After months of testing the waters and the patience of many Republicans, former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson finally made his presidential run for the roses official.
Some say it is too late. Others say the race is already crowded. Still others believe he got in just in the nick of time.
Thompson responded by saying that he is not running a conventional insider campaign. He is an outsider, saying on NBC's Jay Leno, "I don't think people are going to say, 'You know, that guy would make a very good president but he just didn't get in soon enough.'"
If Thompson survives the expected character assassinations (including accusations of laziness, lacking the fire,) then conservatives may have an electable and consistent conservative, who is an accomplished actor, possesses magnetism and able to defeat the "mother" of all liberals--Hillary Clinton.
According to a recent AP story, former president Bill Clinton remarked about Thompson on CNN's Larry King, "he has a certain swagger," "he is smart. And he knows what to say and how to say it, to appeal to a certain big swath of the American electorate."
Was it smart for him to skip the New Hampshire Republican debate for the Leno show? Some say that this single act offended the sensibilities of New Hampshire Republicans. Frankly, it may have shown some political shrewdness by appearing on a cable ad immediately prior to the start of the debate broadcasted by Fox News, then showing up on Jay Leno later that night. On this night, Thompson seemed to show a persona that is above the fray and the bickering, at least for now.
According to the new campaign Web site, Thompson's message is for a stronger, more prosperous and unified America.
In his upcoming trip to Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, then the Sept. 27 GOP debate in Baltimore, he must show himself a leader, commanding the issues and his competitors, a tall order for even the Law and Order prosecutor.
In South Carolina he is leading the pack. Thompson is one point ahead of former New York City Mayor Rudolph "Rudy" Giullani, according to last week's Gallup poll. If he starts pulling away in South Carolina and tying former Governor Mitt Romney in Iowa and New Hampshire, Thompson may face the presumptive Democrat nominee for president, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY. More on Sen. Clinton in my next blog.
My question, do you think Thompson will survive September? And if he does, does he takeover the presidential run for the roses for the GOP?
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