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:
* To fairly mild fanfare, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) officially launched his presidential campaign this morning. Perhaps the most noteworthy part of the announcement wasn’t what Romney said, but where he said it: the National Jewish Democratic Council took the candidate to task for making his announcement at a museum honoring Henry Ford, who had a history of anti-Semitism. (Ford was bestowed with the Grand Service Cross of the Supreme Order of the German Eagle by Adolf Hitler.)
* In an interesting interview with The Politico, Karl Rove described himself as “largely disinterested” in the 2008 contest. Rove added that he believes the race is underway far too early, and “I think there’s going to come some point this year where people are going to basically be saying: ‘I’m largely disinterested in the contest.'”
* A 1993 oppo report done for Rudy Giuliani was leaked yesterday, offering a fascinating look at some of the many troubling aspects of Giuliani’s background that could cause him trouble in the presidential campaign. Among the highlights: Giuliani was a McGovern-backing Democrat until he switched to the GOP to help get a job; he managed to void the Vietnam draft through a “one in a million occurrence” with the help of a friendly judge; and couldn’t keep his story straight about whether he knew his first wife (or three) was his cousin.
* Hillary Clinton made her first campaign appearance in a decade in New Hampshire yesterday, and frequently brought up her husband. The NYT noted, “For the first time in her bid for the White House, Mrs. Clinton directly laid claim to the legacy and popularity of former President Bill Clinton — and did so in a crucial primary state where her husband showed his resiliency in 1992, when he finished second despite weeks of troubles.”
* And the first really bitter attack of the GOP presidential primary came yesterday after Mitt Romney suggested that he, like Sam Brownback, made the transition from supporting to opposing abortion rights. Brownback’s team responded by saying, “This false allegation by the Romney campaign comes in light of recent evidence that Romney has switched positions on abortion at least three times… Romney’s flip flops are enough to make John Kerry blush.”