One of those days...

School starts again so I get busy quickly with welcome week events. Anyway, I'm still bummed about my friend missing so if you know anything, please contact the proper authorities.

Former US Representative Carroll Hubbard is practicing law and weighing options for his future. We need to turn Kentucky blue once again.

Also, he said he has given up his dream of being governor, and acknowledges it was that ambition that caused him to lose the congressional race in 1992.

Hubbard said he planned to run for governor in 1995 and thought it was good political strategy for his then-wife, Carol Brown Hubbard, to run for the 5th District seat in Congress in eastern Kentucky. If she had won, he felt it would have expanded his political base into the territory of the toughest rival, then-Lt. Gov. Paul Patton of Pikeville.

But both Hubbards lost. "It was the biggest mistake I ever made," Hubbard now admits. "When I lost, I was shocked. There was a lot of political fallout, and I never saw it coming."

Asked about his current political interests, Hubbard said, "The state Senate may be appealing to me." That's where Hubbard began his political career in 1968, when he lived in Mayfield and represented the 1st Senate District until he went to Congress in 1975.

His home in Reidland is in the 2nd District represented by Sen. Bob Leeper, a former Democrat, former Republican and now an independent. Leeper hasn't said whether he will seek re-election when his term expires next year. "A lot of people have been encouraging me to run (as a Democrat)," Hubbard said. "But I like Bob Leeper."

Hubbard said he also could move back to Mayfield and run for the 1st District seat held by Sen. Ken Winters, R-Murray. The term expires in 2008, and Winters, 70, already has announced he wants a second term.

Hubbard said that if he did run for office, he knows Republicans would target his legal problems after he left Congress. Despite that, Hubbard feels he still has a lot of supporters who appreciate the work he did as a congressman.

Katherine Harris invited to meet Jon Stewart.

But that doesn't mean the U.S. Senate candidate from Longboat Key will be taking The Daily Show with Jon Stewart up on its recent offer to appear on the comedy show. Just a week ago, Stewart was comparing Harris to Ace Frehley of KISS, the rock band known for wearing heavy makeup.

Harris, who said she doesn't even know what The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is, said she'll probably pass.

Oy vey, how can she not know? It's the most popular show in America right now.

Senator Trent Lott praises Senator Joseph Lieberman.

In "Herding Cats: A Life in Politics," the Mississippi senator and former Senate majority leader describes Lieberman as a man of "integrity" and explains that, as a moderate, Lieberman played a key role working with both parties during President Clinton's 1999 impeachment trial and during the Bush administration's 2002 efforts to secure congressional approval for the war in Iraq.

The 312-page book, published by HarperCollins' Regan Books and available in stores Tuesday, also credits Lieberman with being the first to push for creating a federal Department of Homeland Security.

The praise from a high-profile member of the opposite party will help Lieberman in his Senate career but likely will cause him some minor discomfort among liberal Democrats back home in Connecticut, political observers agreed.

Christopher Barnes, a political pollster for the University of Connecticut, said the public praise is especially beneficial for Lieberman after his poor showing in the 2004 presidential race.

"This shows him to be a key player in important decisions. It shows him to be someone who can work with everyone and those are important factors in raising your profile among your colleagues and on the national scene," Barnes said.

Lott's praise won't cost Lieberman his re-election race next year, but it could cost him some liberal votes, said Larry Sabato, professor of politics at the University of Virginia.

I'd vote for Joe Lieberman if I was eligible too no matter how liberal of a Democrat I am!

I need to check my calendar but the Guidugli family picnic is now on September 10th to avoid the heat and will feature Gov. Patton and Lt. Gov Henry.

Jason Isringhausen is less than 30 saves from Lee Smith as a Cardinal. Ray Lankford returned to Busch Stadium to remove the number 16. I wish Scott Rolen the best in recovering from season-ending surgery.

That's all for now.