  Three-dimensional topologically massive AdS gravity has a complicated
constraint algebra, making it difficult to count nonperturbative degrees of
freedom. I show that a new choice of variables greatly simplifies this algebra,
and confirm that the theory contains a single propagating mode for all values
of the mass parameter and the cosmological constant. As an added benefit, I
rederive the central charges and conformal weights of the boundary conformal
field theory from an explicit analysis of the asymptotic algebra of
constraints.
