Thank you for the very timely reminder. I am sick unto death of people anointing Rudy to be the GOP candidate. The only way he would have a lock on the POTUS nomination is if he were running as a Democrat. Hillary wouldn’t stand a chance then!
I actually see Fred Thompson as the Republicans Howard Dean. So much hype, but little substance. He also tried to corral the internet as his primary campaign appeal. It worked for a while, yet faded when the spotlight was put upon him. The real difference is that the DNC did a lot to promote Kerry over Dean, he was that years Bob Dole if you will. It was Kerrys "time". My perception could be off, but I don't see Fred Thompson living up to the hype that the internet, grass root supporters (which I am in awe of) expect of him. He needs to do more than put out policy papers on the web in order for the primary voters to get a sense of him, and that may change once he finally gets in the race, but as of today he, personally, does not seem to have the enthusiasm needed to stay the front runner.
As an aside, it will be interesting to see if Fred Thompson would actually invest his personal money (as Kerry had to do when the end looked near) to be the nominee if that is what it takes. Only time will tell, but I just read that Iowa was looking at moving up it's caucus to before Christmas so it could retain it's first in the nation standing.