In anticipation of a long holiday weekend, here's the political television roundup for your radar screen.

Hillary does the rounds:
Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) had David Letterman last night and is asking supporters to submit questions for her appearance on "Ellen" next week.

Gravel gets 'Real'
Former Sen. Mike Gravel (D-Alaska), a longshot challenger for the Democratic nomination, will be on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" tonight at 11 Eastern. In a press release, Gravel says he will "discuss his vision for America on live TV."

A Biden weekend
Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) will be on CBS' Face the Nation Sunday.

Down the line
Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) will be on Tyra Banks' show at the end of the month.

Have a fun and safe weekend.

-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times

Presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) just told David Letterman her favorite summer job was as a young woman gutting salmon in Alaska.

During the task, which she dubbed "sliming fish," she wore hip boots and an apron.

"My job was to grab them and to take a spoon and clean out the insides," she said, as Letterman looked on in horror. She added it was "the best preparation for being in Washington that you can possibly imagine."

Clinton, appearing on the Late Show to help celebrate its 14-year anniversary, recounted several Letterman jokes about her pantsuits over the years.

Among the "campaign promises" in her special Top 10 list presented last night:

"Every American gets a cupcake" each year on her birthday;
The country will have a president willing to pull over "and ask for directions"; and
"My vice president will never shoot anybody in the face."

CBS has the video here of her full Top 10 list. I'll add the YouTube clip once someone posts it.

The former first lady, long the target of his opening monologue, seemed prepared to dish out the humor, but still worked in some of her campaign stump lines.

The only time she wasn't ready with an answer was when Letterman deadpanned, "What's the deal with Senator Craig?"

She said the Republicans and Idaho voters would decide his political fate but called it "a very sad story."

Clinton talked about her plans for ending the Iraq war and quipped that if it were legal for her husband to seek another term in the White House he would do it.

Here's a post I did earlier on a few Hillary-related Top 10 lists.

UPDATE: Here's some video from her "pantsuits" segment.

-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times

Who knew a hug could be an effective campaign tool?

Former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC), apparently sensed political gold at a recent event in New Hampshire when his wife Elizabeth hugged a cancer survivor.

The Lincoln, Neb., woman, a single mother of four, told Edwards she has had to borrow more than $50,000 from her 401(k) to pay for her treatment and asks him to, "Fix it, please, without compromising health care."

Elizabeth, as I noted in a story in yesterday's edition of the paper, is active on the campaign trail and often talks about her own struggle with cancer.

The Edwards campaign has sent two e-mails this week playing off the "special moment" and asks supporters to share it with their friends.

The first e-mail came from Elizabeth yesterday under the subject line "You need to see this." Today's was titled "She's going to give you a hug," paraphrasing Edwards.

"She's going to come around and hug you probably now," he said, prompting cheers when Elizabeth embraced the woman.

"You are the reason I'm running for president of the United States," Edwards told the woman. He said he was "outraged" that in the "richest nation on the planet" someone worries about paying for health care and getting their kids educated.

"How can that be? It's just wrong. ... It makes me angry," he said, reprising his stump line about special interests being the blockade for universal health care.

The video already has been viewed more than 50,000 times, and the campaign knows it's a powerful image.

"Please share with them the power of this hug and John's bold agenda to transform this country and restore the promise of America," wrote Beth Leonard, the campaign's New Hampshire state director. "Send this video to those who need to know that, by the simple act of being honest and sincere, tomorrow really does begin today when you don't back down from what is right."

Here's the video:

-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times

Former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) still leads his rivals for the presidential nomination in a poll of liberals at the Daily Kos blog.

The poll, which hasn't yet closed but has almost 29,000 votes, shows Edwards in the lead, with 34 percent of the vote. Close behind is Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), with 29 percent. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) had about 8 percent of the support despite being the national front-runner at this early stage.

What's worth noting about this poll is that it's the first conducted since the leading Democratic candidates appeared at Yearly Kos in Chicago. Edwards was a clear favorite among the liberal activists and bloggers attending, and debuted at the forum his call for his rivals to reject lobbyist donations.

