"I was a lobbyist and a pretty damned good one. And I'm very proud — we were talking before the show came on — I am happy about my life. I've got a great marriage. I've got great family, and I've had a great career. Wouldn't do anything differently." -- Haley Barbour giving an answer in Politico that no one running for Congress in giving.

Happy Birthday to Brian Lawson and former Republican Congressional candidate Gary Hoffman. (Word is he might be changing his endorsement in the NH-1 GOP race.)

5:30pm, Sean Mahoney, meet and greet, North Hampton

6pm, GOP gubernatorial debate, Coos County GOP Committee, Berlin

6pm, Annie Kuster, fund-raiser, Concord

In a monthly column Pindell explains N.H.'s political culture
August 2010 Planet Concord
July 2010 Think Small
June 2010 Judd for President
May 2010 Conspiring to Inquire
April 2010 Knowing the score
March 2010: Tea Time
February 2010: Love It/Love It Not: Two sides of the state’s population boom.
January 2010: Strategic Stops: The 7 Places Sarah Palin should visit if she competes in the NH Primary
December 2009: Church and Our State (Not online)
November 2009: What's N.H.'s Brand?
October 2009: The Born Identity
September 2009: Was Hillary Right?
August 2009: A Political Big Top
July 2009: At Ease with the Pledge
June 2009: Tiara Envy
May 2009: It's All Clogged Up
April 2009: He's Ba-a-ck
March 2009: Taboo Topics?