[nmh]

Fred’s a smart guy.

Already people are getting SICK of the premature stumping around. It’ like celebrating Christmas right after Easter. He’ll announce and not need to back track on statements as other candidates will have to do. Things change and many candidates have made specific statements that will NOT make sense at a later time - especially on IRAQ - guess it’s not a “Bush bumper sticker” after all and PROGRESS is being made through the “surge”.

[trisham]

Agreed. Fred is working the system in a very intelligent way.

[The Pack Knight]

The other day I read a quote from one of Duncan Hunter's staffers that this is "the start of our campaign." The idea is that, while Hunter declared months ago, he hasn't actually started campaigning until now.

Now, setting aside for the moment whether anyone actually believes that, what do you think is a better strategy? Declaring in April and beginning to campaign in August, or declaring in September and campaigning in September.

If Hunter has really not been campaigning until now, then I think he has the right idea, since any campaigning before the fall is essentially meaningless anyway, except as an opportunity to have a Makaka moment and shoot yourself in the foot. However, when you're officially in the race, people expect you to make progress, and if you aren't, your campaign is seen as moribund, and it's over before it begins.

Fred is exactly right not to begin campaigning in earnest until September, when it really starts to count, and he is exactly right not to declare his candidacy until he is good and ready to campaign. Anyone who donated to a candidate who spent millions in Iowa getting ready for this straw poll ought to demand their money back.

[Rutles4Ever]

The election process is so broken, my opinion is that ANY publicity is good publicity. The Democrats sound like idiots, but everyone knows who’s running. The electorate couldn’t tell Fred Thompson from Fred Flintstone at this point, and with the collective political IQ of this country plummeting with every passing November, playing it safe is not going to cut it, IMHO.