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– I hereby go on the record as supporting human cloning if we can start with Barbara Cooper. Under Barb’s direction, the Missouri Association of Republicans set a modern-day record for attendance at Lincoln Days. A beautiful venue, ample volunteers, and a Saturday night dinner program that honored not one man or one group, but rather dozens of the state’s grassroots leaders. Just what you’d expect from a weekend organized by Barbara.

– This speech was really funny.

– I had the honor of moderating Saturday morning’s Town Hall Forum, which drew every state-level Republican leader except Gov. Matt Blunt. Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, Treasurer Sarah Steelman, Senate President Pro Tem Mike Gibbons, and Speaker Rod Jetton spoke and took questions from the crowd. They were preceded on the program by Sen. Kit Bond, who along with Congressmen Todd Akin and Kenny Hulshof gave us an update on D.C. goings-on and fielded questions as well.

– The heartiest helping of Republican red meat was served at the Missouri Young Republicans’ state meeting on Saturday. State Chair Monica Durrwachter’s meeting attracted Sen. Bond, Gov. Blunt, Lt. Gov. Kinder, Treasurer Steelman, President Pro Tem Gibbons and Speaker Jetton. State Reps. Nathan Cooper, Jason Smith, and Kevin Threlkeld were also in attendance. At the close of the meeting, Durrwachter presented the inimitable Gus Wagner with a plaque commemorating his six years of service as Missouri YR Chair.

– The MAR Gold Ticket Reception with Mitt Romney featured a sizable crowd, many of whom may support Romney in the primary — if the race isn’t already decided by the time Missouri votes.

– Coverage of Romney’s keynote speech is here. I thought it was a classy move on the part of the Blunt team to have the governor provide Barbara Cooper with a proclamation honoring her decades of community service. Equally impressive was the fact that Romney took time out from his speech to recognize Barbara and her work.

– The hospitality suites seemed less raucous than in years past, a perception which I concede could very well be attributable to my advancing age and ever-earlier bedtime.

– Looking for information on your county’s Lincoln Days? Click here.

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Gregg Keller, who most recently served as campaign manager for Jim Talent, has accepted a job as National Coalitions Director for Mitt Romney.

Keller is a Clayton native and a product of Florida State University. He has been a part of the Talent operation since the former senator’s 2002 campaign versus Jean Carnahan.

Talent has yet to make public which candidate he is supporting for the Republican presidential nomination.

Romney is expected to tout his Missouri endorsements, including one from Gov. Matt Blunt, when he speaks at the statewide Lincoln Days dinner in St. Louis on Saturday, February 10.

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State Rep. John Bowman is in hot water, and not just knee deep. According to PubDef, the bank fraud and credit fraud charges combined mean that Bowman could face up to 40 years in the clink.

Just one month ago, the St. Louis American took a look at the McCaskill campaign finance reports. The paper followed the national money through a Missouri Dem fund and noted that “Bowman’s Consulting” took “a lot of jack” from the Missouri Democratic State Committee.

Bowman was worth every dollar the Dems paid — and if you don’t believe it, just ask him. The country’s leading Marxist newspaper did, and he let them know that he was running “one helluva ground campaign” on behalf of Claire McCaskill.

To Claire, Bowman wasn’t just a workhorse — he was a show horse, too. When she went after Jim Talent on race, she had lots of black faces to choose from — and she chose John Bowman.

Bowman apparently felt the need to secure the services of Scott Rosenblum, a name well-known to St. Louisans — in fact, he was mentioned in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch today for his work with another elected official.

And oh yeah — Bowman’s a hater, too.

Expect Claire to wash her hands of Bowman faster than an obsessive-compulsive at a leper colony. And expect the people who have been waiting to nail Claire for her first snafu to have a field day with the campaign finance paper trail that ties the indicted to our junior Senator.

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The race to fill the safe Republican Senate seat vacated by Chuck Gross will likely feature state Rep. Tom Dempsey versus whomever the Dems can talk into taking the L. (Note: Today’s P-D piece mentions that state Rep. Carl Bearden may allow his name to be considered by the district’s committeepeople as well.)

The more pressing issue for Republicans is finding a suitable candidate to fill Dempsey’s House seat. Dempsey was expected to cruise to re-election by a wide margin in November, but then St. Charles City Councilman Joe Koester went all Ted Knight (RIP) and made it too close for comfort.

With the new campaign finance laws going into effect after the first of the year, look for both parties to experiment with new fundraising and spending schemes throughout the Senate and House races.

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