No kidding. Senator Frist does a podcast, available as "iFrist" at the iTunes store. He's actually got several, but iFrist is put out by his VolPac organization, his unofficial committee for his unofficial run for the presidency in 2008.

If you find it hard to imagine a worse president than George W. Bush, then listen to some of these and try to imagine Senator Frist as president. I listening to his September podcast on "Terrorist Tribunals."

Now that the Congress has seen fit to give the executive branch the power to lock away, indefinitely, anyone they deem as an enemy of the state (before and without the benefit of a trial that would confirm the guilt or innocence of the accused ), it's a chilling prospect to imagine Bill Frist as a president with that kind of power.

Harold Ford crashed a Corker press appearance in Memphis. I saw this once this morning on CNN. It was also covered by WDEF - News 12 in Chattanooga.

The following contains camera info, like MS for Medium Shot and CU for Close-Up. I don't know what SOT means.

SOT: Ford: "It's good to see you, I'd love to debate you on this Iraq thing. On the fact that so many Republicans Senators now are coming around on the a, on the partition plan, you told me that you thought it might have been Memphis here when you were here you said that I might have been playing God with it but now it looks that John Warner and Kay Bailey Hutchinson who I traveled to Iraq with, she uh, she indicated."

SOT Bob Corker: "I can't even talk about ethics and I have a press conference and I think that uh, it's a true sign of desperation that you would pull your bus up when I'm having a press conference."

SOT Ford: "No sir, I, I heard, I can never find you anywhere in the state." SOT Corker: "Oh I, I've been, I've been, I was in Jackson last night I saw your"

SOT Ford: "But tell me, what do you think about this Iraq thing? I know you're here to talk about my family, I thought you made a promise right after the primary."

SOT Corker: "No, no, no, I'm here to talk about you and this race and you and I, and I'm gonna do that right now. As a matter of fact this is my press conference, not yours."

SOT Ford: "But they were standing with me sir." MS: Corker walks off camera. CU: Ford.

SOT: Ford: "I'd, I'd love to hear you talk about Iraq though. But I mean this, it's unfortunate that we can't get a debate in Knoxville, Tri-cities. He wants to come and attack my family, attack me, but we can't have a debate on the, on the serious issues that are confronting the country."

Bob Corker's main issue for the campaign still seems to concern Ford's family and how much time Harold Ford has spent in Tennessee.

Nashville Public Radio features a locally produced, two-part series on the US Senate race in Tennessee.

Part One (audio / transcript) covers Democratic Congressman Harold Ford, what he must do to win here, some insight on Tennessee as a swing state and how the race factor may come into play.

Even with Tennessee’s recent label as a red state, Political science professor Dr. Bob Swansbrough, of the University of Tennnessee in Chattanooga, says it’s not that simple.

SWANSBROUGH: “Many people argue we are firmly in the red column, but I’ve always felt we have been for a long time a swing state. We’ve never been in the solid south. It’s looking more and more blue as President George W. Bush’s popularity has fallen and particularly issues like Iraq, the economy and so forth tend to make people want a change. And when they want that type of a change, there are usually upsets.”

Part Two (audio / transcript) covers Republican Bob Corker who, in my own opinion, seems most comfortable with the Country Club set.

Swansbrough says Corker's more moderate policies could also win over some of the state's undecided voters, a number now estimated to be 14 to 16 percent.

SWANSBROUGH: "The reality, I think, both men are in what has been a strong tradition in our state, and that is we have leaders like Howard Baker and Governor Lamar Alexander, really, who were acceptable in the middle and so appeal, not just to independents but also some democrats by being more centrist rather than being seen as the extreme."

With the majority of Tennesseans voting for Republicans in the last two Presidential and Senatorial elections, Corker has an edge. The momentum will likely start in East Tennessee because of the region's long standing Republican reputation. Coming into Middle Tennessee, Corker could also find success in Nashville's suburbs because they trend Republican. It's the democratic leaning West Tennessee where Corker needs votes.

University of Memphis Political Scientist, Dr. H.R. Mahood...

MAHOOD: "In West Tennessee, he's gonna have to do maybe 20-percent, 21, 22-percent something like that, now of course, I would see him doing well in Germantown possibly, Collierville, Cordova, etc., etc. But I definitely think around Shelby County, he's gonna have to really, really crack into things."

