THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE:

Shawn Fago of the Orange County Young Republicans and George Andrews, executive director of the county’s GOP, got to talking one day about how they could attract more young Republicans to the party.

Half-joking, Andrews suggested a swimsuit calendar. Republicans gone wild? Not exactly.

Instead, the Young Republicans have created a “Women of the Orange County Young Republicans” calendar that isn’t as racy as, say, Sports Illustrated, but is definitely designed to disabuse the stereotype that the GOP is dominated by stuffy, old, white men.

The calendar, available for $15 at RedCounty.com (subscribe.redcounty.com/ocyr_calendar.aspx), features young, local and beautiful Republicans Fago hopes will entice young men to join the Young Republican ranks.

“We’ll sell a few, just to meet our costs, but we’ll start mailing them to men in their 20s after that,” he said. “We just want to say, ‘This is who we are, and this is what we do Here are some of the folks in our organization.’”

Don’t worry, though, these models aren’t all just good looks and no brains. The calendar also features blurbs about why they’re conservatives.

“I believe as U.S. citizens we have a responsibility to serve as stewards of democratic liberty, that capitalism breeds innovation and rewards merit, that our Founding Fathers understood our values were the basis of our nation, and that supporting them is imperative to our continued success,” Tiffany Delepine, aka Ms. August, writes.

“Most of all, I believe the Republican Party is our country’s best insurance against socialist tyranny, and that is why I am proud to be an activist member of the GOP,” she concludes.

Apparently, though, all those Ann Coulter wannabes won’t get to see any GOP beefcake on a calendar.

Fago revealed tentative plans to create a similarly gender-targeted campaign for young female Republicans, but dismissed the “Men of the Orange County Young Republicans” calendar idea as “a little hokey” for the group.

Those interested in learning more about the Orange County Young Republicans should visit www.ocyr.org.

REP. SPEAKS OUT ABOUT U.S. ATTY. JOHNNY SUTTON

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher’s claws were out again as another chapter of the controversial case against Osvaldo Aldrete Davila unfolded in Texas this week.

Davila, who was shot in the buttocks in February 2005 as he ran from border patrol agents, was arrested this month and faces charges of smuggling marijuana into the country in September and October of 2005.

Rohrabacher, who has carried out a very public campaign against the prosecution of the border patrol agents, particularly U.S. Atty. Johnny Sutton, had no praise for Sutton after Davila’s arrest.

“Johnny Sutton’s self-congratulatory tone in announcing the long overdue arrest of Davila is shameful,” Rohrabacher said in a news release. “He should be begging forgiveness for taking the side of a drug smuggler.”

Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, the two border patrol agents convicted of shooting Davila, are serving 11- and 12-year prison sentences.

Rohrabacher also criticized the timing of the arrest, contending that Sutton cared more about shielding his administration from criticism than administering justice.

“If Mr. Sutton thinks he’s going to escape culpability for this miscarriage of justice by conveniently arresting the drug smuggler 2 ½ weeks before the Ramos and Compean appeal is heard, he is sadly mistaken,” he said.

“The bottom line is this: Johnny Sutton believed it was more important to protect the civil rights of an admitted illegal alien drug smuggler than to side with the law enforcement heroes that tried to stop him.”

In a follow-up call Wednesday, Rohrabacher reiterated his call for President Bush to pardon the agents, calling on his constituents to conjure up “wrathful anger” toward the president should he decline to do so soon.

“They should be pardoned, given back pay and awarded medals for putting up for what they’ve had to put up with,” he said. “Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and these guys are going to be away from their families unless the president pardons them — as people are pleading with him to do.”

Attempts to reach Sutton were unsuccessful.

CHRIS CAESAR may be reached at (714) 966-4626.