Despite all of last week’s stories about the fall of all Republican contenders, a number of presidential candidates made appearances on the talk shows yesterday, ready to hype their names.Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour appeared on “Face the Nation” and said that he couldn’t yet say no to a presidential run, though he thought a bid would be unlikely. Meanwhile, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney appeared on “Meet the Press” and said he wasn’t thinking of running again. But that hasn’t kept the team behind his bid last year from staying a tight-knit group—one that could easily reconvene. Romney, along with Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, is often seen as a statistical leader in the contest. Romney was joined on “Meet the Press” by South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a McCain surrogate last year but less of a national leader in his own right—though yesterday, perhaps noting an opening, he described himself in more leaderly terms. Then there’s Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who used the recent Republican scandals to make a call to rebuild the party. Friday was a big vote over the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which just barely squeaked through the House. Republicans certainly sound likely to use the bill as a campaign issue, and the Swing State Project takes a look at the representatives that voted against party lines. Odds & Ends:
Liberal activists are targeting their wrath in the health-care fight not at Republicans but at Democrats that they see as too far right on the issue. California Attorney General and former Gov. Jerry Brown leads San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom in early polling for the Democratic gubernatorial primary. Former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes is preparing for another run.