Afternoon Catch-Up

Nebraska: Chuck Hagel was seen dining for a long while with NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg. Both have been rumored to be considering independent Presidential bids. Could they have been discussing an independent Presidential ticket? Imagine you're Chuck Hagel and you have three options on the table (besides retiring from electoral politics entirely):

1) Run for Senate re-election, facing a tough primary from a statewide officeholder running to your right in Nebraska, followed by a possible Democratic challenger; and then, even if you win, you're still very likely in the minority in the Senate and persona non grata among many in your Party for opposing Bush's Iraq policy.

2) Run for President in the Republican primary, clawing for every bit of oxygen against numerous opponents, several of whom have a higher profile and/or are better funded, and likely fizzle out.

3) Run for Vice President on an independent ticket under Mike Bloomberg; Bloomberg self-funds $100 million, so you don't have to worry about fundraising; you just get to travel the country and speak your mind, also without having to worry about primaries; a ticket featuring a Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent NYC Mayor and a Republican-turned-independent Nebraska Senator offers immediate centrist credibility.

Which is the most appealing?

Idaho: Red State Rebels points out that the only person who we know is running for Senate in 2008 is Democratic former Congressman Larry LaRocco, who, RSR points out, penned this Idaho State Journal op-ed outlining his new direction for America "based on the core Idaho values of independence, accountability and responsibility."

Senator John Kerry is using his nearly-three-million person e-mail list from his 2004 Presidential run to target "Roadblock Republicans" John Sununu, Norm Coleman, Susan Collins, and Mitch McConnell.