Arizona Senator John McCain is trailing in the polls this summer and his campaign is looking for a much needed surge of energy and money. However this week, McCain discussed the troop surge in Iraq.

"Eight or nine months ago, six months ago, six months ago it would not have been possible for him to go to that part of Iraq. It was a free-fire zone. And now Anbar province is one of the most stable parts of Iraq thanks to the success of this new strategy," he said.

TNT announced that it's strategy for handling Fred Thompson's newly announced candidacy is to basically ignore it. The channel says it will run Law and Order episodes featuring the former Tennessee Senator. The Equal Time Rule Concerns, which require T.V. stations to provide the same air time to opponents when a candidate appears on an entertainment program, pushed NBC to stop airing those reruns. TNT says that they are not quite sure that these rules apply to cable channels.

GOP hopeful Mitt Romney used a speech on Tuesday to welcome Fred Thompson into the race. Romney also put his campaign into very simple and broad terms, strengthen America. Romney hopes for a stronger military and economy and beyond that he pushed for solutions to the immigration and foreign oil dependency problems.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani talked about a different kind of problem, a potential natural disaster. He visited the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and said he wants less federal control on disaster training and relief, which leaves more of the focus on regional disaster agencies.

Stepping away from the top-tier candidates, the Texas straw poll may have put California congressman Duncan Hunter in the hunt for a spot in that top-tier. He got more than 40 percent of the vote in the weekend event. Fred Thompson finished second and Texas congressman Ron Paul finished third. None of the top-tier candidates participated in the poll.

Congressional Quarterlies Politics in America is a great way to know who's working in Washington D.C. But, if your husband happens to be a former president of the United States, he may already know most of these people. It's an asset Hillary Clinton is once again putting to good use. Hillary's opponents will likely say she's simply using her husband as a show horse. But, the Clinton campaign says Bill helps show Hillary's experience and leadership. The tenor of Bill's usual comments on his wife might point to both sides being at least partially right.

"Hillary is by far the best prepared, best qualified, most suited for the time person I have ever had a chance to vote for, for president, who was not already President of the United States," Bill said.

Ex-presidential support is good, but the support of nearly a million union members might be better. Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards spent labor day in Pittsburgh winning endorsements from the United Steelworkers and United Mine workers of America.

"One thing I commit to you Cecil and to every mine worker in America, I promise you that when I am President of the United States, we will not have a mine company executive who's responsible for the safety of mine workers," said Edwards.

Illinois Senator Barack Obama floated this week between his home state and lead-off primary state New Hampshire. He took the opportunity to address concerns he lacks experience.

"There are those who tout their experience working the system in Washington. The problem is that the system isn't working for us and it hasn't been for a very long time," Obama explained.

Experience may be a problem in Michigan. Michigan may experience a severe lack of the candidates themselves come primary time. The state wants more attention, so Michigan moved its primary up three weeks to January 15, 2008 - a violation of the National Democratic Party rules. So, candidates say they're just not going to show up. But, Michigan's governor doesn't believe them.

"There is no president who will be able to avoid coming to Michigan. The road to the white house leads through Michigan. Those candidates will be here," said Governor Jennifer Granholm.

One candidate thinks deciding who votes first is not up to people like Granholm, but instead a slightly higher power.

"Iowa, for good reason, for constitutional reasons, for reasons related to the lord should be the first caucus and primary," said presidential candidate Bill Richardson.

So, it seems like this presidential race is turning into one of biblical proportions or, at least, one for the history books.