Red November week begins this coming Saturday, November 24th, 2007 (@ 7pm Eastern Time), as we welcome a panel of experts involved in a grassroots effort to assist Sarah Palin procure a spot as the Vice Presidential running mate of whoever gains the Republican Nomination for President of the United States. The panel will include Adam Brickley, Steve Maloney, and Trish Houser. Trish will be a first time participant on Political Pistachio Radio, and she is also a member of Sarah Palin’s campaign for her 2006 successful run for Governor of Alaska. If there is a conservative that best fits what conservatives are currently looking for in the Republican Party, Sarah is it. Oh, and I have sent an e-mail to Sarah offering her to call into the show. One never knows.

On Wednesday, November 28th, William Russell, Iraq War Veteran and Congressional Candidate in the 12th District of Pennsylvania will join us to discuss his candidacy, and his opponent, Democrat John “Our Marines are Cold Blooded Killers” Murtha. This will be our second attempt to have Mr. Russell on the show. Last time, due to unforseen circumstances, he was unable to join us. However, after numerous conversations with William Russell, he is looking forward to joining us on the 28th at 10pm Eastern Time. Won’t you join us too?

On July 21st, 2007, immediately after declaring that he was withdrawing from the Republican U.S. Presidential nomination, Governor James Gilmore was our guest on Political Pistachio Radio. Now, Governor Gilmore has decided to run for the Senate. I have e-mailed him, requesting that he join us on Thursday, November 29th at 10pm Eastern Time. He has not responded yet, but regardless of whether or not he joins us, Thursday’s show will be dedicated to his campaign, and why it is so important that he win the election in what media has labeled “Clash of the Titans 2008″ as Gilmore takes on former Democrat Governor Mark Warner for the honor of succeeding U.S. Sen. John Warner. A video Biography and announcement of his campaign are now available on my Political Pistachio Videos site.

Romneylan Praetor Hugh Hewitt persists in mischaracterizing the Republican primary campaign as the GOP Finals.  Now, evidently, John Podhoretz has bought into the same conclusion.

Well, a “Fred Thompson enthusiast” I may be.  Convinced that Rudy Giuliani would split the GOP base, that Mitt Romney is too nice and too fresh a right-wing convert to stand a chance of not being summarily garroted by the Clinton Propaganda Machine, whereas Ready Freddie has precisely the Reaganian authenticity, gravitas, and soberly avuncular demeanor to be the toughest Republican nut for Hillary Clinton to crack, I am.  Understand why I am suddenly speaking in Yoda-isms, I do not.

But I can read the polls.  And ever since FDT officially announced a couple of months ago, his standing in the Rasmussen national tracking poll has plunged by a little more than half (a peak of 28% to yesterday’s 13%).  Fred has gone from trading the national lead with Rudy to trying to elbow Romney aside to hold onto distant second.  It appears that Republican primary/caucus voters gain interest in Senator Thompson’s candidacy in inverse proportion to its actual existence.  He may yet rue the day back in early July when his teasing of jumping into the race had his star nearing its apogee, and he got cold feet.  The bloom fell off his rose after that, and though he enjoyed another temporary resurgence two months later, that appears to have long dissipated.

However, I still maintain that the GOP contest is a three-man race.  Why?  Because (1) Giuliani leads by double-digits nationally and in every state that has polling figures other than Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina; (2) Romney leads in Iowa and New Hampshire; and (3) the latest Rasmussen survey in the Palmetto State has Ready Freddie tied for the lead.

If you cherry-pick the criteria, you can make the case that the race is already over and Rudy is in the driver’s seat, or that by the time the primary campaign reaches Florida, it’ll be a two-man contest between Thompson and Romney.  But the available evidence does not substantiate Double-H’s fanciful notion that my guy is already done.

The “Tortoise & Hare” axiom comes to mind.  That may end up rendering the Mittster the (YEEEAAARGGGHHH-less) Howard Dean of 2008.

UPDATE: If this is what Hugh calls, “the black flag unfurling for Mitt,” he’s got a much more elastic definition of enthusiasm than I do.