NASCAR's Jimmie Johnson signs a fan's racing tire at the National Press Club

It's not a normal stop on the NASCAR circuit, but No. 48 Jimmie Johnson, the reigning two-time Sprint Cup champion, touched down in Washington today, where he met with fans and the media, including a few political types like us here at Whispers who couldn't resist a political question or two. Like: Has he chosen a presidential candidate to back? "I have not, and yes I will, I absolutely will," said the Lowe's driver. OK, then, toward whom does he lean? "I like the experience [Sen. John] McCain has. There's something about his experience and how much time he's been serving our country, the history he has serving our country," he told me at a reception before addressing the National Press Club. But he said since the election is just heating up, he's only now starting to pay attention. And like many Americans, he finds the attacks from campaigns harsh and sometimes confusing. "It's so tough in today's world to sort out what is fact and what is something that is edited creatively to make people look bad," he said.

Normally, NASCAR stars try to steer away from controversy, and politics is certainly one of those topics. But the soft-spoken yet intense Johnson, accompanied by his wife Chandra,

had no trouble talking politics. For example, he talked twice about the political leanings of the NASCAR fan base, a group Republicans like to think they own. While he figures McCain will win the group, he also noted that many of his neighbors in New York City are big-time NASCAR fans and Democrats. "Our sport touches a lot of people," he told me. "My wife and I have an apartment in New York City, and there are plenty of Democrats running around the city who are junkies for NASCAR. It's a big sport, it really is."

Still, he thinks the core fan base will back McCain over Sen. Barack Obama. "I have to think McCain. I think our core fan base being strong Republicans like they are, that's going to be the first choice. I also think his credits in history and what he's done for our country, certainly for our country, a lot of those things will be fully noticed by our fan base," says Johnson.

There's been lots of buzz that Sen. John McCain is considering business leaders for his vice presidential pick: FedEx's Frederick Smith, former eBay boss Meg Whitman, or former Hewlett-Packard head Carly Fiorina. Well now one sounds like she wants the post. Fiorina, now head of the Republican National Committee's Victory Committee, said she wouldn't mind being in his cabinet either. "There are many, many people who would be honored to serve in McCain's cabinet, and depending on the opportunity, I would be as well," she says. "One of the great things about my life right now is I have lots of options and lots of opportunities, and I have learned that if you're open to options and opportunities, the future tends to take care of itself. So I'm not really worried about what's next."

At issue: Many GOP strategists say it's crazy for McCain or Sen. Barack Obama to pick a nonpolitician to run for office. They worry that business execs, who are normally protected from the media and stockholders, will crumble under the pressure of an intense campaign. But Fiorina said that business leaders have a lot in common with politicians, at least when it comes to running big organizations. What's more, she said that business leaders often have far better success. Take the issue of running over budget. Fiorina said that while politicians might talk cuts and freezes, CEOs have no choice but to cut costs and freeze wages or hiring. "I think there are some things that government can borrow from business," she says.

As for her chances to get on the McCain ticket, Fiorina describes herself as more than a simple former tech executive. She's been involved in debating a wide variety of government policies for the past three years and, of course, now runs the GOP fundraising and get-out-the-vote effort on behalf of McCain.

As the NBC peacock spreads its wings even further to search for a new Meet the Press host to replace the late Tim Russert, the name of Olympics host and storied sportscaster Bob Costas has surfaced. TV executives, noting his steady and unbiased presentation of sports and news when he fills in for Larry King on CNN, say that he's got just the right temperament and approach for the Sunday newsmaker show. We are hearing this directly from somebody who knew Russert well and held top jobs in network TV news. Asked by our Liz Halloran whom he'd recommend to replace Russert, the exec said that he "wouldn't think twice—Bob Costas. He'd be terrific, spectacular."

It's not a stretch to see Costas in the chair. When he first sat in King's chair, for example, there was lots of talk that CNN was grooming him to be King's successor. Meanwhile, other TV execs still say that White House correspondent David Gregory has the inside track to anchor the show that Tom Brokaw is babysitting until after the election.

When the Congress returns after the July 4 holiday, House and Senate Republicans plan to pounce on the energy and gasoline price issue, pushing Democrats to join in calling for more oil drilling. "That's all you're going to hear about next week," said a top Senate GOP aide. "People want something done about this." Republican officials tell us that their members are getting an earful from constituents back home and that many who used to oppose drilling in ocean waters or Alaska are now open to it.

