From Sunday San Diego at the FlashReport....

Many say the turning point in Jerry Sanders' recent re-election victory over Steve Francis' multi-million dollar caustic attack against him was the moment the mayor could take it no longer, thus flinging a four-letter epithet in response to his opponent's outstretched attempt at a handshake.

That the mayor would have very likely pulled off a victory without the "Moment" is largely irrelevant. Local political historians for years to come will claim that the Sanders campaign was moribund and without focus, only to have the emotional utterance turn things around, creating a defining instant with which the average San Diegan could identify. As if the people were saying, "Sanders may be a nice-guy politician, but he's also a real person, and I'd probably be frustrated and lose my cool too with someone spending a fortune to attack me. Plus, that Francis guy probably deserved it."

The respective immediate responses from the two campaigns only served to fuel that feeling. Sanders openly admitted his name-calling, even clarifying that he had in fact said, "F*** you, Steve," not "F*** you, Francis." Alternatively, the Francis campaign sent out a press release "telling on" the mayor, the equivalent of: "I can dish it out with millions in campaign ads but I can't take a naughty word."

Such is the stuff of political lore, I guess.

So it was, that five days before the election, the San Diego County Taxpayers Association held its annual "Golden Watchdog & Fleece Awards Dinner," an event that has become part of local lore itself, especially given the organization's ability to convince otherwise upstanding politicos and community leaders to let their hair down and have some very good-natured fun.

It was appropriate that Mayor Sanders taped a welcome video for the Taxpayers Association, including what can only be described as somewhat of a heartfelt mea culpa regarding his verbal shot at Francis. Somewhat.

If you were there, you know how moving the video is. If you weren't...well, I highly recommend it. Click here for the SDCTA website and activate the video screen shot of Mayor Sanders.