As we have noted at Fishwrap, Edwards has maintained a solid lead over his rivals in the poll, conducted monthly.

-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times

In anticipation of her appearance tomorrow night on the Late Show with David Letterman, Sen. Hillary Clinton has a list of the "Top 10 reasons to support Hillary for president and help make history" prominently displayed this morning on her Web site.

She also has a page with a handy PDF for supporters to "download and distribute."

1. To end the war in Iraq.

2. To achieve universal, affordable healthcare.

3. To create good jobs for middle-class Americans with the right investments in modern infrastructure and in new clean, energy-efficient technologies that reduce our dependence on foreign oil and combat global warming.

4. To provide world-class education, from universal pre-kindergarten to affordable college for all.

5. To promote 21st century scientific innovation, including stem cell research.

6. To return to fiscal responsibility, move back toward a balanced budget, and safeguard Social Security and Medicare for future generations.

7. To restore competence and end cronyism in government, with a president who cares about and works for Americans who have been invisible to this administration.

8. To combat terrorism, strengthen our military and care for our veterans.

9. To restore America's standing in the world and repair our alliances.

10. To build a more tolerant, united America, working to achieve big goals again, with a president who's ready for change and ready to lead from day one.

To warm up for Clinton's appearance, I searched Letterman's top 10 list archives for "Hillary."

Here are a few of my favorites:

5/26/1994: Top 10 signs Hillary Clinton is running for president

3/5/2004: Top 10 signs Hillary Clinton wants to be vice president

10/22/1993: Top 10 signs Hillary is the smartest Clinton

-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) nabbed a big endorsement today from the International Association of Firefighters. It's a big deal for Dodd, an elder statesman who badly trails his Democratic rivals in national and state polls. He's already transformed the Dodd campaign site into a hub of firefighter photos.

IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger is quoted on Dodd's site as saying the senator is "the man we trust to keep our country safe and families secure." Dodd and Schaitberger will make the announcement in the morning and then will campaign together in the key early states of Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada.

The Dodd campaign points to this US News article outlining the IAFF's role in helping Sen. John Kerry win the Democratic nomination in 2004.

Also today, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) announced she has been endorsed by the United Transportation Union. The group represents public transit workers including railroad personnel and bus drivers.

"The UTU has a long history of picking winners early," union President Paul Thompson said in a statement. "Hillary will be a president that America's working families can count on."
Read more here.

The candidates have been courting union voters, and individual unions will start announcing more endorsements over the next few weeks.

In other endorsement news, I neglected to mention yesterday Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) has gotten the blessing of Nevada Democrat Jack Carter, son of the former president.

Biden, elected to the senate in 1972, helped then-Gov. Jimmy Carter with an early endorsement of his presidential candidacy. Jack Carter, who lost a race for the U.S. Senate last fall, dubbed Biden "experienced, knowledgeable, affable and humorous."

He added: "With Joe Biden, we don't have to worry about the problems of lack of experience or high negatives affecting our chances in November 2008. I'm very comfortable that he can win."

Finally, I'd love to come up with some clever name for wrap-up/round-up posts. Fishwrap-up was my idea for our blog Fishwrap, but that no longer makes sense for obvious reasons since I got my own blog. And my pals over at the Politico have already taken the "Remainders" title. Any suggestions? Winner gets a free subscription to this free blog.

-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times

The creators of HBO's 'Big Love' have answered my questions about why Mormon presidential candidate Mitt Romney was included in the show's season finale Sunday.

HBO spokeswoman Tonya Owens said she spoke to Will Scheffer and Mark V. Olsen about the brief Romney line of dialog in the show about a polygamist family.

Owens said the background clip - a TV news pundit mentioning Romney's critics and noting: "People are just out to get him for any little thing ..." - was manufactured specially for 'Big Love' and not taken from a real news segment.

"Mitt Romney is not part of our storyline yet," Owens said on behalf of the creators. "This season is over. If he does succeed, we will be looking for a way to sketch something in. We mentioned him because it is so part of that world and everyone in that world is talking about him."

