Would Sheriff Arpaio look pretty in pink (underwear)?

So, did you miss the story about Sheriff Joe Arpaio admitting guilt? Admitting that he ignored a judge's order?

It kind of got lost in the chaos of Wednesday's shooting spree in Mesa..

But it could end up with Arpaio wearing pink.

We'll see.

The best quote I ever got from Sheriff Joe Arpaio – and that's saying something – came in 2009. Arpaio and then Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas (who eventually got disbarred) were on a vendetta against county supervisors and others who were challenging their anti-immigrant agenda. There eventually would be lawsuits. A federal investigation. And more. But Arpaio was defiant. I asked him about the many people who believed that he and Thomas were improperly investigating them.

Arpaio scoffed at the question and told me, "I'm the only guy who's not paranoid -- and everybody's going after me."

I take back what I said earlier. That's not the best quote I ever got from Arpaio. That's the best quote I ever got from anyone.

And it turned out that there were people going after Arpaio. And for good reason. When Thomas turned over his investigation of Maricopa County officials to Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk he probably thought she'd back his and Arpaio's agenda. Instead, Polk washed her hands of the inquiry and wrote a scathing condemnation of them for The Arizona Republic that read in part: "I am conservative and passionately believe in limited government, not the totalitarianism that is spreading before my eyes. The actions of Arpaio and Thomas are a disservice to the hundreds of dedicated men and women who work in their offices, and a threat to the entire criminal-justice system." She added, "Our power, granted to us by the people, is not a personal tool to target political enemies or avenge perceived wrongs."

Thomas lost his job. But Arpaio has hung on, year after year, election after election. Investigation after investigation.

There was a tough, well-documented racial-profiling case filed against him however, from which he could not hide. In the end, U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow found that Arpaio's department had disproportionately targeted Latinos during patrol operations. Several court orders were issued to correct the problem.

Now, Arpaio and Chief Deputy Jerry Sheridan have admitted that they ignored those orders.

Not good.

News of this was overshadowed Wednesday by the shooting spree in Mesa. This was perhaps the first time in his career that Arpaio was pleased to be overshadowed by another news event.

The sheriff's attorneys said Arpaio is willing to admit to the violations in a "public forum." Arpaio's attorneys also want the county to establish a $350,000 taxpayer-funded compensation fund (that could go up) for victims, and said that the two men were willing to donate $100,000 to a civil-rights organization with a mission of "protecting the constitutional and civil rights of the Hispanic community."

The plaintiffs in the case don't seem satisfied with that.

They want a civil contempt hearing to go forward. They then want a criminal contempt hearing. They want it all.

They're not only out for justice, they want to make a statement.

A moral statement.

A political statement.

A fashion statement?

At the end of this long road, Arpaio's legal adversaries would like to find out what the sheriff looks like in his most famous contribution to inmate couture: Pink underwear.