Mike Reed has been blogging as the "Man about Murfreesboro" since well before anyone actually coined the term "blog."

On October 5th (I don't see any links for individual posts), shortly after it became news that Bob Corker was reorganizing his campaign staff and opening an office in Nashville, Mike discovered he had some new, loud neighbors.

My office is right next to a studio that has been home to a number of businesses. The acoustics of the hall and the loudness of the people inside means that I hear everything being said.

Right now, two men are discussing a re-design of Bob Corker's web site.

"We need it to look not so Republican."

"We want it to convey the message that you have a choice: one man who has spent a career solving complex problems and working to help people or this good-looking hot man from Washington/Hollywood who would rather be at a Playboy party than legislate. I mean this guy has had more junkets than [inaudible] and Hillary Clinton combined."

If this is their strategy, Corker is doomed.

Well, they weren't kidding. Corker's campaign web site has recently ditched the traditional red/blue color scheme and gone with...brown. You know, Earth tones, like those that Al Gore took so much ribbing for when he adopted them for his wardrobe. Otherwise the site content and organization seems generally the same as it was before, so it appears to be mainly a style sheet change, but with some added new emphasis on Bob's legendary ability to "solve complex problems," and his new campaign strategy, to convince us that he's more of a "real Tennessean" than Ford.

Having removed those garish reds and blues the site now has a warmer, friendlier, country club atmosphere that fits Bob Corker like a glove.

Anderson's Catfish, Murfreesboro, TN: If you had wandered in from a Northeast or West coast Blue state it would be understandable if you supposed you had just unknowingly infiltrated some sort of private, church-group luncheon in the small town heart of a southern, Red state. Not only was it a work/school day, it was a chilly, rainy Monday, yet the restaurant was packed to standing room only with men, women and a few young children.

Some were sharply dressed, while others arrived more casually in overalls or mechanic's uniforms, having apparently dropped by in the middle of their work day to join fellow workers, homemakers and a bevy of retirement aged folks who made up a slight majority. Many sported small crosses or other christian insignia in the form of necklaces or lapel pins. The conversation was loud and cheerful, as though everybody knew each other, and the waitresses were patient as they struggled to navigate through the friendly crowd, carrying large trays loaded with soup, catfish and other fried delights.

While the official business did open with a short prayer, further clues would indicate that this was not as it first appeared, what with two or three men entering the crowd carrying broadcast video cameras while assistants set up tripods. Also, a few walls displayed large blue signs that said only, "Jr." in large white letters with "US Senate" below in smaller type. Yep, this was gathering of Red state Democrats who had braved the foul, October weather to hear a brief but energetic stump speech delivered by Congressman Harold Ford, Jr.

While Ford did not shy away from his Democratic Party identity, his speech focused on the need to come together to restore some wisdom and common sense in Washington in order to "change the course" not only in regards to the war in Iraq, but across the spectrum of issues facing both America as a nation and Tennessee as a state. He spoke of making Tennessee more friendly and adaptable for technological industry while also tapping the state's agricultural resources towards a vision of energy independence. He also touched on balancing the budget, strengthening the nation's pension system, making healthcare affordable for all, and fully funding education reform while also removing the complex intrusions of Bush's "No Child Left Behind" that get in the way of the actual job of teaching.

Ford made only one brief and unnamed mention of his opponent—a sassy wisecrack in response to Corker's recent insinuations of a Ford family "dynasty." He also introduced state representatives and senators from local districts and urged everyone to vote early, with early voting beginning this Wednesday, and to make themselves available to do their share to help others get to the polls and get out the vote between now and election day.

Being a liberal who has only lived in this state since 1994, having moved here from San Francisco (and the Windy City before that), I've had my misgivings concerning how Harold Ford might vote as a senator, but I have to say he's definitely the first Democratic candidate I've seen here that I believed had any chance at all of going to Washington, and I think Ford can definitely pull this off.

It seems safe to say a good time was had by all.

The Nashville Tennessean today endorsed Democratic Congressman Harold Ford for the Senate seat being vacated by Bill Frist.

Ford offers the potential of bringing new energy and leadership to the Senate, but he also represents the sort of change the nation needs in terms of which party will hold the majority there. Tennessee has emerged as a key state in the national picture. By electing Ford, Tennesseans have an opportunity to help set the country on a positive new course.

