Hartmann takes on Streisand. Yes, Streisand.

Every morning these days, we wake up wondering just how much more weird Ohio politics can become.

Then, on Thursday night, we found the answer. Infinitely weird.

Barbra Streisand is now an issue in the race for Ohio secretary of state.

The Family First PAC held a big fundraising dinner at the Montgomery Inn Banquet Center Thurday night; about 200 of the faithful showed up to hear Ken Blackwell and Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas decry abortion and promote "family values."

Out in the lobby was a table where Family First's endorsed candidates could leave their campaign literature. A stack of sheets from Hamilton County's own Greg Hartmann, the GOP candidate for Ohio secretary of state, caught our eye because of the picture of Streisand belting out a tune.

It seems Streisand, an ardent Democrat who spends a boatload of her money helping elect her party's candidates, gave $1,000 to Hartmann's opponent, Jennifer Bruner.

Streisand has had some things to say about how the 2004 presidential was handled in Ohio, suggesting, as have a whole lot of other people, that things might not have been on the up-and-up when it came to counting votes in Ohio.

A $1,000 check isn't going to get Brunner or any other statewide candidate very far and it is doubtful that, prior to the 2004 election, Streisand could have found Ohio on a map, but Hartmann seems to have worked himself into a lather over the Streisand Factor.

"Ohio cannot afford to have Barbra's extreme ideals influencing Ohio elections,'' Hartmann's campaign flyer says.

So, in order to keep Barbra Streisand from becoming the new Boss Tweed of Ohio politics, Hartmann is asking that 1,000 of his supporters to send him $1 to "send a signal to Barbra and my opponent that we do not want out of state conspiracy theories to be a part of our elections.''