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:<\/p>\n
* The WaPo had a front-page item<\/a> today on a large number of John McCain backers jumping ship to sign up with Fred Thompson lately. For example, John Dowd, McCain’s former personal lawyer who backed him in 2000 and had signed up to be a major fundraiser for him in 2008, has made the switch. “I am very sorry to see what’s happened to John,” Dowd said, adding, “It’s a difficult thing to leave a friend and go to another friend. But we lost the John McCain I knew.” Ouch.<\/p>\n * Compounding John McCain’s bad news, David Nix, a major McCain backer and organizer in South Carolina, announced yesterday that he is withdrawing his support<\/a> for the senator. McCain’s sponsorship of the defeated immigration bill pushed Nix to make the decision. “There is a very wide gulf between what I believe as a conservative South Carolina Republican and what Senator McCain is pushing for with this bill,” he said.<\/p>\n * John Edwards, in a well-received speech on national security, took a pointed shot<\/a> at Rudy Giuliani. “If Mayor Giuliani believes that what President Bush has done is good and wants to embrace it and run a campaign for the presidency, saying I will give you four more years of what this president has given you, then he’s allowed to do that,” Edwards said. “He’ll never be elected president of the United States, but he’s allowed to do that.”<\/p>\n * In light of the side debate in Dem circles about whether Hillary Clinton was right that the nation is slightly safer now than before 9\/11, Rasmussen conducted a poll<\/a> showing that most Dems don’t believe that. Only 29% of Democrats, and 48% of Americans overall, agree.<\/p>\n