Oppo Guy

At Politico, Michael Corwin writes:

I don’t do stakeouts. There’s no sitting in my car outside some seedy motel with a camera, waiting for a candidate and his mistress to emerge. For one thing, voters don’t care about that kind of stuff—at least not like they used to—and campaigns usually avoid using really personal information for fear it’ll backfire and make them look ruthless.

But more to the point: It’s not a good use of my time. “Oppo” may be a dirty word in politics but trust me: We investigators aren’t the dirty ones–and the reality is, documents are where you really strike gold. I’ve worked on more than 170 campaigns at every level—mayoral, state legislative, gubernatorial, congressional and presidential—and you wouldn’t believe some of the things I’ve found spelled out in the public record, where anyone could unearth them. Like court records and newspaper archives. I also learn a lot just by talking to people who know the candidate. Basically, opposition research is a little like catching a fish—lots of tedium, but when you realize you’re onto something it’s the same flash of excitement and adrenaline as when you feel that first firm tug on the line.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/02/confessions-of-a-political-private-eye-103529.html#ixzz2tQVu6uVK

Click the link to read the whole story.  It confirms Lester Freamon's point in the The Wire.  It also suggests some similarities between the author and Mike Ehrmantraut.