Updated: As Insider First Reported, Sam Nunn's Being Court For Independent Bid - And Now He Confirms Interest

(Update at 2:36 p.m. clarifies that Nunn's criticism was aimed at lack of discussion of issues he considers important, not the candidates, themselves.)

By Matt Towery
Creators Syndicate

(8/3/07) As first reported by InsiderAdvantage Georgia and the Southern Political Report, former Georgia Sen. Sam Nunn is being courted for a possible third-party bid for president or vice president next year, and now Nunn has publicly confirmed he may be interested.

Last night, WSB-TV’s Lori Geary caught up with Nunn – and he didn’t close the door on the possibility.

Nunn told Geary he didn't hear the current crop of candidates discussing the issues he believes are important and went on to say he plans to spend the next few months considering his options.

When she asked him point-blank about a possible independent bid, he didn’t rule it out.

Nunn, now 68, was Georgia’s U.S. senator for 24 years (1972-1966). During part of that time, he chaired the Senate Armed Services Committee. John Kerry considered the moderate Georgia Democrat as a potential running mate in 2004.

Nunn currently is chief executive officer of the NTI (Nuclear Threat Initiative), a charitable organization working to reduce the global threats from nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

We reported on the possible Nunn bid on July 26 and said our sources were telling us that Nunn continues to be known among the DC establishment and media as "the man" when it comes to matters related to defense.

We also told our readers that a group of former Washington operatives, including former Carter administration members Hamilton Jordan and Gerald Rafshoon, has been quietly working to create a legitimate third-party effort in 'o8, and that they were sounding Nunn out, possibly with an eye towards a Bloomberg-Nunn independent candidacy.

You can read that story here.