Can money overcome the kiss of death?  In other words, can cash save a Sundquist endorsement?  We’ll see.  But the Knoxville News Sentinel missed the headline in this article.  Given the importance and attention of the race for U.S. Senate, the Sentinel should have entitled their article on Sundquist’s “giving” something like this: “Corker gets Sundquist Support.”  But given the Sentinel’s habit of cover up or ignore,  we’re lucky Humphrey’s article even made it into the paper at all.
So what’s buried deep in the article?  This:

As an individual, Sundquist has donated to at least six campaigns for the U.S. House and Senate across the nation in the current election cycle.

Two of them are in Tennessee – $2,000 to U.S. Senate candidate Bob Corker…

It’s not like we didn’t know who Sundquist was supporting…but at least it’s now official.  The article also mentions Sundquist paying for a poll:

The recent disclosure shows the Sundquist Committee spent $20,000 in March on polling by Ayers, McHenry and Associates – a firm also employed by other Tennessee Republicans including Sen. Lamar Alexander and U.S. Senate candidate Bob Corker.

Asked why a noncandidate would be paying for a poll, Sundquist replied, “Just curious.”

Just curious?  What kind of answer is that?  Who got the polling results?  If any current candidate did, then it needs to be reported as an in-kind contribution, does it not?  I think we need more answers here.

And as a little factoid, Humphrey throws this in for us as well:

In the first months of the current year, the committee paid about $1,200 toward cell phones for Sundquist and his wife, Martha, which the former governor said represents about half the cost. It also covers a subscription to The New York Times…

The Times, yeah, that figures.  That must be where he gets his policy ideas.
By the way, as an aside, I have to make a few belated remarks on Tom Humphrey’s appearance at the Knox News Sentinel U.S. Senate Debate in Knoxville.  Humphrey is classic “old school” reporting.  No facial expressions, no give away signs.  No pre-debate manicures or salon gooped up hair.  He’s a chain smoker with a deep, raspy voice and leathery skin.
If I worked in Hollywood and was looking for a reporter prototype, it would be Humphrey.  Kind of the Malboro Man of the newspaper business.
When he spoke, you didn’t know who was going to get blistered.  If I were a candidate, he would scare me.  And that’s what we need in debates.  We need tough questions that require non-rehearsed answers.  Humphrey did a fine job.