Fred Thompson had the conference call with 75-100 of his core supporters Tuesday, which was not publically revealed until Wednesday, as well as the news that he planned on setting up a “testing the waters” committee in a possible run for President. In a poll taken Wednesday and Thursday, Thompson already made a huge dent in the polls:

Insider Advantage is out with a national poll of the Republican field:
Giuliani 28%
F. Thompson 19%
Romney 17%
McCain 16%
Huckabee 4%
Brownback 3%
Undecided 8%
(May 30-31, N=1,000RV, MoE +/- 3.0%)

I’m getting excited. It’s also of note that the sinking of the McCain ship that has been rumored by political junkies such as ourselves is finally showing up in poll numbers as Romney overtakes him, even if only by 1 point and the MoE making it irrelevant - it’s still starting to show up.

If you thought the Electoral College was confusing as it is, wait until you read this article from Scott Rasmussen

Palm Beach Gardens, FL — Lieutenant Colonel Allen West (US Army, Retired) today announced he is running for Congress in Florida’s 22nd Congressional District.

“After much prayerful consideration and conversation with my family, I am running for Congress to change the culture of defeat and retreat in Washington. Voters in next year’s elections will be offered two distinct visions for the future of our country: strength or weakness, resolve or indecision, security or vulnerability. America is at a crossroads, and I intend to be a voice in Congress that stands up for preserving our nation’s strength, safety, and future.

Allen West for Congress

Since West has just declared his candidacy the information in his Web site is limited, but so far I like what I am seeing:

• Put my experience in the Army to work by being a voice for viable solutions for victory. I understand how decisions made by our elected officials affect our troops on the ground.
• Honor my oath to the U.S. Constitution by protecting our borders and enforcing our immigration laws.
• Fight to lower taxes and reduce the size of government.
• Be an advocate for bringing new, high paying jobs to our area and protect small business by cutting senseless regulations.
• Champion energy independence and reducing our need for foreign sources of oil, while preserving our coastlines and farmland.

Sen. Kyl – this year’s Secrecy Champion – has several as-yet-unstated objections to the Freedom of Information Reform Act, a truly wonderful bill that would significantly improve one of the strongest tools Americans have to supervise the inner workings of government and to hold elected officials accountable.

The bill has plenty of bipartisan support. It is the product of tireless work and advocacy by many open government and press freedom groups and fine legislative craftsmanship by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). The U.S. House of Representatives in March approved a version of the bill with 80 Republicans joining 228 Democrats for a 308-117 vote.

The Senate Judiciary Committee then unanimously sent the measure forward to the full Senate for a vote.

In your civics book, this would be the moment where our senators hold a public debate on the merits and demerits of the legislation at hand, then vote. The votes are then counted, and if the senators who support the bill outnumber those who oppose it, well, you get the idea.

But no, not when senators, using an archaic parliamentarian parlor trick, can stop a bill dead in its tracks merely by telling their party’s Senate leader or secretary that they wish to place a hold on the bill. That’s when Sen. Kyl – who routinely charts a brave course on the immigration debate and can often be counted on to reason rather than bloviate – slipped in the hold.

The Politico

Why would Jon Kyl, a “conservative” who wants to give amnesty to 12 million illegal immigrants, be opposed to having a vote on a bill that would open up the doings of our government to the public? This is a bill that has overwhelming support in both Houses of Congress. Wouldn’t a conservative push for transparency in government rather than secrecy? I also don’t like this idea that members of the Senate even have this option, that just one Senator from one state can make a decision for all 300 million people in this country. They need to do away with this rule.

Perhaps it’s time for Senator Kyl to retire to a bungalow in Boca and take up golf. Senator Flake would have a much better ring to it anyhow.

Rep. Wayne Gilchrest of Maryland, one of the few staunchly anti-Iraq war House Republicans, will be facing a 2008 primary challenge from a state lawmaker touting a compelling biography.

State Sen. Andrew Harris, an anesthesiologist who served 18 years in the Naval Reserve Medical Corps, formed an exploratory committee last week, presenting himself as a conservative alternative to the nine-term congressman in the Southern Maryland and Eastern Shore district. Harris is supported by eight other GOP state legislators, including Gilchrest’s 2004 primary opponent.

“As I continue to meet with people from across the district, I am going to share my positive vision for the future of our state and our country,” Harris said. “I believe as people hear my positive message of returning to Reagan values, the encouragement for me to run will swell.”

The Politico

I hope this guy can pick him off.  Gilchrest is another RINO we can do without.

“Good Lieutenant” at MeinBlogoVault has an excellent review of all the ways the Bush Administration has deserted conservatives, which everyone should read.  The only thing that he failed to mention, which is surprising given the level of transgressions, is the explosion of federal spending and growth that we have seen under this administration.

He sums up his arguments with this:

All this said, I have basically had my fill of defending George Bush. I had hoped that he would find a spine or a pair of brass ones in the past few years, but the immigration rhetoric and stupidity we are witnessing in Congress and from the White House has caused me to lose all faith that the man and his people are not completely and utterly tone-deaf as to the wishes of those who have been taking his arrows for all of these years.

I will not join the impeachment train. I will not take part in the high-school-crap-flinging that has become the hallmark of the Democrat Party voters. I will stand firmly with our military and their mission. But I have lost a lot of faith in the leader, who has even partially abdicated his Constitutional duties to a “war czar (whatever the f*ck that is). It pains me to say it, but Bush and me are history. Maybe time will put him into perspective. Maybe a lunatic Democrat Congress/White House bitch combo-plate will shock the nation back into reality as to how badly its is being screwed. Maybe Bush will grow a spine and win back my blessing in the waning years of his tenure.

But I doubt it, given the totality of what I’ve seen.

So President Bush - I love you, man, but you’ve been barking up the wrong trees and backing the wrong horses for quite some time now; it is simply too pervasive not to notice anymore. Stay classy, support the Troops, and take a looong vacation in 2009. I’ll be waiting to read your memoirs. You’re a good man in a bad situation, and that’s a sad thing to witness in real time.

K-Lo at the Corner says this is “Bad News for the GOP,” but forgot the “good news for Conservatives” part, so I’m adding it:

The President’s Job Approval Hits another New Low

During the month of May, President George W. Bush’s Job Approval rating fell to the lowest level ever recorded by Rasmussen Reports—36%. That’s down a full three points from April’s 39% which had previously been the lowest rating for the President.

The Number of Republicans in the Country Falls to a New Low, Number of Democrats Declines Too

But hey, they fired the phone solicitors because of outdated technical equipment, right? I’m sure it had nothing to do with the fact that the party is losing its members rapidly because it has been exposed as the phony vehicle for nothing but power that it is.