Barbour's Press Secretary Resigns

It was a terse statement issued after a day's worth of controversy.

The official press release issued with the seal of the Mississippi Governor's office: "Gov. Haley Barbour has accepted Dan Turner's resignation as Press Secretary. Laura Hipp will now serve in that capacity."

Less than twelve hours earlier, Politico had reported the governor's press shop issued daily news round-ups featuring off-color humor on subjects such as the tsunami in Japan and Janet Reno's gender.

On this day in 1968, then press secretary Dan Turner wrote in the Friday edition, emailed both internally and externally to supporters:

Turner took ownership of the humor, telling Politico he generated the jokes himself, without involvement of the governor.

Still, questions were raised about Barbour's readiness for the national stage. The controversy took some wind out of Governor Barbour's big speech on jobs and the economy, which he delivered in President Obama's home town of Chicago today. It was Barbour'a first major appearance since hiring communications guru Jim Dyke to advise Haley's PAC, a hire that signaled to reporters that the Mississippi governor is likely to make a bid for the presidency.