Romney, the Republican former governor of Massachusetts, is leading early polls in Iowa and New Hampshire but trails his rivals nationally.

Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) offered an explanation for why he chooses a vegan diet today during the LiveStrong presidential candidates forum on cancer.

He explained he has dropped 25 pounds since taking on a no-meat diet. He said his food choices give him tons of energy to use on the campaign trail, and, apparently, in his personal life.

"I'm 60, my wife's 29. You draw your own conclusions," he said, adding as the MSNBC camera panned to wife Elizabeth: "Diet helps."

Moderator Lance Armstrong complained, "This has really deteriorated," but then joined in the fun: "I would just be hungry all the time, I think."

Political junkies and HBO fans have been wondering if "Big Love" would ever include a Mitt Romney story line.

Finally that question was answered last night, and the Mormon presidential hopeful got a mention during the season finale of the popular HBO drama about a Mormon family engaged in polygamy.

You had to listen really close to catch the Romney line, it was that subtle.
At the beginning of a scene halfway through the episode, the show's polygamist patriarch Roman Grant, aka "The Prophet," is watching television. The TV screen isn't in the shot, but you can hear a female's voice weighing in on a recent Romney scandal.

"He saved the Olympics. Who cares if he lets his dog ride on the roof of his car," the woman says, referring to a Boston Globe profile detailing a family trip where the Romney dog, Seamus, traveled 12 hours in a pet carrier on the roof of the station wagon.

"People are just out to get him for any little thing," the pundit continues. She starts a new sentence with "Critics ..." but her voice is drowned out when the show's main character Bill Henrickson enters the room.

The pundit does not mention Romney by name, but it is obvious she is referring to the Republican, who managed the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City .

A Romney spokesman laughed when I told him about the "Big Love" episode, but said his boss probably isn't a regular viewer of the show and he doubts it would have much bearing on voters.

Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, has often joked about polygamy.

HBO wasn't prepared for calls from political reporters today, but the press shop assures me they will let me know soon whether season three might include a Romney plot line. A spokeswoman said she wasn't sure if the producers filmed the pundit's segment or if it was a clip from a real news show.

-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times

CLARIFYING UPDATE: We are getting some comments from readers worried we are stereotyping polygamists as Mormons. Sorry for any confusion -- I was trying to portray the fictional Henrickson family as they are represented on the show. HBO describes its main character Bill as a "modern polygamist." The Henricksons say they believe in the Mormon faith and follow many of its traditions, but the family ceased being active in the Mormon church when they began living "The Principle" of having plural marriages.

Former Sen. John Edwards isn't mincing any words when it comes to resignations in the Bush administration.

Edwards (D-NC) used just three words earlier this month when Karl Rove announced he was leaving: "Goodbye, good riddance."

Today, he added one word when becoming the first Democratic presidential hopeful to issue his statement on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales stepping down: "Better late than never."

Gonzales has been a favorite target for Edwards this year. No word yet on what he plans to do with that BIG constitution he was going to deliver to the Justice Department.

Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign is making sure the Illinois Democrat's supporters are armed with information about his foreign policy positions.

The campaign sent the following e-mail to supporters Thursday afternoon, following several weeks of negative headlines about Obama's platform and his challengers jumping on his statements.

Subject: Lee Hamilton, Ted Sorenson, David Ignatius, and Generals Speak out in Support of Obama's Foreign Policy

Good afternoon,

We know that as you go out in the world to talk to people about Senator Obama and the campaign, you get asked questions about his policy positions and we wanted to take a minute to send you some important information and articles that relate to the Senator's foreign policy positions. From Lee Hamilton to Ted Sorenson, people agree that the Senator is "right on foreign policy." (See Ted Sorenson's article "JFK Replay: 'Naive' Obama Right on Foreign Policy" below.)

