Blue Radar

As I post each morning, here are some of the political stories thatmight not be worthy of their own posts, but are nonetheless newsworthy:

• (BUSH) The National Review's Frederick Kagan compared Bush's surprise visit to Iraq on Monday to the Gettysburg address.
• (BUSH) In the new book Dead Certain, in book stores starting this morning, President Bush tells author Robert Draper that he can't recall why the Iraqi army disbanded: "Yeah, I can't remember; I'm sure I said, 'This is the policy, whathappened?' Again, Hadley's got notes on all thisstuff."
• (IMPEACHMENT) Bruce Fein, former deputy attorney general under Regan, is calling on Congress to launch a formal impeachment inquiry of President Bush because of his warrantless wiretapping program.
• (HISTORY) During World War II, British spies were frustrated by the lack of intelligence-sharing with the FBI.
• (2008 ELECTION) In Iowa on Labor day, Bill Richardson said he would work to double the nation's union force by the end of his presidency.
• (2008 ELECTION) an interview with the AP, Mitt Romney took a shot at Fred Thompson.  Romney alluded to Thompson's choice of using Jay Leno's Tonight Show as a forum to announce his candidacy: "We all get the chance to go on the talk shows. But it's not the sortof questions you get in the debates or the town meetings that I've had."
• (2008 ELECTION) On Labor Day, John Edwards picked up the endorsements of the  United Mine Workers of America and the United Steelworkers.
• (2008 ELECTION) Fox News will hold the Republican debate this Wednesday.  Fred Thompson will skip the debate to appear on the Tonight Show later that night to announce his candidacy.
• (2010 ELECTION) Kinky Friedman, who ran for Texas Governor in 2006 as in independent, will run again in 2010, this time as a Democrat.

If we left something out, it's because we either wrote about ityesterday or are scheduled to do so in an individual post later today. Otherwise, feel free to add any stories in the commentbox.

Comments

[granny]

Wow, what a show!!

I hope we're all watching in rapt attention, the finely orchestrated, fully staged and rehearsed, and entirely inaccessible to reality checks, performance of the illustrious Fred Thompson... the Republican non-candidate for the Presidential nomination.

Late night entertainment shows for public statements.

Paid ads for targeted remarks.

Web cast to be the "public appearance" for his many times re-hearsed, re-filmed and re-staged speech announcing his candidacy.

Oh, BROTHER! This smells every which way of the old Wizard of Oz line: "Pay no attention to that man behind the green curtain!"

Gives a shiny new veneer to the concept of "coming out fighting", doesn't it!?

The last seven years we've had "the invisible Vice President", and his little dog, Scrappy.
Now they're going to try for "the invisible President" aka "big brother is watching you".

[Chief Editor: Todd]

Excellent Wizard of Oz reference, Granny! Right on target with that. I get the sense that with a lot of these candidates -- especially Romney and Thompson -- we don't know who they really are. So much is rehearsed. We don't know their real side. And that's quite a risk.