Pence Has Presidential Race On His Mind

The surest sign yet that Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) wants to make the leap from prominent back-bencher to presidential contender? He's agreed to speak at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in April.  Ostensibly a forum for top Republicans, everyone who goes there, from journalists to party activists, knows that it is a presidential convention of sorts. There's a straw poll, there are private donor events, a chance to compare candidates. The inclusion of Pence -- on the periphery of 2012 speculation -- means that the SRLC, held in New Orleans, is more than just your average cattle call. If Sen. John Thune, everyone's favorite dark horse, decides to go, then the attention given to the SRLC will ratchet up by several orders of magnitude. Already, several cable channels are inquiring about how to broadcast live from the event.