Tommy Thompson for Senate: Maybe Yes?

Tommy Thompson may be getting closer to deciding whether to get closer to deciding to decide if he'll decide to run against Russ Feingold for the Senate in 2010.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, he's sending out signals.

Tommy Thompson, a former Republican governor and Cabinet official, has been sending new signals to the party faithful in recent weeks that he may jump into the race against Sen. Russ Feingold this fall.

Thompson, who has considered returning to public office a number of times since he left the Bush administration, is in serious discussions with longtime GOP operatives about putting together a campaign plan and is attracting considerable attention from political donors who are pledging to help him finance a race.

The Elroy Republican could set up an exploratory committee as early as this month to more formally consider his election prospects, according to sources close to Thompson. But they also caution that Thompson has not yet made up his mind about the race.

“A lot of this has really been coming to him,” said an aide who did not want to be identified.

Another source close to Thompson said he recently fielded a call with a political donor who pledged to raise $100,000 for the campaign.

“The right people are gathering to put together the skeleton of a plan,” the source said.

That's good news, though I'd feel a lot better if the plan were fleshed out and not just a skeleton.

I'm not like Brad Childress. He's cool with waiting for Brett Favre to make a decision about returning to the Vikings.

Minnesota coach Brad Childress knows one way to get a definitive answer from Brett Favre. Wait. "I'm not going to put him in any box," Childress said Friday at the NFL's annual scouting combine. "Four weeks and change, he's still healing up from that game (the NFC championship). He's kind of earned that latitude."

Whether the three-time MVP needs a month or an entire offseason to determine whether to return for a 20th NFL season, Childress isn't pressing the issue. He spoke with Favre twice this week, but football was not the primary topic.

...[T]he gritty quarterback, who hasn't missed a start since 1993, has never done things by the book. Childress doesn't expect that to change now.

..."Would it be nice to know sooner rather than later? Yeah, but you have to be able to deal with ambiguity in this business whether you're a coach or a player."

I wish Tommy Thompson would stop Favre-ing it.

Yes or no, please. Preferably yes.

Feingold has got to go.