All signs point to veteran Democratic pit bull James Carville joining up with Hillary Clinton's campaign in Iowa during her final primary push, a source close with Carville tells Radar.

Calls to Clinton campaign and Carville's office were not returned as of post time, and it is not known whether or not the move is official, but with Carville ghosting around Iowa, it's not far-fetched to speculate that the Clinton campaign could be panic mode.

"Carville is so savvy that it's good news for Hillary that he's on-board for Iowa," said Bill Beaman of Politics magazine. "It's an indication that she's more vulnerable in Iowa right now than she'd hoped to be, but I think it's more about bringing out all your best guns than it is about panic. Especially in the wake of Benazir Bhutto's assassination, when Clinton's 'experience' theme is suddenly trumping Obama's 'change' theme, Carville's help could turn out to be part of solidifying a lead rather than a sign of panic over losing it."

Other than Ed Rollins joining Mike Huckabee's campaign, the creature known as the celebrity consultant has been largely absent from the 2008 campaigns. Clinton's chief strategist, Mark Penn, who prepped Blackwater employees for last month's congressional hearings, has not exactly reached superstar status. Some even blame Penn and his stubborn reliance on polls for Clinton's slow slide. Should Carville officially join the campaign, Clinton's staff would certainly endure a major shift in staff and tone.

"'I don't really think there's going to be any kind of shake-up or anything like that," Carville told the Washington Post earlier this month. "But will there be some moving around? Sure."

Carville, meanwhile, has avoided any campaign's forefront, instead serving up salvos from the sidelines on the speech circuit and news shows. He was spotted this month in Washington, D.C., doing a Coca-Cola commercial with Bill Frist. Most recently, the Virginia home he shares with wife, Republican strategist Mary Matalin, was featured in WaPo's Style section.

So has Carville lost his political bloodlust, or is his SAG-card-chasing, interior-decorating cover just a clever ploy to throw off the opposition? Discuss.