Less than two hours after Senator John Warner first revealed his intentions to retire and the opening salvo of the 2008 Republican primary has already been fired. In a release from Washington, the conservative Club for Growth attacked Congressman Tom Davis, who they called "one of the more economically liberal members of the Republican conference."

Davis' "record is riddled with anti-growth votes," the Club wrote, echoing a number of other releases the organization has put out in recent months. The Club also recently targeted Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson, who, if Senator Larry Craig resigns, is seen as a likely replacement.

In Virginia, the Club would more likely back former Gov. Jim Gilmore, who will position himself as the more conservative candidate. If salvos are flying this early, a Davis-Gilmore primary is not likely to end on friendly terms.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Standing beneath a statue of Thomas Jefferson on the campus where he earned his law degree, Virginia Senator John Warner today ended months of speculation, announcing his retirement at the end of his current term, in 2009.

"My work and service to Virginia, as a Senator, will conclude," Warner said, capping what he called a "magnificent and very rewarding career." A veteran of World War II and Korea and a former Secretary of the Navy, Warner was first elected to the Senate in 1978. In summing up his career, Warner quoted Hamlet: "This above all: To thine own self be true. Well, I have tried to do that."

At the University of Virginia, which Warner called "hallowed ground," he read from a letter which he said he would send to constituents thanking them for the opportunity to serve and urging them to serve as well. "Public service is a privilege," he said. "Don't worry about being a Senator. Come talk to me before you do that."

It is rare in Washington that an announcement is kept so under wraps. Just minutes before declaring his intentions to retire, even close advisers and confidants remained in the dark. Warner told just a few people, including former Virginia Gov. Linwood Holton and Senator Jim Webb.

Warner decided to retire after one final trip to Iraq, his tenth, and only in the last day or two. The war has become Warner's main concern in recent years as conditions grow more dire. "I have played, I am playing and I will continue to play a role in trying to bring about a cessation of that conflict," he said, saying the world faced "the most complex series of problems I've ever seen in my life, in Iraq and Afghanistan."

While he maintained he was physically able to serve another term, he said he would not stand in the way of others trying to advance through the Senate. Asked if he had decided to support a candidate to replace him, Warner said he had not, though he hoped for someone with the experience of one of the Republican members of Virginia's congressional delegation.

One of those members of Congress widely thought to be interested in Warner's seat, Northern Virginia's Tom Davis, released a statement shortly after the announcement calling Warner "a giant," without revealing his own plans. "Today's a day to celebrate and honor John Warner. He's more than earned a victory lap. An announcement from me on my future plans can wait for another day."

One source close to Davis, though, was more blunt: "Tom's running. He didn't want to say more today because it's the Senator's day."

Another potential candidate to succeed Warner, former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore, also praised Warner. "He's really been a good senator," Gilmore said. The two, the governor said, worked closely to secure funding for the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, near Washington. "He was a great supporter of mine when I ran for governor," Gilmore said.

Asked whether he would be a candidate to fill Warner's seat, Gilmore demurred, saying he is currently engaged with running a state political action committee to help elect Republican delegates and senators. "I'm certainly interested in the race," Gilmore hinted, saying a decision would be forthcoming, though he declined to set a timetable for that decision.

Gilmore's youngest son, a sophomore at UVA, was in the crowd as Warner made his announcement today.

Senators from both parties were quick to praise the outgoing Warner. "The Senate will be losing a friend and a colleague," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said in a statement, calling Warner "a true gentleman." "We are all better for having served with him and his Senate family will miss him," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said.

John Warner has announced he won't seek reelection next year, setting up a potentially tough primary and possibly putting the seat into play. Senator John Ensign, Chairman of the NRSC, released the following statement:

"Although we are sorry to see the people of Virginia lose such a tireless advocate as Sen. Warner, we respect his decision to retire from the Senate after 30 years of honorable service. The NRSC will be working with Senator Warner to field a strong Republican candidate to continue his work on behalf of the people of Virginia."

Reid will have more Warner's retirement in a bit.

The idea was that once Fred Thompson "officially" announced he was running for president, all those "Days of Thunder" and "Law and Order" reruns might have to go into the archives.

From Reuters today:

Cable network TNT is sticking by "Law & Order" despite co-star Fred Thompson's announcement Thursday that he will officially declare his presidential candidacy next week.

"TNT has no plans to alter its programming schedule," a spokesperson for the cable network said.

FCC regulations mandate that TV stations must provide a political candidate with airtime equal to that of his or her opponents beyond the coverage of news events, which includes entertainment programs. However, the rule has never been imposed on cable networks, though select channels in the past have avoided airing films featuring actors-turned-candidates including Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

NBC, however, says it will cease rerunning Arthur Branch once Thompson announces. So does this mean that Ted Turner is a Fred Head?

