That's got to be a contender for the Top Five Stupidest Things Ever Posted on FR.
If he pulls momentum from Romney and Rudy, to get McCain in shooting range, and then says he's not running...where will his former supporters go?
Back to Rudy or Romney, NOT to McCain. The entire exercise would be pointless, and I doubt Fred wants to waste his time to do that.
I'll give Pukin Dog this much: If primary voters see Romney or Giuliani as less successful than they would be without talk of Thompson, they may decide to back a stronger horse. Electability is a very strong concern of primary supporters; If Romney polls at five percent instead of twelve percent, many voters simply will not consider him; If Giuliani polls at 31 instead of 40 percent, that keepshim from being able to steamroll all other candidates. George Bush, Al Gore, and Bob Dole all benefited from the combination of an aura of inevitability and a desire to either avoid a bruising primary fight, or giving much less desirable candidates (i.e., McCain) a chance.
Nonetheless, I think that it's inconceivable that Thompson is acting purely to manipulate the field for McCain's benefit. If he were, he might conceivably avoid promoting McCain's finance deform, but he sure as hell wouldn't be attacking McCain's signature issue as a woeful failure and a huge mistake on his part. Also, in doing so, he risks giving Giuliani momentum when he fails to declare.
Truthfully, I think it'd be much more likely that Obama is running a similar strategy for Hillary. You've read it here: There is no way in Hell that the Democratic Party, the most racist institution left in America, is going to nominate a black man for a presidency that they feel they can win. We'll see when he files his FEC reports. Unlike Edwards, his fundraising is likely one-shot sources. If he doesn't throw down $15 million cash on hand, the game is already over; he's nothing more than the Jesse Jackson of the moment.