Ford appears willing to stand up to the tired policies of the Bush administration. Congress has done the bidding of the White House for far too long. With Republican majorities in the House and Senate, Congress has been too accommodating to the wishes of the president, who has insisted on having his way. Ford carries an independent spirit that would not only represent a change in the Senate but would be in step with the values of Tennessee voters. Ford has demonstrated a willingness to look at different ways of handling the war in Iraq, which much of Congress has been too timid to do. He has shown a commitment to balancing the nation's budget, which has gone haywire in Republican hands. He has also demonstrated new ways of thinking in ensuring the financial future of Americans, making sure every person has access to health care and in developing alternative fuels.

Ford's opponent is Republican nominee Bob Corker, former mayor of Chattanooga. Corker has closely aligned himself in the campaign with President Bush, who has extremely frayed coattails, and it does not stand the candidate well. Corker is an honorable man with a record of accomplishment, but there is little reason for voters to believe a vote for Corker would do anything other than echo too many of the failures that are currently the norm in Washington.

Timothy Leary had nothing on the CIA when it comes to who was the "Johnny Appleseed" of LSD. The curious history of the CIA and LSD is well documented in this great book, Acid Dreams, first published in 1986.

It was the first thing that came to my mind when I read this post from Josh.

From the DSCC:

Ford Leads Corker By 7-Point Margin. In a statewide poll conducted for the DSCC, Harold Ford Jr. held a seven point lead over Bob Corker, 51% - 44%. Corker had a five point lead in September, 48% - 43%.

Democrats Lead by 9-Points in a Generic Match-Up. By a 9-point margin (51-42), more voters would support a Democratic Senate candidate over a Republican candidate in the poll.

And even here in this red state that, debatably, Democrats don't need, Bush approval ranks on par with the rest of the country.

Bush Has a 35% Approval in Tennessee. According to the poll, just 35% of voters believe George Bush has done an excellent or good job as president.

Republican candidate Bob Corker often says he's the man to go to the Senate and solve "complex problems." Okay, Bob, here's one: how do you explain this?

“I think we do need to stay the course,” September 13, 2005, Smithville, Middle Tennessee Times.

"I think we should stay the course," July 16, 2006, Memphis, Republican primary debate.

And then, at Saturday night's Memphis debate, he said this, seemingly new thing:

"I've never, ever said 'stay the course.'"

Sunday's Nashville Tennessean—believe it or not—actually provided some coverage of Tennessee's Senate race. The article closed with a voter sentiment I can relate to, but it's disappointing nonetheless.

To Nashville voter Tim Wise, who normally supports Democratic candidates, the national implications of a Ford win are not enough to get him to support a Democrat that he believes is too conservative.

"I would love to see Republicans out of power," said Wise, 38, a writer and civil rights activist. But if two to four members of the Senate — including Ford — end up supporting the center-right policies of the Republican Party, then "the things progressive voters like me care about would be lost anyway," Wise said.

Tim, I hear you, but you're missing the bigger picture. Harold Ford is way too conservative for my taste, as well, but please don't forget that, even in this imperfect world, regaining the majority in the Senate means regaining Democratic leadership of the body as a whole and also the committees.

For starters, if you don't want to see any more Samuel Alitos on the Supreme Court, then we need Patrick Leahy (or another Democrat) back in the Chair of the Senate Judicial Committee.

Before you get stuck on blind hypotheticals concerning how Harold Ford might vote as a US Senator, remember the fact that, unless we regain the majority, progressive proposals and honest executive branch oversight will never see the light of day, as such proposals continue to be killed in committee.

Tim, if you've ever bothered to call or write to Senators Frist and/or Alexander, as a Tennessee Democrat, then you know what a waste of time that is. As long as they know they can't count on your vote in the first place then you might as well go to your room and whistle Dixie. Alexander might be kind enough to send you a nice note telling you how wrong you are (and then tell you all the great things he's working on to help out high school history teachers) and Frist will just flat out ignore you. I can only guess what we might expect from a Senator Corker, but my guess is—based on his campaign performance—he'll tell us he's a "complex problem" solver.

Let's first get Harold Ford in the Senate and then worry about how to petition him to vote.

The conspiracy charges blaming Democrats for the GOP's sex scandal were alive and well on this morning's Sunday news shows. Most notable were today's performances by Republican Congressmen Patrick McHenry of North Carolina and Adam Putnam of Florida. In their world of Nancy Grace logic, we would all be automatically guilty of any charge we aren't willing to deny under oath.

