IT’S OFFICIAL: Former Sen. Fred Thompson was to begin the ritual of introducing himself to the voters Thursday morning as he kicks off his campaign for president, presenting himself as a “common-sense conservative” who can win the presidency and secure the nation’s borders. Thompson was to speak directly through a video on his Web site, www.Fred08.com, which was to begin airing at 12:01 a.m. EDT as part of an elaborate rollout of the Tennessee Republican’s candidacy. In a taped appearance on NBC’s “Tonight Show” on Wednesday, he told Jay Leno, “I’m running for president of the United States,” and Thursday afternoon he will make his first campaign appearance before voters in Des Moines.
NO SHOW: Norman Hsu, the fugitive fundraiser for Sen. Hillary Clinton and other Democrats who turned himself in to California authorities last week, failed to show up for a court appearance Wednesday, and his lawyer said Hsu’s whereabouts were unknown. Hsu, who had been free on $2 million bond, was scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Redwood City at 9 a.m. Pacific time to surrender his passport. But when the appointed time came and went with no sign of Hsu, his lawyer and prosecutors met in chambers with the judge, who then announced he was revoking Hsu’s bail and issuing a new warrant for his arrest.
CONGRESS WARNED: Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, in a conference call to reporters, warned a returning Congress on Wednesday that Gen. David Petraeus’ report on Iraq is likely to become part of a White House public-relations offensive that ignores the fundamental issue of a lack of political progress that would lead to a stable Iraq.
