Bob Johnson had hoped to have his mind made up by now about whether to run against incumbent Blanche Lincoln for the Democratic Party nomination for the U.S. Senate. 

So why would state Sen. Bob Johnson, the term-limited president pro tem of the Arkansas state Senate, consider challenging U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln in what would be a tough battle for the Democratic Partyâs nomination?

Finger nails on a chalkboard, that's what it's like sometimes. In any given week there are always a few news stories about subjects that either defy common sense or are altogether outrageous.

Attorney General Dustin McDaniel is scheduled to testify this week at Judge Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court confirmation hearing. There is a lot of interest in what he might say. I'll speculate. Here is a possible script:

Where in the heck are summer's dog days? This is usually the time of year when those of us in the business of commenting on all matters political usually struggle to find topics on which to write. Summer's heat typically slows down the news cycle, and columnists compensate by writing about their vacations or favorite books, but ...

Suppose you are an elected official - a prosecuting attorney for a particular Arkansas judicial district and in addition to being prosecutor, you're a part owner of a building that rents space to the prosecutor's office. It's easy to see how that might constitute an ethical conundrum. After all, it would appear you are using ...

It's the kind of recognition Republican lawmakers would rather avoid. On Wednesday, Gov. Mike Beebe touted the tax increase he signed into law back during the legislative session in a speech in Northwest Arkansas. During his remarks, the Democrat asked a couple of Republican state lawmakers who were in the audience to stand. ...

"There are going to be tough choices that have to be made, and no system is going to be perfect."

If politics is all about timing, which is affected by proximity and intent, then it appears Republican Tim Griffin's much-talked about, but never-quite-materialized U.S. Senate candidacy will have to wait.

It starts about this time every year; individuals who are thinking seriously about running for office next year start calling.