Republican presidential hopeful Tommy Thompson, Bush’s former HHS Secretary and a four-term governor of Wisconsin, seems to have developed an awkward foot-in-mouth disease. He’s a bit of a long shot anyway, but this really isn’t helping.

In April, Thompson had to backpedal after telling a Jewish group that earning money is “part of the Jewish tradition.” He later said he was “tired,” which led to a careless choice of words.

At the Republicans’ first presidential debate, in response to a question about discrimination, Thompson said private employers should be able to fire gay employees, regardless of job performance. He later said he misunderstood what he’d been asked.

Last night, he elaborated on the point, saying he flubbed the question because he had to go to the bathroom.

“I’ve been very sick. … I was very sick the day of the debate. I had all of the problems with the flu and bronchitis that you have, including running to the bathroom. I was just hanging on. I could not wait until the debate got off so I could go to the bathroom.”

Thompson said he thought he was being asked if there were enough laws already to address discrimination in the workplace. The question at the debate was, “If a private employer finds homosexuality immoral, should he be allowed to fire a gay worker?”

Feel the Tommentum.

There’s more on this and other campaign-related news in the Election Central Sunday RoundUp.

Practically every discussion about benchmarks in Iraq features one measure up front: a new law on distribution of oil revenues. Like most metrics for progress in Iraq, this one isn’t going well, either.

It has not even reached parliament, but the oil law that U.S. officials call vital to ending Iraq’s civil war is in serious trouble among Iraqi lawmakers, many of whom see it as a sloppy document rushed forward to satisfy Washington’s clock.

Opposition ranges from vehement to measured, but two things are clear: The May deadline that the White House had been banking on is in doubt. And even if the law is passed, it fails to resolve key issues, including how to divide Iraq’s oil revenue among its Shiite, Kurdish and Sunni regions, and how much foreign investment to allow. Those questions would be put off for future debates.

The problems of the oil bill bode poorly for the other so-called benchmarks that the Bush administration has been pressuring Prime Minister Nouri Maliki’s government to meet. Those include provincial elections, reversing a prohibition against former Baath Party members holding government and military positions and revision of Iraq’s constitution.

Sheryl Gay Stolberg noted today, “Nobody in Washington seems to agree on what progress actually means — or how, precisely, it might be measured.”

Falling short of an agreement on oil revenue, again, should be a big hint.

A small detail you should make note of, from the Newark Star-Ledger …

In an abrupt about-face, President Bush has decided against nominating Noel Hillman, a veteran prosecutor and now federal judge in Camden, to the seat on the 3d U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that was held by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Jr.

Hillman, a former assistant U.S. attorney in New Jersey and the lead Justice Department prosecutor in the Jack Abramoff Capitol Hill lobby ing scandal, had full White House support and the backing of New Jersey Democratic Sens. Robert Menendez and Frank Lautenberg, and had successfully completed his FBI background check several months ago. But suddenly things changed.

“He is out,” one knowledgeable source told The Auditor. The source added it had nothing to do with Hillman’s qualifications, his ethics or his ability to do the job.

Hillman confirmed the news. He said the speculation about his possible elevation to the court of appeals was “flattering,” adding he now has “every confidence that our president will choose someone for the current va cancy worthy of his trust, worthy of the position, and worthy of Senate confirmation.”

The reason for dropping Hillman remains a mystery, and both Hillman and the folks at 1600 Pennsylvania are staying mum. But speculation abounds, with some believing a skittish White House was concerned about the possibility that Hillman’s Senate confirmation hearing could become an inquisition into the behind-the-scenes operations of the Justice Department.

Remember Hillman was head of the Public Integrity section of DOJ before … well, just keep an eye on this.

Another edition of our series: Great moments in poor judgment. In this episode, on the final night of a school field trip, teachers stage a mock school shooting rampage as a ‘learning experience’ for the sixth graders on the trip.

During the last night of the trip, staff members convinced the 69 students that there was a gunman on the loose. They were told to lie on the floor or hide underneath tables and stay quiet. A teacher, disguised in a hooded sweat shirt, even pulled on a locked door.

After the lights went out, about 20 kids started to cry, 11-year-old Shay Naylor said.

“I was like, ‘Oh My God,’ “ she said. “At first I thought I was going to die. We flipped out.”

Today’s Must Read: was voter fraud behind the firing of yet another U.S. attorney?

My views don’t matter much about Republican presidential candidates. But I have a question I’d like to hear people’s views on. When I hear Mitt Romney talk he sounds like a complete phony. Analyzing his record I think there’s a very strong case that he’s a serial flipflopper and a real opportunist. But that’s not what I’m talking about. His manner and voice and what he says … everything sounds extraordinarily canned and contrived. And in a class in that respect way beyond anything John McCain or Rudy Giuliani say. Am I alone in this?

George Tenet to testify before Congress about pre-war intelligence.

Are bubbles actually good for the economy?

Daniel Gross, aka Slate’s “Moneybox”, makes that counterintuitive case at TPMCafe’s Book Club this week in support of his book Pop!: Why Bubbles Are Great For The Economy.

Daniel Altman, Paul Kedrosky, Justin Fox, Jesse Eisinger, Jonathan Miller, Andy Kessler, and Barry Ritholtz join him for the conversation.

Update: Gross presents the argument in his first post here.

The Rudy campaign is undecided on whether to compete in the Iowa Straw Poll; New Yorkers overwhelmingly think Mike Bloomberg would make a better President than Rudy; and Camp Hillary is reaching out to voters via cell phone text-messaging.

Those items and much more news of the day in our Election Central Morning Roundup.

Another bridge to nowhere in Alaska.