Polls also show that trend. When Congress returns, the GOP will push its Gas Price Reduction Act to expand supplies, fund development of electric cars, limit oil speculation, and even study drawing oil from shale. The GOP officials said that the addition of targeting oil speculators and pushing for electric cars is a "tip of the hat to the Democrats" who are focused on conservation and punishing speculators. Also look for the Republicans to portray opposition from Democratic leaders to their plan as radicals. They will most likely cite comments this week from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who said on Fox Business Network, "Coal makes us sick. Oil makes us sick. It's global warming. It's ruining our country. It's ruining our world." Said the Senate aide, "With $4 gas and rising, people just don't think like that anymore."

Even though we are six or seven weeks away from Sen. Barack Obama or Sen. John McCain naming their running mates, the buzz over the potential candidates is hot and heavy in Washington. And every week, sometimes every day, insiders swear to us that they know who's on top. So, as we get the new names or sure bets, we'll deliver them.

Today's top names have been in this mix before and are back because, after considering fresher faces, the campaigns appear to be heading back to those on their original lists. Topping the Democratic list is Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, a onetime presidential wannabe. An Obama insider suggested that Bayh is a sure-footed former governor who presents a picture-perfect family and political pedigree. He will also assure moderate Midwest Democrats that the ticket isn't too radical. Two Virginians are also on the Obama top list: Gov. Tim Kaine and Sen. Jim Webb. The reasoning: Obama thinks he can win Virginia, a purple state with a rich military history that McCain's team thinks McCain should easily win. Webb is a former Navy secretary and Vietnam War vet, so he gives Obama military cred. But Kaine and Obama have "chemistry," and the governor is well liked in the state.

On the GOP side, one name captured the buzz: Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty. While the Capitol Hill focus is on former Bush aide and Rep. Rob Portman, the thinking is that McCain wants somebody with no ties to Bush, who looks younger and has good state executive credentials.

And let's add a new poll provided to Whispers from the marketing firm Affinnova. Their "Optimize '08" poll asked 2,000 registered likely voters who they wanted as the running mates. Seems most Americans like former Secretary of State Colin Powell on top of either ticket. After him, Democrats chose, in order, Al Gore, former Rep. Dick Gephardt, Sen. Hillary Clinton, and former Sen. John Edwards. On the Republican side, the second choice after Powell was Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, followed by Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, and Rudy Giuliani.

The federal bureaucracy normally turns about as fast as a battleship. So with a new administration heading to town in about six months, some are already looking to ready their programs and workforce for whoever wins the White House: Sen. John McCain or Sen. Barack Obama. In focus today—the Veterans Affairs Department. Secretary James Peake, in the middle of instituting major reforms after just six months on the job, is already looking to build a smooth transition to the next administration, which takes over on January 20. "I'm already giddying-up," he tells us. "I want to do it right." Peake said that the White House has not issued transition plans but feels that he should be getting his department ready to hand off key programs and ongoing reforms to the next secretary in a way that will continue the changes already taking place. He said the bulk of the transition work will occur after Election Day. The key issue, of course, is taking care of the returning Iraq and Afghanistan war vets. Among the other major issues he hopes the new administration will continue is building a paperless system to track vets and continued spending on new IT equipment. "It's going to require resources," he said, of replacing old computers to handle claims from vets.

Dan Glickman is living his dream. A Kansas boy who turned a law degree into a varied and exciting political and public service career, he has now come full circle: The chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America has been named a member of the National 4-H Council Board of Trustees. "I've got my foot in the farm and in films," he tells us. It's just his latest appointment: He also now serves on the board of trustees for the American Film Institute, giving him quite an eclectic group of organizations he advises. "They're both important," says Glickman, not trying to play favorites. "It is kind of ironic that I'm both trying to keep the film and farm movements going."

Far from the former stylish head of MPAA, the late Jack Valenti, Glickman likes to have a little cow dung on his tuxedo pants cuff. You might call him a real life Oliver Wendell Douglas, the Eddie Albert character in the old sitcom Green Acres. "I used to watch it. I know the song," he brags.

Glickman hails from Kansas, was a congressman who held a top spot on the Agriculture Committee, and was Bill Clinton's ag secretary before leaving to run Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. He joined MPAA in 2004 and opened a wide war on movie pirating.

