if you take the first letter of each paragraph it will spell out sheriff joe arpaio Original Article Answering the complaints of an unnamed politician Sept. 13, 2005 12:00 AM Sometimes, an elected official becomes so upset with the media that he or one of his underlings writes a long angry letter complaining about the coverage that he is getting. Or, as happened recently with a politician here, not getting. Human beings behave in odd and unflattering ways when in positions of authority. Over time, a successful politician can allow his ego and sense of self-importance to get the better of him. Even a man whose name appears in print and on TV with more regularity than those in positions of much greater authority can go off the deep end, as was the case with the head of a local law enforcement body. Recriminations from this politician are not unusual. I've received them myself, sometimes in the form of an anchovy-covered pizza sent to me by the man as a way of expressing his disdain. It surprised me, however, when the man's spokeswoman released a letter denouncing The Arizona Republic for not featuring the politician's name in articles describing the work his deputies were doing in New Orleans. For those of you who didn't see it, the letter was published in Monday's Republic. It criticized the newspaper, saying that The Republic "failed to credit" this politician by name in articles about the Hurricane Katrina disaster effort. Frustrated by what the PR flak believed to be this "mean-spirited" slap in the face, the letter went on to claim that "only when it's bad news do you (happily) print his name." This is not true, of course. Each time this particular politician stages a publicity stunt, all of the newspapers and TV stations in town provide coverage. Just when you think there is a lull in the media frenzy over him, he will decide, for example, to surround the county with roadblocks to try to stop drugs from coming in. Or he will put inmates in pink underwear, or establish a chain gang for men, and then one for woman, and then one for children. Even the lawsuits that have cost the county's insurers millions of dollars seem only to serve as a way to keep his name in the media. And if that's not enough, his name is splashed all over the jails, on patrol cars, on stationery, on his Web site. Anyone who has lived in Arizona for more than a week knows whom I'm talking about. This politician's name recognition is higher than anyone except Sen. John McCain. Recently, he bragged to me about the "1,500 shows, national and international" that have featured his name. As well as the thousands of newspaper and magazine articles. Politicians would do anything for that type of publicity. And he has. Putting inmates in striped suits. Building tent cities. Posing with a machine gun. Housing stray pets in an air-conditioned jail. After a dozen years on the job, you'd hope that he is secure enough in his popularity to share the attention, rather than allowing underlings to write silly letters that merit silly responses. Instead of complaining about the lack or personal recognition, he might have sent the paper a thank-you note for covering the fine work that Maricopa County deputies did in New Orleans. Only he didn't. To him, the world is only a collection of mirrors. He sees himself everywhere. Even in an article that doesn't mention his name. Reach Montini at ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-8978.