No one wanted to remember that Fred was campaign co-chairman for John McCain, like so many other things that SHOULD have been considered. Some ties do matter. Some associations DO mean something.
“In the 2000 Republican presidential primaries, Thompson backed former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander, who eventually succeeded Thompson in the Senate two years later. When Alexander dropped out, Thompson endorsed Senator John McCain’s bid and became his national co-chairman.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Thompson#Campaign_co-chairman_for_John_McCain
Ah the memories of the Fred wars. I think we were outnumbered just a bit, especially after about 10 Duncanistas were shown the door.