Five facts about the case of Mike Merrifield

Eliot Spitzer once wrote that the secrets to success are, "Never write when you can talk. Never talk when you can nod. And never put anything in an e-mail." It's a lesson Colorado Representative Mike Merrifield learned too late.

Merrifield has "stepped down as chairman of the House Education Committee." But in the resulting furor, the media lost perspective. Here are five facts that voters would do well to remember.

• Indications are that Merrifield wasn't talking about all charter school advocates, just two former School District 11 board members. [Source]

• The whole thing was uncovered only because of a "fishing expedition into private emails sent prior to session." [Source]

• The mainstream media has sometimes failed to note the biases of the rightwing website that broke the story. [Source]

• The dust-up was absolutely not more embarrassing than the Mark Foley scandal. And it is morally reprehensible to suggest that it is. [Source]

• The case should be considered closed. It's silly to suggest that Senate Education Committee chairwoman Sue Windels - the recipient of Merrifield's email - should also step down. [Source]

UPDATE: CoCo is reporting on who filed the open records request and why. Meanwhile, Jason Bane explains how the GOP managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.