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Schedules tell a lot about where a campaign is and what they feel they can and need to do. Rudy's schedule for this upcoming week shows multiple dates --Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday -- in NH. Who says they are waiting for Florida? Thompson also goes to NH -- for one day(his press release lists appearances for him both for filing his papers and opening his campaign office). This seems to be a nod to those who have complained he gave up on the state and in response to some other bad news from the Granite State( a campaign advisor Dan Hughes left to join McCain and polls show him lagging others --even Ron Paul in one tally). But does a day do anything? It is a Catch-22: he feels the need to make an effort but the price may be diversion of time and money better spent in places like Florida where he is faltering. Moreover, the downside may be that when he places behind other rivals in January(or December?) he can not claim that he didn't mount a campaign there. The most revealing part of the schedule is his Wednesday in California-- a list of "closed press" events. Now why advertise that he is not letting the media view him? Likely because he is sensitive to charges that he is not working and not doing enough on the trail. All of that is a whole lot of effort aimed at responding to criticism from pundits and Washington insiders-- all those people who supposedly don't matter.
By the way, Rudy issued a press release decrying the release by Yemen yesterday of Jamal al-Badawi, the al-Qaeda mastermind behind the bombing of the USS Cole. Did the entire media miss this story?