It turns out that GOP gubernatorial candidate Rex Rammell's 16-foot green T-Rex is an inflatable, like the big balloons you see in parades. Asked where he got it, he said, "I don't know, New York or someplace. We got him online." The big dinosaur, with its big, pointy teeth and claws, clutches something white in its right paw could perhaps be a submachine gun, or then again could be a movie camera (it's looking for publicity?). Rammell wasn't sure what the dinosaur's holding.

The candidate said he got the idea when a north-central Idaho supporter's family wrote a song about him, nicknaming him "T-Rex," that said, "T-Rex is going to take a bite out of the feds when he becomes governor." Rammell liked it so much he's now got T-shirts and ballcaps with the image, along with the big, green inflatable he plans to pull behind his campaign RV on a trailer for rallies and parades. "We need a tough governor to stand up to the feds," Rammell said. "T-Rex represents toughness - he's got some teeth. That's me. I kinda like that image."

Said Rammell, a former elk rancher who's been making waves lately with his outspoken support of the militia movement and his call for the state to simply ignore federal laws and mandates, said, "Nobody can accuse me of not being outside the box - I run a very unorthodox campaign. I'd be that kind of governor, to be right honest with you." He's among four Republicans challenging Gov. Butch Otter in the primary; the others are Ada County Commissioner Sharon Ullman, amateur comedian Ron "Pete" Peterson, and Tamara Wells of Post Falls.

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