Quick FOX News write-up:

Tony Snow, the highly visible White House press secretary, will leave his job on Sept. 14 and be replaced by his deputy, Dana Perino, an administration official said Friday.

President Bush was to announce the changes during an appearance in the White House briefing room.

Snow, ailing with cancer, had said recently he would leave before the end of Bush's presidency because he needs to make more money.

In addition to Hillary Clinton's "Top Ten" spoof, she also had a pretty funny bit about Dave's constant "pantsuit" jokes:

This is from the campaign's own YouTube page, which probably means they think their boss did pretty well.

Hillary Clinton was on the Late Show with David Letterman last night doing a spoof of her "Top Ten Campaign Promises" (Video here) which was pretty funny and well done.

In an apparent effort to leverage the appearance in a more serious way, over at Clinton's web site visitors are immediately confronted with the "Top Ten Reasons to Support Hillary for President and Help Make History." Let's compare the two lists:

Number 10

On Letterman: Bring stability and long term security to 'The View.'
On web site: 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.

Number 9
On Letterman: Each year on my birthday every American gets a cupcake.
On web site: To restore America's standing in the world and repair our alliances.

Number 8
On Letterman: You'll have the option of rolling dice against the IRS for double-or-nothing on your taxes.
On web site: To combat terrorism, strengthen our military, and care for our veterans.

Number 7
On Letterman: If you're having trouble getting a flight and Air Force One is available, it's yours.
On web site: 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.

Number 6
On Letterman: My Vice President will never shoot anybody in the face.
On web site: To return to fiscal responsibility, move back toward a balanced budget, and safeguard Social Security and Medicare for future generations.

Number 5
On Letterman: Turn Gitmo into a Dairy Queen as soon as possible.
On web site: To promote 21st century scientific innovations, including stem cell research.

Number 4
On Letterman: For over a century, there have been only 2 Dakotas, I plan to double that.
On web site: To provide world-class education, from universal pre-kindergarten to affordable college for all.

Number 3
On Letterman: We will finally have a president who doesn't mind pulling over and asking for directions - am I right, ladies?
On web site: To create good jobs for middle-class Americans with the right investments in modern infrastructure and with new, energy-efficient technologies that reduce our dependence on foreign oil and combat global warming.

Number 2
On Letterman: I will appoint a committee to find out what the heck is happening on 'Lost.'
On web site: To achieve universal, affordable healthcare.

Number 1
On Letterman: One more pantsuit joke and Letterman disappears.
On web site: To end the war in Iraq.

Following yesterday's post comparing the '08 campaign to this year's college football season, a number of readers wrote in asking about various matchups. Let's be very clear: if you follow my picks, you'll end up in the poor house so fast you won't know what hit you.

That being said, The Express, a Washington Post publication, has some picks of their own. Both sports editor Ian Herbert and columnist Matt Swenson pick Michigan to win the Big Ten. Mitt Romney, we said, would be most like Lloyd Carr's team. Swenson picks the Wolverines to take the national championship.

While Swenson also takes USC (Hillary Clinton) in the PAC-10, Herbert chooses Cal to hit the Rose Bowl. We equated the Golden Bears to former Sen. John Edwards. Herbert messes up our metaphor, though, by picking LSU for the national title.

Could LSU stand for Mike Bloomberg?

Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, who made news recently by admitting on national television that the surge in Iraq is producing results, sat down with the Chicago Tribune editorial board on Wednesday. Durbin spennt a lot of time discussing Iraq, but also touched on the mess in Springfield and how things are going for his colleague, Barack Obama:

If it's a national poll, Hillary Clinton will always run ahead of Barack Obama. Even though we [Illinoisans] know Barack personally, and his kids' names and everything, only 60 percent of Americans do. Now go to the states where they're working and you'll find that the polling is much closer between the two of them and Barack at this point is either tied or ahead in most of these states. So I feel good about it. I would say at this point that he still has that magic. He is bringing the fortysomethings in as John Kennedy did in '60. It's not just the volunteers and the voters, but it's a lot of business people and community leaders who are in that age range [and] who think it's their turn. And that's good for us.

A new ONE Poll conducted by the GOP firm McLaughlin & Associates shows Mitt Romney with nearly a three-to-one lead over the rest of the field in Iowa:

Romney 35
Giuliani 12
Thompson 11
Huckabee 11
Tancredo 9
McCain 7
Undecided 10

With the ARG poll from yesterday also showing a bump for Romney, the former Massachusetts Governor now leads the field by a whopping 17.5% in the latest RCP Average for Iowa.