Let the speculation begin!

WASHINGTON -- With news that Sen. John Ensign has signed up to deliver a speech to a conservative audience in Iowa, how soon before the speculation begins that he is positioning for national office in 2012?

Ensign's spokesman said this afternoon the Nevada Republican has no such interest..... but still confirmed the senator will be speaking in Sioux City on June 1 in a lecture series sponsored by the American Future Fund, a conservative nonprofit with ties to Mitt Romney.

Spokesman Tory Mazzola said it is too soon to know the topic of Ensign's address, but "as a member of the (Senate Republican) leadership this is a good perch to talk about his conservative principles. This is evidence of his rising status."

Hmmm, come to think of it, National Journal's Congress Daily published an Ensign profile last December that discussed his prospects as a national candidate.

"Some Democrats acknowledge that Ensign might be formidable as a vice presidential candidate, especially coupled with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, given Nevada's swing-state status," it reported.

So let the speculation begin!