Please take a minute to read the articles from the Washington Post and Newsweek and share them with others. We have also attached a list of key quotes from people like Lee Hamilton and Samantha Powers for you to share with others.
"Senator Obama presented a thoughtful, substantive and comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy. This is an important contribution to the national dialogue on this leading issue." [Lee Hamilton, former Democratic Congressman, Vice Chair of the 9/11 Commission, Co-Chair of the Iraq Study Group, Member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council]

We have also attached the Senator's recent speeches on Iraq and his Strategy to Fight Global Terrorism. Please share the contents of this email with anyone and everyone you think might be interested.

Thanks for your continued support.

Best wishes,

Team Obama

At the end of the note, the campaign attached several documents, including one headlined: "Experts praise Barack Obama stand against terrorism."

Here's Page One and Page Two.

It also includes a laudatory Washington Post column where David Ignatius calls Obama "pragmatic" and another from Newsweek's Michael Hirsh, who profiles a retired Air Force major general who voted for George Bush in 2000 but now is "simply bowled over" by Obama.

In the article cited above, former JFK adviser Ted Sorensen praises Obama's "bold call for American action to seize Osama bin Laden in Pakistan."

"Obama is not the first young senator running for president to discomfort the Washington foreign-policy establishment by speaking frankly on a subject displeasing to an American ally," Sorensen writes. "Fifty years ago this summer, a 40-year-old first-term senator, John F. Kennedy, called on the Senate floor for the U.S. government to pressure its French ally into halting its war against Algerian independence. The response from all quarters -- both French and American, both Republican and Democratic -- was swift and overwhelmingly negative."

"Kennedy's critics used words such as 'juvenile' (former Truman Secretary of State Dean Acheson), 'brashly political and damaging' (Vice President Richard Nixon), an 'oversimplification' (President Dwight D. Eisenhower), and 'immature' (a senior congressional ally of Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson)," Sorensen recalls. "A New York Times columnist called Kennedy a 'well-intentioned but amateur statesman.'"

Sorensen concludes: "That record -- not the traditional nay-sayers in Washington who copy Bush's "politics of fear" -- represents the proudest past of the Democratic Party. Obama -- though he, too, is called amateur and naive -- represents its future."

An Obama staffer said the campaign believes "It is incumbent upon us to make sure our supporters are equipped with the correct information and our view is that sharing information with the people who are our best ambassadors out there helps dispel incorrect information about Obama's record and his vision for how he would approach the White House."

Quick quiz: Which Senate Democrat will be speaking to a major fundraiser for the New Hampshire Democratic party this fall? If you guessed one of the four Democrats in the chamber running for president, you'd be wrong.

That's right, freshman Sen. Jim Webb will be heading north for the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner Oct. 20.

The Boston Globe broke the story yesterday.

Webb (D-Va.) has already enjoyed his fair share of the national spotlight after ousting Republican Sen. George Allen and handing the Senate over to the Democrats. He was tapped to give the reaction to President Bush's State of the Union address earlier this year.

The New Hampshire Democratic Party, which avoids offering the keynote to a presidential hopeful during an election year, chose Webb as part of their efforts to unseat Republican Sen. John Sununu in 2008.

"He was elected because veterans and working people in Virginia felt they didn't have a voice in Washington," said state party chairman Ray Buckley. "We've run into the same problem with John E. Sununu and I predict a similar outcome here in 2008."

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) spoke in 2006, Sen. Evan Bayh (D-In.) in 2005 and Gen. Wes Clark (D-Ark.) in 2004.

Don't read anything into the appearance in the Granite State, warned Webb spokesgal Jessica Smith, who found it amusing I asked about the senator's presidential ambitions.

"Senator Webb won a historic election in November on themes which increasingly resonate with the American people: economic fairness, government accountability and smart foreign policy grounded in diplomacy. He plans to deliver these same ideas at the JJ dinner in New Hampshire," Smith said.

Time will tell. There's been plenty of chatter about Webb's potential political future, including his mention as a possible vice-presidential pick.

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) appeared on "The Daily Show" last night, telling host Jon Stewart his good judgment is more important than years of experience.

No one had a longer resume than "Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney and that hasn't worked out so well," Obama said.

Noting Obama's "inspirational" quality, Stewart deadpanned: "Is that really something America is going to go for?"

