Free Republic

NOW that Fred Thompson has officially entered the contest for the Republican presidential nomination, the Tall Drink of Water from Tennessee has to knock Rudy Giuliani out of the top spot in the national polls if he is to have a chance of prevailing in the GOP primaries. It's simple logic. Thompson wrote off the early primary state of New Hampshire this week by refusing to attend the GOP debate there on Wednesday night in favor of a Jay Leno booking. And he doesn't seem to be making an effort in the early caucus state of Iowa. He's effectively ceded...

Fred Thompson will announce his candidacy this week - but many pundits think that it is over before it started. Thompson missed his "moment" by holding out through the summer. I could not disagree with this more. Without commenting on the likelihood of Thompson being the GOP nominee, I think it is wrong to argue that his chances to acquire the nomination have decreased because he has waited. Thompson's problem is not the late announcement. It is, rather, the fact that his campaign has been poorly run. But this poor management may not be what you think. Changing staffers early,...

Fred Thompson's window of opportunity could hardly have been wider. His opponents were fatally flawed in the eyes of the socially conservative Republican base; he's well-known, can raise money, and speaks language that both Republicans and independents leaning right can embrace. Even thinking of entering the race put him above double digits in polls. But, thanks to a number of missteps and opportunities his pseudo-campaign has failed to capitalize on, Thompson's window is now closed... The Law & Order star, running a "testing the waters" committee, raised approximately $3.46 million in June after launching June 4th. The campaign's goal was...

Will the leading non-candidate for the Republican presidential nomination get into the race in time for a debate next month in New Hampshire? Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson is expected to get into the race in early September, about the time of the Sept. 5 debate at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. But Thompson’s unofficial White House campaign says no date has been set for any announcement. Asked today by a Nashville radio commentator whether Sept. 5 is likely to be the day, Thompson said: “I can’t give you a particular date, but sounds like you’re in the...