Whereforth Politico?

Have you heard of the website, politico.com? Here's a website that reports on American politics, and has cracked a lot of interesting political stories including stuff about Joe the Plumber and the amount of money spent on Sarah Palin's clothing.

But where did they come from?

Less than two years old, many places, like Keith Olbermann, cite Politico showing its increased importance in the political discourse.

Has anyone heard of them prior to, say, 2008? Their reputation has increased from virtually nowhere and that's surprising.