my recollection that a candidate really does have NOTHING TO HIDE!/Doug Clark, SR. More here. And: Previous thread: Topless photo? confidence building

Other SR weekend columns:

• George Will: Presidential debates dumb, but expected/Editor Gary Graham
• Spin Control: Times political ads might not be money well spent/Jim Camden
• The Slice: Classic tale of 2 viewpoints/Paul Turner
• Eye on Boise: Education reform opposition slams propositions/Betsy Russell
• 3-step plan to eliminate scourge of political malarkey/Shawn Vestal
• Smart Bombs: Fair pay skirts the bind/Gary Crooks
• Eastern's two-QB system works wonders/John Blanchette
• Outdoors: Fish survey not linked to liberalized limits/Rich Landers

Question: If you had the right stuff to pose for Playboy/Playgirl, would you?