Catching up with news....

It's catch-up time since I was mostly offline during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Is Sen. Max Baucus the one that will allow Vice President Dick Cheney take a break from hunting in order to vote for a key bill in the Senate with a tie.

Kenton County Clerk Bill Aylor seems to be glad to retire after 16 years in office.

Aylor, 57, said that because of changes to the state retirement system formula, it would cost him more money down the road to keep working beyond the 33 years he currently has logged.

Prior to getting elected to the county clerk position in 1990, Aylor worked for the Kenton County Sheriff's Department.

Aylor said he views political campaigns as increasingly nasty. For someone who ran opposed only once in 16 years, dirty mudslinging contests lack appeal, he said.

"I was never a politician to begin with," he said.

Aylor said that although he has no concrete plans after the new clerk takes office in January, another political office isn't in his future.

"I'm getting away from politics," he said. "I'll probably go out and do some menial job somewhere, nothing earth shattering."

Expect former CIA Director Robert Gates to be confirmed as the next Secretary of Defense.

Senator Evan Bayh's stance on Iraq:

The Indiana senator voted in 2002 to authorize the use of military force to oust Saddam Hussein. Since then, he has become a critic of the war. He supported the unsuccessful Levin-Reed amendment, which urged President Bush to transfer greater responsibility to the Iraqis and begin a phased redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of the year. "If people don't trust us with their lives, they're unlikely to trust us with much else," Bayh said.

Washington has been turned upside down, well, at least for K Street, that is.

Labor and environmental representatives, once also-rans in congressional influence, are meeting frequently with Capitol Hill's incoming Democratic leaders. Corporations that once boasted about their Republican ties are busily hiring Democratic lobbyists. And industries worried about reprisals from the new Democrats-in-charge, especially the pharmaceutical industry, are sending out woe-is-me memos and hoping their GOP connections will protect them in the crunch.

Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack is only polling at 1% in his bid for the presidency. Here is even more on the challenges to Vilsack's candidacy, especially in Iowa.

Check out NewsTrust when you can.

What can politicians be thankful for?

Middle-of-the-road Democrats U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina can be thankful for ex-Virginia Gov. Mark Warner officially withdrawing his consideration to run in the 2008 presidential race.

Richard Padova says voters should keep an eye on Bayh.

As the 2008 contest gets closer, Padova said he's already keeping close tabs on potential candidates. Padova believes voters should keep an eye on New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and Indiana Senator Evan Bayh for the Democrats and Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani for the Republicans.

Here is another key factor to any presidential candidacy.

But Bayh -- who has traveled to 30 states in the past two years, including 11 trips to Iowa and five to New Hampshire -- will face a tougher balancing act next year. His travel demands will increase at the same time the Democrats' majority in the Senate will make it imperative he be available for close votes.

Bayh at least won't be the only presidential aspirant in that position. At least nine senators are considering a 2008 bid.

Check out Ronnie Ellis' article on whether or not Congressman Ben Chandler will run.