Like tennis in newsprint

What you've known for a while is that former Gov. Don Siegelman has asserted that the federal corruption charges against him are politically motivated. What you haven't known is that Gov. Bob Riley last year got tired of hearing claims that he was connected to the prosecution and confronted Siegelman about it last year.

Want the gist of the subsequent back-and-forth in The Birmingham News' article today? I thought you would. First comes Siegelman, who still says the prosecutor who originally filed the charges was "the wife of Bob Riley's campaign manager." Then it's Riley with a denial that the prosecutor's husband worked in his campaign. Siegelman's redirect: "Bob Riley is lying again." Riley's re-cross: "Don's only defense is to say it's political. If you take that off the table, what is his excuse?"

Assistant U.S. Attorney Louis Franklin tried to interrupt the political tennis game, noting that he originally was hired as a prosecutor by one of Siegelman's defense attorneys and that the investigation began before the prosecutor in question even took control of the office. But fear not, racketheads; chances are that the serves and volleys will continue unimpeded all month long.