I agree. In any other year, Jeb Bush would be a logical choice, but he won’t stand a chance. Maybe Owens of CO?
Nope, Owens burned his bridges to the ground here I’m afraid. Huckabee or Gilmore, who knows. I suspect Fred would want two things supplementing his abilities. One to deliver a state and secondly to shore up the lack of executive experience. That is, IF he’s the nominee.
Romney has the reverse problem in that he would need some help attracting southern voters and someone who would shore up any perceived lack of conservative credentials.
Still, Fred Thompson may be the smartest candidate by avoiding the stampede that we are seeing now. He can campaign without being official so he’s not in the competition in the same way.
IF this becomes Clinton v Thompson it will be the first election pitching US Senators in a long while, and every president since Kennedy has been either a current or past VP, or a governor of a state.