It’s been almost 12 hours since the 2006 election cycle ended so you know what that means?

That’s right, it’s time to talk about 2008! And, we have news this morning that Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, trying to get some buzz before others officially announce, is filing papers to run in ‘08.

From the AP:

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Democratic Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack is expected to officially launch his 2008 presidential campaign Thursday by filing documents with the Federal Election Commission.

His decision comes after months of speculation he would run and two days after his fellow Democrats scored overwhelming victories in state and national elections.

Vilsack is the first Democrat to make a formal declaration for the presidency although a number of better known candidates are presumed to be running.

Likewise, Rep. Duncan Hunter of California is the only announced candidate on the Republican side.

“Americans sent a clear message on Tuesday,” Vilsack said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press that will be released Thursday. “They want leaders who share their values, understand their needs and respect their intelligence. That’s what I’ve done as governor of Iowa and that’s what I intend to do as president.”

The recent departure of Governor Mark Warner from VA will surely help to bolster Vilsack’s chances in 2008.

Here we go…

There was a very interesting piece in the New York Times today on the sons of politics past. The story focuses on Chet Culver (D-IA), son of former Senator John C. Culver (D-IA), Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN), son of former Senator Birch Bayh (D-IN) and Jack Carter (D-NV), son of President Jimmy Carter (D-GA). I thought power skipped a generation. I guess not. Oh, that’s twins. Either way, very interesting story, worth the read!

In the history of the Democratic Party, the election of 1980 looms large: the year the party lost the White House, the Senate, a generation of Midwestern liberals and, in some ways, its confidence that it was the natural, even inevitable, majority party.

Now, that election has a sequel.

Call it the return of the sons: Chet Culver, the Iowa secretary of state and the son of former Senator John C. Culver, is running for governor of Iowa. Senator Evan Bayh, son of former Senator Birch Bayh of Indiana, is organizing and testing the waters for a possible presidential bid in 2008. And Jack Carter, the son of former President Jimmy Carter, has decided at the age of 59 to run an uphill race for the Senate in Nevada, his first foray into electoral politics.

Read the rest of the story here.

Over the weekend, The Washington Post asked the question many Democrats have been asking since 2004. Why not Obama in 2008? For those of you who have been out hiking the Appalachian Trail or on Mars, we are referring to first-term Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), the political newcomer who has offered a refreshing perspective on politics, especially in an age where divisive Rove-like politics have split the country not on political lines, but on social and religious issues, i.e. guns, gays and god.

Obama, a first-term Democratic senator from Illinois, seems to be hitting the right notes these days. During Senate recesses, he has been touring the country at breakneck pace, basking in the sudden fame of a politician turned pop star. Along the way, he has been drawing crowds and campaign cash from Democrats starved for a fresh face and ready to cheer what Obama touts as “a politics of hope instead of a politics of fear.”
His office fields more than 300 requests a week for appearances. One Senate Democrat, curious about Obama’s charisma, took notes when watching him perform at a recent political event. State parties report breaking fundraising records when Obama is the speaker.

Since the moment I watched Sen. Obama address the 2004 Democratic National Convention, I knew he was something special; not just his political ability, but also his ability to connect with people on a human level. I hope Sen. Obama will consider an ‘08 run, because we all know that the longer he stays in Washington, D.C., the more disconnected he will become. Sen. Obama is the GOP’s worst nightmare; a unifier, intelligent, politically savvy and exciting.

What are your thoughts on an Obama run in 2008? Leave it in the comments below.

READ THE REST OF THE STORY…

Remember in 2004 when Tom Daschle dramatically announced that he would not run for President. Instead, he vowed to focus on leading the minority in the Senate to victory in 2004. We all know what happened instead- Daschle lost his seat to the much taller John Thune and now he works at a Starbucks in South Dakota.

But for real, what would the man who literally rolled over and played dead to George W. Bush after 9-11 and in the lead-up to the Iraq war be doing now?

THINKING ABOUT RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT, OF COURSE. Come on, is this a joke…

Leaving aside the plausibility question, is the former maj./min. leader, who heads to IA, NH and MI beginning June 9, a Gingrich-esque book-deal flirter? A Gore-esque monocausual promotion whiz?

Or is he soberly considering a bid for the presidency?

Based on what he’s told his close friends, he’s clenched-jaw serious.

And Daschle’s decision will be guided, in part, on the results of the contested ‘06 primaries that Daschle, unlike most would-be ‘08ers, has waded into.