California Governor Gray Davis will now officially face a recall vote, but he's still in denial about the reason. The Democrat is blaming a "hostile takeover by the right" and "partisan mischief." Introspection is not his strong suit.

The world is supposed to believe that the 1.4 million voters -- 500,000 more than required -- who signed petitions were all manipulated by a few rowdy Republicans. And that his 26% approval rating has nothing to do with the energy crisis he helped create or the $12 billion surplus of five years ago that he's turned into today's $38 billion deficit. Voters also aren't supposed to care that in last year's campaign Mr. Davis misled them about both the magnitude of the state's fiscal problems and how he planned to raise taxes.

This is the same sort of buck-passing that got the Governor here in the first place. Far from a "coup," the recall is entirely constitutional, put in place in 1911 to remove "dishonest, incapable or unsatisfactory" public servants. Mr. Davis has earned this honor.

The election itself, slated for October 7, is bound to be messy. Voters will decide if Mr. Davis should go, and if so who should replace him. Potential candidates are still sorting themselves out, and the threshold for qualification is low. Which means a small number of voters could ultimately elect the next state governor. So be it. The fate of Gray Davis is a powerful lesson for unresponsive political elites in both parties.