The buzz around a potential Fred Thompson candidacy for Republican National Committee chair is growing, thanks to The Tennessean's Jennifer Brooks, who speculates today on Thompson's thirst for the position.

Meanwhile, a source close to former Michigan national committeeman Chuck Yob tells Politics Nation that Yob is floating the possibility of Thompson serving as general chair and as the public face of the party while Yob manages the day-to-day operations of the committee. Both candidates would gain advantages, Yob by attracting some star power and Thompson by associating with someone well-known among RNC members.

One side game RNC members and observers are watching is which potential 2012 presidential candidate the RNC chair hopefuls are most closely aligned with. But politics makes strange bedfellows: Take Chip Saltsman, Mike Huckabee's former campaign manager. He's hired Stephen Smith, Mitt Romney's former online communications guru, to help him out.

A Romney guy working to elect a Huckabee guy? It gets more complicated: Saltsman and Smith both worked with former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who is also seen as a potential White House candidate at some point down the line.