Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD) has been discharged from a rehabilitation hospital and is now home with his family where he'll continue therapy and work with staff, though there are no details about his condition, other than apparently improved.

In presidential politics, the New York Times' Patrick Healy writes that the Hillary Clinton campaign has changed tactics in dealing with Barack Obama, opting for lighter touches instead of hammer blows against Obama, a new approach exemplified in an e-mail to reporters and supporters that talked about "commander-in-chief issues, such as how a president should deal with terrorists" after her performance in last week's debate. The e-mail included the overlooked line Clinton delivered during the debate: "Let's focus on those who have attacked us, and do everything we can to destroy them."

Finally, the UK's Telegraph declares in a headline, "Reagan's men are backing -- an actor" who is of course Fred Thompson. The article doesn't say Reagan deputy chief of staff Mike Deaver has actually done anything to help Thompson other than offering dismissive quotes about the depth of Rudy Giuliani's support and praising Thompson's rhetorical talent and popularity.

The real news is that Thompson will address the annual dinner of the Orange County, Calif., Lincoln Club this Friday -- a day after the GOP debate in nearby Simi Valley -- and full of some of the state's richest businessmen, who are a "necessity if you need to raise $20 million quickly in order to compete" in the Republican field.