Klobuchar's rising profile suggests she's preparing for a presidential run

More signs that U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is moving toward a presidential run:

She made the rounds of national media outlets this past week.

Last week she scored national coverage with her questioning of Attorney General nominee William Barr when she asked him, "In your memo … you wrote on page 1 that a president persuading a person to commit perjury would be obstruction, is that right?"

Barr's response: "Yes."

The Klobuchar-Barr clip is in heavy rotation on cable news and online.

Klobuchar joked earlier in the week on NPR about "going south for the winter," meaning Iowa, and told "Morning Joe" that the family, including in-laws, are on board with a presidential run.

And, someone allegedly "left" Klobuchar-for-president mock-ups at a D.C. coffee shop. A Klobuchar adviser said it wasn't commissioned "by our team" and Klobuchar tweeted a non-denial denial.

The Twitter­verse speculated that it was a designer's pitch to the campaign or a student's class project. (It's also entirely possible the mock-ups were "left" at the coffee shop with the intention they would be "found" and leaked to create some buzz.)

A key question for Klobuchar as she considers a presidential run is how it will affect her standing at home. During the State Fair debate last year, she was asked about serving the full six-year term to which she was just reelected. As Minnesota Public Radio reported at the time: "Of course I will," she said. "I think my track record shows that. I love working in the Senate. I love representing Minnesota."

Speaking of getting ready: State Sen. Karin Housley was in D.C. last week to meet with folks in advance of a decision about a 2020 rematch with U.S. Sen. Tina Smith.

On the Smith front, Sally Miller is the new DFL executive director, coming off the Smith campaign.

Smith has alums all over the place, and those alums tend to be extraordinarily devoted to her.

State GOP Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan released another list of endorsements for her re-election, with dozens of county and Senate district chairs. A top tier challenge to her is looking less likely with all these votes she's piling up.

On last week's moves at the Met Council and Metro Transit: A DFL operative noted to me that everyone knew it was coming, with Meredith Vadis — Gov. Tim Walz's former deputy chief of staff — destined to get a high-profile job there to be his eyes and ears.

"But the speed and ruthlessness were telling," the DFL operative says. It likely sent shock waves around state government, a signal to bureaucrats that disruption is the order of the day.

Aaron Isaacs, writing for StreetsMN, was blunt in his criticism: "How incredibly stupid."