"I still like to keep my hands in the rural farm world. It also helps me to keep my bearings a bit," he says, explaining why he accepted the appointment. Asked which 4-H club interests him most—Fowl, Swine, Sheep, etc.—he noted that the 4-H focus now is on urban programs and he'd probably go in that direction. "I probably would have been on the city side," says the Wichita native.

Just as the old Clintonites in Arkansas are starting to warm to Sen. Barack Obama, the weekend flare-up over what Clinton ally Wes Clark said about Sen. John McCain's military service is causing a lot of bitterness among state Democrats. Many tell our Suzi Parker that they are angered with Obama's criticism of Clark, the Arky and former NATO boss who rapped McCain by saying on CBS's Face the Nation, "I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president." Here's what Suzi Parker E-mailed us today: "Obama can kiss Arkansas goodbye. A lot of Dems are mad that Obama threw Clark under the bus and denounced his comments about McCain. If anything, they think the Obama camp should have just let the comments lie. A lot of the Dems I am talking to are Clintonites but also supported Clark in 2004 [when he ran for president]. Also hearing from Clark supporters who were in the draft movement that the Obama folks must have forgotten Clark has a massive database of supporters that has only gotten bigger since 2004 because Clark has been out campaigning for Dems since then."

Of course, outside of Arkansas, few think Clark's rap on McCain did Obama any favors, especially since it's become a major distraction on the campaign trail and a big issue in journalism circles over how it was covered . Not only did Obama issue a statement criticizing Clark, but he gave a speech on his patriotism yesterday in which he promised never to question McCain's love of the nation.

Also, Clark's comments and the campaign's reaction could have ended Clark's bid to be Obama's vice president.

Sen. Barack Obama's effort to define himself in 18 battleground states took a new turn today when he started airing an ad titled "Dignity," which heralds his limited legislative experience as a boon to middle Americans. According to the campaign, "the spot highlights Senator Obama's decision to bypass big money jobs and help lift neighborhoods stung by job loss. The ad illustrates Senator Obama's record of working hard to move people from welfare to work, passing tax cuts for workers, and providing healthcare for children." It airs in Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Virginia. It follows a mostly biographical ad that also highlighted his decision to skip job offers on Wall Street to move instead to Chicago, where he became a community organizer.

The independent Commission on Presidential Debates expects that only Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain will be at the three planned debates this fall and that two fringe candidates—Ralph Nader and Bob Barr—will very likely sue for entry. Briefing reporters on the upcoming debates, the commission's Paul Kirk and Frank Fahrenkopf indicated that candidates must score at least 15 percent in public opinion polls, far higher than Nader and Barr have received. The debates may look different from those in the past because candidates will have more time to discuss and debate issues. So far, neither candidate has responded to an invitation to debate at three locations: September 26 in Oxford, Miss., October 7 in Nashville, and October 15 in Hempstead, N.Y. McCain has proposed a series of town halls, but Obama hasn't agreed to those additional debates. Kirk and Fahrenkopf didn't show any concerns about those town halls interfering with the larger, media-heavy debates. They did say that they expect bigger crowds than in the past, because of the public's focus on the election. They also added that the media will have to find their own area to host "spin alley," where aides to candidates talk up their boss's performance.

ILLUSTRATION BY JOE CIARDIELLO FOR USN&WR

Memo to those who bought into the story line that Sen. Edward Kennedy's brain cancer was the beginning of the end of his life in politics: It wasn't. In fact, associates, friends, and even political foes say that Teddy has come roaring back, albeit from his Cape Cod residence, weighing in on key policy issues and keeping his staff hot on the trail of his own agenda.

"In some ways," says an associate, "it's like he's still here. His office is running, he's still putting out his agenda, his staff is going gangbusters, and he's managed to keep his control." Adds a top Republican who is often at odds with Kennedy: "We were all feeling pretty gloomy when the news of his brain cancer came out. But the whole mood around here has changed for the better."

Consider: With Massachusetts officials worried about receiving a Medicaid waiver needed for the state's universal healthcare program, Kennedy made calls last month to President Bush's team. The result: The money will most likely continue to flow. He's also calling lawmakers to push pet projects such as higher education funding and mental health legislation.

Here's more proof that Kennedy's on the mend after his June surgery: He may trump his September return to the Senate by helping to nominate Sen. Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention in August in Denver.