1. A lot of people may know Fred Thompson's face but not put it with the name (it took me several movies before I learned John Rhys-Davies' name and quit referring to him as "that guy").
2. The poll might be different if we had a sample of people who demonstrated that they knew who Fred Thompson is (putting face with name). At this point, I have no idea whether it would result in better numbers for Thompson or not.
3. More interesting is the result against Obama. It indicates Obama has more star power than Hillary right now. Whether he can maintain it is yet to be seen. Hillary will have a hard time taking him out, as he is protected by his racial status just as she is immunized from some attacks because she is a woman.
4. This post doesn't let us know where those polled lived. A 43% against a 44% might end up being a winning position because of the electoral college, as President Bush demonstrated in 2000.
Fred Thompson is well liked, and is not stuck with all the moral baggage that Giuliani has created for himself.