I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but do Republicans even understand the concept of taking responsibility? I was amused the other day when Speaker Hastert prefaced his "Buck stops here" remark by saying, "As someone in Washington once said." Does he not know who said that? Or is now just a terribly inconvenient time to remind everyone that the most famously known phrase on the ownership of accountability was displayed on the desk of a Democratic president?

Apparently, Republican "leadership" cannot step up to take charge or stop any bucks unless Democrats step forward to lead them to turn over and look beneath their own slimy stones. "The Buck Stops Here" and "Taking Responsibility" are meaningless terms in the GOP, but "Blamestorming" fits them like a glove (and you know what Johnny Cochran said about that).

Memphis, 7 p.m. Central/8 p.m. Eastern, Saturday, October 7 Democratic Congressman Harold Ford, Jr. goes toe-to-toe with Republican and former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker. Tonight's debate will be shown on C-SPAN.

I'm eagerly awaiting this debate series. Unless Corker has a secret weapon -- like bricks in his boxing gloves -- this promises to be one doozy of a match-up. Harold Ford is sassy and lightening quick on his feet and is eager to meet his opponent. Bob Corker hides and does hillbilly impressions of Bush; he's a businessman who will "work hard to do his job and make the right decisions." So far Corker's best shot has been to accuse Ford of being a liberal (yawn...huh?...oh yeah, right).

As of this morning you have to dig a little on Corker's web site to find any debate info, and that mentions only tonight's debate, with no mention of it being broadcast anywhere outside of Memphis.

Ford's home page proudly features a link to the complete debate series schedule, along with information on options for viewing.

Memphis, 7 p.m. Central/8 p.m. Eastern, Saturday, October 7

Congressman Harold Ford, Jr. and former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker will debate from 7:00-8:00 p.m. at WREG television studios in Memphis. The debate will be held in the studio before a live audience.

The debate will be hosted by WREG-TV, The Commercial Appeal, MPACT Memphis, Comcast Cable, and the Memphis Urban League Young Professionals.

The debate will be broadcast on WREG News Channel 3 in Memphis and on WTCI-45 in Chattanooga. It will also be broadcast nationally on C-Span television. Please check your local listings for more information on the broadcast.

The debate will also be webcast live on on www.wreg.com and www.commercialappeal.com.

Memphis supporters will gather for a debate watching party at the Victory 2006 Headquarters, located at 1213 Ridgeway Road Memphis, Tennessee 38119 beginning at 6:30.

Chattanooga, 6 p.m. Central/7 p.m. Eastern, Tuesday, October 10

Congressman Ford and Bob Corker will debate in the UC Auditorium on the campus of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

The debate hosts are the Chattanooga Times Free Press, WTVC News Channel 9, and the Chattanooga Bar Association.

The debate will be televised locally on WTVC Channel 9. In Knoxville, WATE (Channel 6) and WBIR (Channel 10) will also broadcast the debate live. C-Span plans to also carry the debate; we will update this site when the broadcast is confirmed.

Local supporters will welcome Congressman Ford to Chattanooga at the UT-C campus. They will also enjoy a debate-watching party. Contact weaver@tndp.org for further information.

Nashville, 7 p.m. Central/8 p.m. Eastern, Saturday, October 28

The two candidates will debate at Vanderbilt University in an event sponsored by the League of Women Voters.

The debate will be town-hall style in front of a live audience in Vanderbilt University’s Ingram Hall.

The debate will be broadcast across the state on CBS affiliates. C-Span also plans to broadcast the debates.

Please check this site for future information about debate-watching parties.

No debate tickets are currently available for the three events.

Frank Cagle, of Knoxville's weekly paper, Metro Pulse, offers some insightful opinion on how the Senate race between Harold Ford and Bob Corker are playing here in Tennessee and why reading the polls for this race in this state can be a tricky matter.

Corker's performance in the campaign has been downright dull. I can't be objective, but even if I were a Republican I think I'd find him putting me to sleep. Ford definitely comes off as clobbering Corker at almost every turn. As Cagle puts it:

Here’s an irony for you. I’ve only seen one candidate in my lifetime of covering politics who had the skill, the instincts and the energy of Harold Ford Jr. His name was George Corley Wallace, the former governor of Alabama and sometime populist presidential candidate.

