Does Jay Know He's Running?

Does Jay Leno know he's running for president?

That's the question on everyone's minds these days. According to the Jay Leno for President campaign, of the several thousand e-mails received every day, those that aren't spam continue to inquire whether Jay even knows he's a candidate.

Campaign chairman Howard Lester thinks that's a valid question. "Of course people want to want to know if Jay is aware of his own candidacy. With the kind of grassroots support this campaign has garnered in the past couple of months, it's only natural his supporters would want to know."

But it's more than just supporters who are interested. Major presidential candidates from both parties want to know what, if any, threat the Jay Leno for President campaign will pose to their own efforts to attain the Oval Office. Many candidates have already appeared on The Tonight Show to talk about their own presidential bids. None of them seemed aware of the possibility that Jay might run against them.

So, does Jay know? According to undisclosed sources, it's possible that Jay does know, but it's also possible that he doesn't. If he does know, he may be choosing not to comment on it. If he doesn't know and isn't commenting on it, that's a whole different story.

"Jay's a brilliant strategist," said one unrevealed political analyst, "and I'm sure he's considering every option, especially if he knows nothing about the campaign. In this kind of situation, timing is everything and no one knows more about timing than Jay Leno."

Drafting presidential candidates who are seemingly unaware of their own popularity among voters is a practice as old as American politics itself. But all too often, candidates who appear unaware of the public's desire for their candidacy are actually quite aware. In many cases, it's the candidates themselves who are behind the efforts to get them drafted in the first place.

But the Jay Leno for President campaign is different. This grassroots campaign was started by one man without the knowledge or authorization of Jay Leno, NBC, or anyone else, for that matter. Now, less than two months later, millions of Jay's fans continue to watch him nightly, many of whom would eagerly support his bid for the White House. It's those people who are grassroots of this great nation and only Jay Leno can lead them to the kind of victory they want. That is, once he accepts their draft notice and officially throws his hat into the ring.