Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers:
* After coming up short in Iowa, and struggling in New Hampshire, Mitt Romney hasn’t had too much good news lately, but he at least has one victory under his belt: on Saturday, he won the Wyoming Republican caucuses.
* Former Sen. Bill Bradley (D-N.J.), a presidential candidate in 2000, endorsed Obama yesterday. “Barack Obama is building a broad new coalition that brings together Democrats, independents and Republicans by once again making idealism a central focus of our politics,” Bradley said in a statement released by Obama’s campaign. “Because of his enormous appeal to Americans of all ages and backgrounds, Obama is the candidate best positioned to win in November…. His movement for change could create a new era of American politics — truly a new American story.”
* Hillary Clinton has been relaying a story in several recent campaign events about bringing together Catholic and Protestant women in Northern Ireland, an anecdote that’s obviously intended to boost her credibility on foreign policy. The Boston Globe reports that the details of the story suggest Clinton may be exaggerating.
* There’s an interesting labor dispute underway. AFSCME, which is backing Clinton, is hitting Obama on points unrelated to labor issues. In response, members of AFSCME’s executive board sent a letter to the union’s leadership, calling the Obama attacks “fundamentally dishonest.”
* Mitt Romney has a new strategy: he’s a Washington outsider, unlike John McCain. He told a New Hampshire audience yesterday, “Americans are not looking for Washington insiders. This is a time of choice for our party.” It’s also the basis of a new ad.
* Obama’s Secret Service protection has increased this week, “amid fears over the safety of the man seeking to become America’s first black president.”
* As if there was any doubt, Fred Thompson announced late last week that he wouldn’t compete or campaign in New Hampshire. He did, however, show up for both New Hampshire debates over the weekend.
* John Edwards has a new campaign metaphor: “‘I am Seabiscuit!’ Edwards proclaimed in a packed warehouse in Manchester, a reference to the legendary undersized racehorse that delighted a nation in 1938 by beating champion thoroughbred War Admiral.”
* CNN talked to one “leading Republican strategist” who sounded very nervous about the new Democratic frontrunner: “I think Barack Obama is a potential Robert Kennedy or Reagan figure…. [I]n terms of raw political horsepower, he is the most electable of any of the Democrats and potentially more electable than Bill Clinton. If he ran the right campaign he could appeal to a substantial number of Republicans and Independents.”