[Ramius]

But if Thompson can manage a non-campaign no better than this, how the hell are we expecting him to competently battle the most motivated and well-funded Democrat smear machine in our lifetimes?It's getting pretty late in the game. We need less people consuming money and political oxygen in this primary now, not more.

Nonsense. There is still a whole excruciating ~year~ and more to go. I am increasingly of the opinion that the early primaries are now too early to be relevant.

Letting the party decide too early who their candidate is just leaves a very, very long time... Time enough for the nominee to fall on his face. Leaving it once again to the convention to find another. Which, IMHO wouldn't be a bad way to go. This business of starting campaigns 18 or 20 months out is just too much.

[ThreePuttinDude]

Totally agree...

[rwfromkansas]

I really want to shoot whomever started the trend to earlier and earlier primaries.

This is ridiculous.

Even as a political junkie, I should not have to think about this until December. I had all this stuff tossed at me in April, for crying out loud. Who cares that friggin’ early???!!!!