Yet, even though it looks neck in neck in the polls, Cagle advises that we need to keep in mind how the polls may be misleading or, to put it another way, what they don't tell us, particularly in this southern red state.

The latest polls showing Ford close, or even ahead, in the race should be taken with a grain of salt. You have to remember the “Wilder factor.” (No, not that Wilder.) Gov. Doug Wilder was the African-American governor of Virginia. He was the frontrunner, often polling as much as 13 points ahead of his opponent. He did win the governorship—by a margin of one percent. This phenomenon, which has shown up in other races around the country, demonstrates that people lie to pollsters about African-American candidates. If Ford wins in Tennessee, he will have to have a very healthy lead in the polls going into November.

Read the whole thing, it's good.

It's somewhat fascinating that during the six years we've lived in the George Bush Era of Personal Responsibility we have seen so many so-called "leaders" trying to defend themselves with variations of the I-was-out-of-the-loop-because-nobody-told-me excuse. Denny Hastert would be wise to note that it didn't work for Bernie Ebbers and/or Ken Lay.

Updated: Yep, "Personal Responsibility" alive and well. Bush says Denny should stay. Heck, why should leaders actually be in charge? Maybe he'll give Denny a medal for protecting children.

According to the Nashville Post, Tennessee Republican operatives have been scolded by the RNC and warned that "the effort being put forth in Tennessee is unacceptable and will not be tolerated."

So what's the problem?

Republican operatives speaking on background say that while they initially believed that split ticket voting would prevail, putting Corker in the U.S. Senate and Bredesen back in the governor's office, they are now close to hitting the panic button.

They are afraid a lackluster Corker campaign combined with Ford's charisma, voter dissatisfaction with President George W. Bush, Bredesen's popularity among Republicans, and a Christian conservative base that is not convinced Corker is a reliable voice for them will result in a Democratic sweep in November.

The RNC fears what is shaping up to be a Democratic sweep in Tennessee.

Some background: Phil Bredesen is a popular Governor in Tennessee, even among Republicans. He first ran for Governor in 1994 and was beat soundly by Republican Don Sundquist who had warned Tennesseans that the former Mayor of Nashville would be a "tax and spend liberal." Under Sundquist the size of Tennessee's state government grew well beyond the rate of growth of the state economy and drove the state into deficit spending, and immediately after being re-elected in 1998 Sundquist set out -- but failed -- to create the state's first income tax. Tennesseans went ballistic. Bredesen ran again in 2002 and narrowly beat Republican Congressman Van Hilleary (Tennessee has gubernatorial term limits), but amazingly also beat Hilleary in traditionally Republican Knox County. Bredesen promised to make the difficult choices necessary to bring state spending under control without initiating an income tax. More importantly, he's pulled it off, returning surpluses back to the state budget.

In 2006, Bredesen's challenger, Jim Bryson, so far as little to offer except "immigration reform," but...

One of the issues that NashvillePost.com was told to be of particular concern to the RNC was that internal polling has showed State Senator and Republican candidate for governor Jim Bryson trailing Gov. Phil Bredesen in Williamson County.

Williamson County is Bryson's home county and has been one of the most reliable Republican counties in the entire country, for votes and financial contributions.

To make matters worse, the GOP's hopes of a split-ticket pullout are being eroded by a weak showing on the part of Republican Senate candidate Bob Corker.

According to GOP sources, the RNC has not been pleased with the efforts of the Bob Corker for U.S. Senate campaign either.

Since winning the primary, Corker has done little that has energized the statewide GOP base. Meanwhile, Harold Ford Jr. has begun airing campaign ads that some political watchers expect to be highly effective.

The fear among Republicans is that the Corker camp is putting too much weight on the baggage the Ford family name brings and not taking into consideration how charismatic Ford is on television and in person.

Ford is the nephew of ousted State Sen. Ophelia Ford, indicted former State Sen. John Ford, who is awaiting trial on charges stemming from the federal "Tennessee Waltz" public corruption investigation, and the son of the controversial former Congressman Harold Ford Sr..

Four years ago, Republican U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander easily held off Democratic Congressman Bob Clement in a race that saw a substantial number of split ticket voters.

Bob Corker can't get much traction targeting Ford's family ties, at least not until he's able to make this story go away.