Obama tried to be funny, quipping about the weekend's debate: "It's always a shock to the system when Sunday morning you wake up and you're face to face with Mike Gravel," but also worked in his stump lines about attracting large crowds in Atlanta, Americans wanting new politics and no one asking tough questions before the war in Iraq.

Getting back to Obama's inexperience, Stewart asked: "Have you thought about running a smaller country first?"

Stewart had some fun with the excited crowd before Obama came on stage, telling the audience the senator and presidential candidate has "swashbuckled his way into America's heart."

At the mention of Obama's name, the producers played a little bit of "Hallelujah" and the audience erupted in laughs. When Stewart said the name of Obama's chief rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton, the producers played "Brick House." Stewart said he was torn between that and "SuperFreak."

Obama has been hyping his appearance on the show all month, and held a contest to choose supporters who would accompany him to Comedy Central's New York studios. Alyson West and Raina Moore got the tickets.

Clinton (D-NY) appears next week on CBS' David Letterman Show.

-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times

Green is the new red, white and blue, according to the League of Conservation Voters, which is going live on Iowa TV stations with two new environmental advocacy ads.

The ads feature Kermit the Frog's signature song and shots of several presidential candidates. LCV says the race for the White House is not about who would be the first woman or Latino president, but instead: "Who will be our first green president?"

See for yourself:

The ads are intended to push the global warming debate in 2008, a key issue for LCV and its Heat Is On campaign.

-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times

Former Sen. John Edwards sees a silver lining in soon-to-be-former White House adviser Karl Rove's attacks on Sen. Hillary Clinton.

"This is a page straight out of his tired old playbook -- Rove is attacking Hillary Clinton because he doesn't want John Edwards to win the Democratic nomination," writes Edwards adviser Joe Trippi in a fundraising e-mail this morning.

"Rove knows that Democrats will rally around whomever he attacks -- so he attacks the candidate he thinks Republicans can most easily defeat," he says. "Rove and the Republicans want our opponents to win -- because they know John will be the strongest candidate in the general election."

Trippi cites a quote Bush-Cheney '04 campaign guru Matthew Dowd in a recent Los Angeles Times story to bolster his argument.

"Whomever we attacked was going to be emboldened in Democratic primary voters' minds. So we started attacking John Kerry a lot in the end of January because we were very worried about John Edwards," Dowd said.

Citing polls that show Edwards beating Republicans in a general election, Trippi adds: "Rove is using his sneaky, underhanded tactics to try and trick Democrats into rallying around a candidate who won't be as strong as John in the general election."

Edwards has been talking about his electability a lot lately, telling me on his campaign bus in Iowa last week he is "clearly the strongest general election candidate."

Trippi says the same thing.

"John has the best and boldest ideas for bringing big change to America, he can take on the special interests and win, and of all the Democratic candidates he will be the strongest in the general election -- in other words, John Edwards is Karl Rove's worst nightmare," he says, asking supporters for donations.

-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times

I stumbled onto an eyebrow-raising wedding registry item recently when perusing the Internet for a gift for my mom, who is getting married next month.

TheBigDay, a honeymoon registry, allows couples to craft their own gift page with registry items ranging from $100 toward airfare to $30 for breakfast in bed, and everything in between.

One couple included this item at the end of their registry for a honeymoon in Tahiti: "Something exciting for when we get home -- Obama 08."

The bride "is getting involved in Barack Obama's fundraising efforts, so any and all contributions are welcomed," the couple explains on the registry, which solicited wedding guests for a minimum of $25 donation to the Illinois Democrat's campaign and links to their personal fundraising page for the presidential hopeful.

Courtney Ries, a spokeswoman for TheBigDay, said it is common for couples to ask their guests to consider making a donation in their name instead of buying them margaritas on the beach.

"People add all sorts of causes to their registry, asking their guests to contribute to whatever they are passionate about," she said.

-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Former Sen. John Edwards is still leading early state polls here, in part because voters think he might be most electable.

Here's the latest.

-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times

GRUNDY, Iowa -- Former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) asked Sen. Barack Obama this morning to add his signature to an Edwards letter to Democratic officials, urging them to refuse lobbyists' donations.

