Amazon's Kindle electronic book reader is finding new fans in the national political scene. Jacob Weisberg, editor-in-chief of the online magazine Slate and author of "The Bush Tragedy," sings the device's praises in a new commentary, while former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was reportedly spotted with one on a flight. Another high-profile Republican, former Vice President Dick Cheney, is already on record as a Kindle user. Is there a trend here?

Weisberg writes:

Like the early PCs, the Kindle 2 is a primitive tool. Like the Rocket e-book of 1999 (524 titles available!), it will surely draw chuckles a decade hence for its black-and-white display, its lack of built-in lighting, and the robotic intonation of the text-to-voice feature. But however the technology and marketplace evolve, Jeff Bezos has built a machine that marks a cultural revolution.

He goes on:

When it comes to literature, I'm optimistic that electronic reading will bring more good than harm. New modes of communication will spur new forms while breathing life into old ones. Reading without paper might make literature more urgent and accessible than it was before the technological revolution, just like Gutenberg did.

Separately, Silicon Alley Insider picks up on chatter that Rudy Giuliani has become a Kindle user. Dick Cheney, another top GOPer, has taken up the Kindle since leaving office.

Ian Freed, the Amazon vice president in charge of Kindle, told me in an interview a few months ago that "some very senior leaders who are both current and former U.S. government officials" use the Kindle. Perhaps they're starting to come out of the woodwork.