Ready, set,....oh, you started already.

Boy, ya think Portman had a slight heads up about Voino's decision to not run for re-election?

"This in via e-mail from Rob Portman’s staff:

ROB PORTMAN LAUNCHES STATEWIDE ANNOUNCEMENT TOUR

Cincinnati, OH - Rob Portman will launch a statewide tour on Wednesday to announce his interest in seeking Senator George Voinovich’s U.S. Senate seat. Senator Voinovich recently announced that he will not be seeking a third term in 2010.

The announcement tour will include stops in Lebanon, Toledo, Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati. Portman will joined by supporters and friends at each location."

Rumors leaked just five days ago that Voino was gone. Today, we not only have an entire statewide announcement tour scheduled for tomorrow...but a plethora of cities and confirmed venues to boot. Now, I know things in politics work fast, but this is ridiculous. It's not easy to just whip up a tour like this. It takes serious planning, gruntwork, crowdbuilding and media wrangling.

Know what that means? There are some smart people behind Rob Portman.

A good start, Congressman. A good start, indeed.