A Grand Old Party

Boy, the Republicans sure have a bumper crop of presidential candidates. Mitt Romney thinks pardons and commutations are bad--unless you are Vice President Cheney's chief of staff. And Fred Thompson, while serving as the Senate Watergate Committee minority counsel, leaked to the White House that the committee knew about President Nixon's taping system. (Thanks to Andrew Sullivan for both items.)

Meanwhile, John McCain has secured the endorsement of former Homeland Security Secretary and Pa. Governor Tom Ridge. New Republic blogger Jason Zengerle can't understand why the McCain campaign is making such a big deal out of this in New Hampshire:

Are there a substantial number of Pittsburgh ex-pats now living in Concord?--I don't really know how this sort of thing helps McCain. Of course, it probably doesn't hurt McCain, either, which is maybe the best his campaign can hope for at this point.

Hell, there are Pittsburgh ex-pats everywhere. But I hardly think Tom Ridge is the way to their hearts.