As the reign of Sal DiMasi as house speaker appears to be in peril, Governor Deval Patrick isn't laughing at his nemesis. He's going out there and reviving the issue of bringing casinos to Massachusetts, which DiMasi squashed so recently. This morning, he brought up the issue again in front of the Brookline Chamber of Commerce.

The AP is reporting that "he thinks an unyielding need for property tax relief, the possibility of slot machines at the state's racetracks and ongoing efforts by the Wampanoag Indians to build their own casino will reignite the discussions."

He said it had nothing to do with DiMasi. Well, if he says so, but we're still imagining him chuckling on the inside at DiMasi's recent problems and taking advantage of the situation while the Speaker is distracted.