Uppity Wisconsin

Tommy Thompson for US Senate?

Really?

I'd like to think Tommy is more politically savvy than to take on Russ Feingold, but it's possible that, with enough encouragement and flattery from Republicans who don't like their current candidates, that he could talk himself into running this year.

One thing we know for sure: He likes to be touted. I've never known a political figure who didn't like to be mentioned for some higher office. Tommy takes it a step farther and starts the buzz himself.

There's a certain Brett Favre quality to it. At least half a dozen times since he left the governorship in 2001 -- and left Wisconsin in a deficit hole it has never been able to dig out of -- Tommy has floated the idea he might run for something. "Governor, US Senator, Mayor of Elroy," he likes to say. "Who knows?"

We can rule out mayor of Elroy, although he still owns a home there. And it's a little late for the governor's race, with Scott Walker and Mark Neumann already in, and most Tommyites already committed to one or the other.

Then there's the US Sente race, where the guy who appears to be the leading GOP candidate, multi-millionaire Terrence Wall, has only paid personal state income taxes once in the last 10 years. That could be a problem.

The Massachusetts voters have spoken, and Tommy Thompson has been listening.

What does he hear? That voters are so upset with politicians that they want a Washington, DC lobbyist to run for the US Senate in Wisconsin. He tells Politico:

In a brief interview Wednesday about the possibility of a Senate run this year, Thompson, a Republican, would only say: "I'm not saying no."

Will Tommy, who's been feeding at the corporate trough since leaving the Bush administration, actually run? Given that he's been threatening to run for something every two weeks for several years, it seems unlikely.

But people of Wisconsin might welcome a Tommy candidacy, so we could find out once and for all how much money he's been raking in and from whom, since he'd have to release all of his financial dealings.

Mostly, this seemed worth noting just to be able to post that remarkable AP photo.  Stand by for another in a long series of Journal Sentinel "Tommy might run" stories tomorrow.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – September 23, 2009

Contact:  Zach Lowe (202) 224-8657

Statement of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold

On the Obama Administration's New Policy on the State Secrets Privilege

Washington, D.C. - Today, the Obama administration released details about its new policy on invoking the state secrets privilege. Senator Russ Feingold, a cosponsor of the State Secrets Protection Act, legislation to provide guidance to federal courts considering cases in which the government has asserted the state secrets privilege, made the following statement:

“The Bush administration's approach to state secrets was wrong-headed, causing significant public distrust and potentially shielding government wrongdoing and embarrassing mistakes behind a questionable legal doctrine.  While I am pleased that the Obama administration recognizes that the Bush approach was a mistake, its new policy is disappointing because it still amounts to an approach of ‘just trust us.’  Independent court review of the government's use of the state secrets privilege is essential.  I urge the administration to work with Congress to develop legislation that sets reasonable limits on the privilege and will not be subject to change under each successive president.”

“The Supreme Court plays a unique and central role in the life of our nation.  Those who sit as Justices have extraordinary power over some of the most important, and most intimate, aspects of the lives of American citizens.  It is therefore not surprising at all that the nomination and confirmation of a Supreme Court Justice is such a widely anticipated and widely covered event.  The nine men and women who sit on the court have enormous responsibilities, and those of us tasked with voting on the confirmation of a nominee have a significant responsibility as well.  I consider this one of the most consequential things I must do as a United States Senator, and I am honored and humbled to have been given this role by the people of Wisconsin.