Neither man accepts federal lobbyist cash, a distinction between them and their rivals, especially Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.).

Edwards campaign official Jonathan Prince said asking the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to turn down lobbyist donations is "the next step" to ending an "unholy alliance" between lawmaking and lobbyists and can return the Democratic Party to being "the party of the people."

"Lobbyists are at the core of the way the system is rigged against regular folks," Prince said.

In a letter to Obama (D-Ill.), Edwards wrote: "I hope you'll join me in signing this letter."

"There is no middle ground -- if we want to make our government work for regular Americans, we can't negotiate and compromise with these insiders," Edwards wrote. "We have to take action and fight back."

Obama didn't specifically reject putting his signature but said through a spokesman he welcomes Edwards signing on to his ethics plan.

"Senator Obama appreciates what John Edwards is saying about lobbyists, which is why Obama doesn't accept contributions from federal lobbyists and PACs. But it's not enough just to refuse their money, we have to curb their influence," spokesman Bill Burton said, touting the senator's plan for ethics changes if elected.

"Obama has done more to curb lobbyists' influence than anyone else in this race," he said. "We invite John Edwards and every other candidate to support the sweeping reforms Obama has proposed to take our government back from the special interests and put it in the hands of the American people."

-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times

"I will eat him alive."

-- Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.), telling labor voters in Waterloo, Iowa, he "can hardly wait" to debate Rudy Giuliani and the other Republican presidential candidates on national security

-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times

"I-O-W-A! Hillary Clinton all the way!"

-- Clinton supporters, chanting outside the Iowa AFL-CIO convention and drowning out John Edwards supporters across the street

-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times

ON HIGHWAY 218, HEADING TO WATERLOO, IOWA -- John Edwards' campaign staffers today are assuring the scribes on the trail that their boss is still competing in Nevada despite news today that the campaign is pulling some bodies out of the early voting state.

Spokesman Mark Kornblau wouldn't give an exact figure, but said a "handful" of paid staffers will be moved from Nevada -- which has a Jan. 19 caucus scheduled -- and into Iowa and other early states.

"We have spent more time there than any of the other candidates and will continue to fight for every vote in Nevada," he said. "From time to time we're going to move people around the map."

Though the campaign played it like no big deal, the news inspired a "Know when to fold 'em" headline on the Drudge Report and was part of the other campaigns' chatter this morning.

Nevada has gotten much less attention from the candidates than the Hawkeye and Granite states, in part because it has never had such an early caucus. Edwards has solid support in the Silver State, where union voters make up a sizable portion of the electorate.

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) will be in Nevada Friday, and her husband will also be campaigning for her there.

Both she and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) were in Vegas last week for the National Association of Black Journalists convention, and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has a major presence there.

These four candidates, who lead most polls, Richardson will speak at a Brookings Institution forum next Wednesday at the University of Nevada, Reno.

-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times

UPDATED 8/16 5:55 p.m.: The original version of this blog contained an error. Clinton, Edwards and Obama are NOT attending the Brookings forum.

-- Christina Bellantoni

Fat drops of rain interrupted John Edwards' first campaign stop in Manly, Iowa, this morning. About 100 supporters gathered around the "Fighting for One America" bus for the former senator's stump speech.

He took a few questions on Iraq, immigration and CEO pay, but had to move the crowd inside Ralph's Cafe when the sprinkling became a downpour.

A drenched Edwards greeted voters in the cafe but couldn't take any more questions or give his most important stump line -- asking for people to caucus for him.

It's not the first weather-related headline of the trip. Edwards (D-NC) was 90 minutes late to a Des Moines event Monday as supporters braved the scorching sun to wait for him.

-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times

Former Sen. John Edwards, who is on the road in western Iowa, is being asked about impeachment at almost every stop on the campaign trail.

In Perry yesterday, a question about impeachment drew the loudest applause. But even though Edwards (D-N.C.) says he believes President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney "have engaged in illegal conduct," he adds that he is "not personally for" that tactic.

