Sioux Falls Argus Leader editor Randell Beck is not pleased with our efforts to publicize the multiple roles his ace political reporter David Kranz has played in both reporting on and advising Democratic officeholders. Ryne McClaren reports on Beck's on-air stream of consciousness bilge broadcast over South Dakota radio: "Beck flips."

We're particularly proud of the recognition Beck accords us late in his rant:

[T]here’s a small group of people — and you know, some of them don’t live in South Dakota, not everybody out there knows that. You know there’s a couple of yahoos in Minneapolis and there’s a guy out in Denver, there’s people from outside the walls of South Dakota who are perpetuating this hate campaign.

"The walls of South Dakota"? Are they anything like "The Walls of Red Wing"?

In any event, McClaren comments:

Folks, I think we're learning a lot about Randell Beck's Argus Leader here. Add to this list the requirement that you have to live in South Dakota to even read the Argus, let alone offer comment on it.

McClaren himself unfortunately appears to be afflicted with a serious case of yahoo envy, not that we blame him:

And dammit, why can't I ever be named as a "yahoo"? I want to be the yahoo from Nebraska, Randell!

UPDATE: Professor Jon Lauck of the Daschle v. Thune site had to run to class, but managed to make some preliminary Beckological observations in "Kranz/Daschle Update: Argus Editor Responds." Keep checking the site for more this evening.

UPDATE 2: Jason Van Beek of the South Dakota Politics site is the gentleman who has mightily annoyed Randell Beck. Jason has now posted his own pointed observations on Beck's rant in "Argus editor calls bombshell memos 'crap.'"