First, we proved conclusively that now-former Bruno employee Roger Stone is behind the email campaign being waged against Eliot Spitzer.

In the same post, we proved that the origin of Stone's list was in an email by Ben Smith of the Politico.

Then, we found out that the email and web campaign contains another shell: a web site, linkedcampaign.com, that is sending out all of the Stone emails. Linkedcampaign.com, like all the Stone web sites, was registered through a private registration service called Domains By Proxy. Wait, here are the headers:

Return-Path: (update@nyfacts.net)
Received: from linkedcampaign.com (linkedcampaign.com [24.199.182.6])

Return-Path: (Stone@StoneZONE.com)
Received: from linkedcampaign.com (linkedcampaign.com [24.199.182.6])

Return-Path: (info@SpitzerFile.com)
Received: from linkedcampaign.com (linkedcampaign.com [24.199.182.6])

Return-Path: (WJMAHONEY@GOP-CLUB.COM)
Received: from linkedcampaign.com (linkedcampaign.com [24.199.182.6])

Linkedcampaign.com redirects to is a ripped copy of a web site for a company called Vertical Response.

Here's the fun part: I cross-posted the post that contained that information on The Albany Project, here. This elicited a response from Vertical Response's Director of Policy, Richard Huffaker.

The Albany Times Union is reporting that, not only will Albany DA David Soares release a report further exonerating members of Eliot Spitzer's staff in the so called "Troopergate" scandal, but he will also criticize Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's initial investigation as well as the "political theater" that dragged his office into a "needless investigation". It's got to be a rather stinging rebuke to the Bruno crew.

X-posted at TAP

Any hope that the Governor was adjusting his game plan in the wake of “Travelgate” is now officially over. It appears that weeks of pleading and prodding have had no discernable effect in light of his recent speech at the Chautauqua Institution on Tuesday.

Specifically, the Governor expressed his continued adherence to the belief that force is his only weapon against the Albany establishment. While acknowledging that passion had gotten the best of his administration in recent weeks, the Governor asserted that, “only when we are willing to confront power with power can we even begin to address the injustices of our time.” (NYT – Metro – B2 – 8/8/07)

This type of rhetoric and attitude was great when he was the so-called sheriff of Wall Street. However, times and circumstances have dramatically changed. He no longer has a badge and gun (figuratively). That is, he is no longer the Attorney General (a.k.a. – chief law enforcement officer) of New York.

Having offered the Governor a cool glass of lemonade (i.e., “Rules Reform”) to slake his thirst for something – anything – other than “Travelgate,” “Spitzergate,” “Planegate” or whatever other clever “gate” the media can concoct in our post–Watergate era, it was pointed out that there might be something missing – i.e., “sweetener”. Well, sweetener in the sense of – “What’s in it for Joe Bruno and Sheldon Silver?”

What interest do they have in disarming? How does it serve them? And, how does weakening themselves and purportedly strengthening the governor help them? How does it play out?

Basically – what’s their motivation? To begin – both Senator Bruno and Speaker Silver admit that the Legislature needs to do something to restore the public’s confidence in institution. It is one of the reasons they passed rules changes in 2005 and 2007. After the ’07 changes Joe Bruno stated that, “these reforms are the first step, not the last, in our overall government reform effort.” Not to beat a dead horse, but read the City Bar’s report - http://www.nycbar.org/pdf/report/Committee_on_State_Affairs.pdf .