He tells voters he can understand their frustration with Bush and Cheney, but he thinks the newly empowered congressional Democrats should keep holding oversight hearings.

During the Clinton impeachment drama, he says, "nothing happened" and legislative work came to a standstill.

At a stop in Onawa, Edwards added that whoever becomes the Democratic nominee can tie the GOP choice to Bush and Cheney and said he will label that candidate as "George Bush on steroids."

"We're going to hang George Bush and Dick Cheney around the Republican nominee's neck and they're going to have to carry them the entire way," he said.

-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times

Former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) stopped on the campaign trail to toss around a football this afternoon -- the perfect photo op after treating his kids to some ice cream.

Edwards spent about five minutes passing the pigskin first to his son, Jack, and then to his wife, Elizabeth, before heading to the next stump speech.

-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) today released her first TV ad for the Iowa airwaves. She invokes her "invisible" theme in a personal appeal to voters:

"As I travel around America, I hear from so many people who feel like they're just invisible to their government," she says.

A narrator notes that Clinton "has spent her life standing up for people others don't see."

"You know, if you're a family that is struggling and you don't have health care, well, you are invisible to this president," Clinton says. "If you're a single mom trying to find affordable child care so you can go to work, well, you're invisible too."

She adds that troops are treated as if they are invisible.

"Americans from all walks of life across our country may be invisible to this president, but they're not invisible to me and they won't be invisible to the next president of the United States," she says to conclude the 60-second spot.

-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times, in Iowa

"I like everything he stands for, except this being late business. He was 45 minutes late the last time I came to see him too."

-- John Edwards supporter Mary Hopper, trying to keep her patience 75 minutes after the campaign rally was supposed to start here in sweltering Des Moines and still no sign of the North Carolina Democrat

-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times

Some fun facts about the Iowa State Fair, courtesy of the state Democratic Party:

The Varied Industries Building, which is air conditioned, has 165,000 square feet of display space. The building hosts vendors and groups from Iowa and the world, with most handing out freebies -- especially popular are the temporary tattoos.

The Farm Bureau Pioneer Hall was built for the first State Fair held in Des Moines in 1886 and now showcases Iowa's agricultural history. The building also hosts various contests during the Fair, including Cow Chip Throwing, Ladies Husband Calling and the Beard Growing Contest.

A 6-year-old Duroc boar named Big Red weighed in at 1,203 pounds on Thursday to win the 2007 Iowa State Fair's Big Boar Contest.

In the Big Ram contest, a Suffolk ram named Shaq tipped the scales at 456 pounds, just 23 pounds shy of the 1999 record.

-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times

If it's summer and there's a presidential race on, it won't be too hard for Iowans to find White House hopefuls. With Congress on break and an upcoming debate, the Democrats are descending on the Hawkeye State this week.

Former Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) kicks off his weeklong tour this morning with a headquarters rally and the first of two planned trips to the Iowa State Fair.

Sen. Hillary Clinton (N.Y.) isn't far behind and will touch down tomorrow for a multi-city Iowa barnstorm.

Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) starts his Iowa adventure Wednesday and will just miss Edwards
Thursday afternoon when the former senator makes his second state fair appearance.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson arrives in the morning and will stay all week.

Most of the Democrats will be crisscrossing the state this week, and their schedules so far suggest little possibility they would have to share the same town square.

But on Wednesday they will intentionally visit the same city for a presidential candidates forum hosted by the Iowa AFL-CIO in Waterloo. They'll meet again Sunday for a morning debate hosted by ABC's This Week.

As of 8 a.m., none of the Democrats have issued statements yet on the news that Karl Rove is leaving the White House, but you can bet they will all have some new stump lines today.

The Republican contenders have had their share of fried Twinkies this month as well.

My colleague Stephen Dinan was in Iowa all last week following the Republican candidates from their debate to the straw poll.

Check out some of his stories. And just for fun, enjoy this story from yesterday morning's paper in Fayetteville, Ark.

-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times

Audience members at the Human Rights Campaign presidential candidates forum panned New Mexico Gov. Bill Rich