Well, that's what a lot of people would have said if he'd made this announcement a week ago.
"This is no longer about past preferences or differences. It is about what is best for our country and for me that means that Republican should close ranks behind John McCain," Thompson said in a statement reported by the Associated Press.
Michelle Malkin still believes she's in a position to make demands:
Sorry, I’m not ready yet to submit just yet.
Endorsements are all well and good, but personnel is policy. And McCain has done nothing to disassociate himself from anti-conservative, pro-border obliterationists. Less talk. More action.
Great writer, great thinker, but extortion only works when you have something to threaten the blackmailee with. Either the conservative right will come around or it won't (I'm betting on the former), but they're in no position to negotiate. We need their help, but most of them are already on record as saying there's nothing Senator McCain can do or say to change their mind about him. So why capitulate? Why not take them at their word and search in the center for votes?
The GOP candidate has begun calling friends, family members and supporters to tell them he’s ended his campaign, four months after he formally announced his White House bid. The momentum behind his delayed entrance into the race steadily diminished as his GOP rivals racked up victories in early test states.
I am sure there will be many posts up today on what went wrong. I like the guy, but he never seemed interested in campaigning, in marked contrast to the rest of the field. I hope that he gets another moment in the GOP spotlight, so that this is not our last memory of him as a politician.
I'm happy to see it, but I confess I'm as surprised as you probably are.
“In a stunning turnaround, John McCain has turned a 33-point deficit with Republican voters in December into a 12-point lead over Rudy Giuliani today,” said Steven Greenberg, Siena New York Poll spokesman. “While America’s mayor still has strong support among New York City Republicans, he is getting beat by McCain in the suburbs and trounced upstate. Republican women give Rudy a small edge, however, Republican men are behind McCain nearly three-to-one.”
Everybody loves a winner. :)
Meanwhile, the latest meme going around is that Fred Thompson and Mike Huckabee have effectively been stalking horses for McCain, preventing Mitt-Mentum from taking over the GOP. Perhaps best expressed here:
First, there's Fred, whose lackluster showing in South Carolina was just enough to help McCain win there. As Ryan Sager writes, "Fred Thompson surely has a claim on the vice presidential nod should McCain go all the way, given the votes he took from Mike Huckabee on the Arizona senator's behalf." Then, there's Huckabee in Florida. As Martin and Ruffini point out, he's a great asset to McCain, drawing votes from Romney. Not only that, Huckabee has verged into man-crush territory with McCain and can be counted on to call any attack on him unfortunate and unfair.
Because of course, Fred and Mike legitimately like and admire John McCain, but their supporters do not? Let me say here too that some of the most vocal people who have said they'd rather lose than support the remaining field are Fredheads: Jeff Goldstein, and Professor Bainbridge, for example. The idea that these folks would flock to Romney is wrong, and it's wrong because Romney has pissed them off, just as he's pissed off the supporters of John McCain, and those of Mick Huckabee and (I suspect) those of Rudy Giuliani. That's the reality behind that astonishing poll result I cited the other day that showed 62% of the people would not vote for Mitt Romney. The negative campaigning has worked in some respects for Mitt, but it's really damaged him to the point where he's not a very credible candidate.
But also note Lowry's extremely wishful theory. Fred Thompson should have gotten out of the way of Mike Huckabee in South Carolina because it would have beaten John McCain. And Mike Huckabee should get out of the way of Mitt Romney in Florida because it would beat John McCain. How come these brilliant candidates don't do what is needed to beat John McCain?
Patrick Ruffini did an interesting bit of analysis the other day, pointing out that if the Romney forces had cast their ballots for Huckabee it might have stopped McCain:
Had just 20% of Mitt Romney’s voters voted tactically for Mike Huckabee, McCain would have been denied this needed momentum boost going into Florida and probably the nomination.
Yes, but they didn't know this going in. The polls were all over the map, including the one published the day of the primary that showed Huckabee winning by and Romney getting 9%. If Romney had gotten 20% of his supporters to vote Huckabee, they might have given the Huckster a huge win and Romney would have gotten 7%. It is difficult to spin a result like that positively, although I'm sure Hugh Hewitt would have risen to the occasion.
And speaking of radio talk show hosts, let's hear what Michael Medved has to say about South Carolina's big losers:
The big loser in South Carolina was, in fact, talk radio: a medium that has unmistakably collapsed in terms of impact, influence and credibility because of its hysterical and one-dimensional involvement in the GOP nomination fight.
The point is that you cannot lead the people someplace they don't want to go. You may be proven right in the end, but unless you are amazingly eloquent and charismatic, very few people going to drink the Kool-Aid just because you say so. Rush doesn't succeed because he tells people stuff they don't want to hear; quite the opposite.
What the heck? Pathetic Joe Scarborough, in one of the most insipid pieces of analysis since at least last Monday, claims that Fred Thompson's digs at Mike Huckabee last night were just intended to help John McCain:
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Last night it was so painfully obvious that Fred Thompson went to John McCain yesterday morning [affecting deep Thompsonesque voice] "if I can stay awake through this debate, I'll attack Huckabee for you."
Given that everybody in the world knew that Thompson was making his last stand in South Carolina where he knew Mike Huckabee is his rival for the voters in the Palmetto State, it should have been obvious that Thompson was going to try to score some points off the Huckster. And by all accounts he did.
Is it too late for Fred? Judging by the Luntz focus group who gave Fred an overwhelming victory in the debate it may be premature to say he is too far behind and doesn’t have enough time to rally.
So Scarborough's attack has to be seen as an attempt to ding at least two campaigns, those of Thompson and McCain, and possibly to sew some discord between the McCain and Huckabee folks. Anybody know whom Scarborough's backing? I haven't watched his show since it was Scarborough Country, and even then it was a last recourse if Flava of Love wasn't on.
I like Fred, I really do. And for Scarborough to imply that Thompson is deceiving all his fans in order to help John McCain is disgusting. I know people who are working for Fred, giving of their time to help a man they believe in. Joe Scarborough is saying it's all a game on them.
A new FOX News South Carolina Republican presidential primary poll shows McCain is now the front-runner with 25 percent, followed by Iowa caucus winner Huckabee at 18 percent and Romney at 17 percent. The results for all three top candidates are within the survey’s margin of sampling error.
Fred Thompson, who is from the neighboring state of Tennessee, captures the support of 9 percent, while Rudy Giuliani and Ron Paul both receive 5 percent.
Mitt Romney is going off the air in South Carolina, at least through next week’s Michigan primary. And he may not contest the Palmetto State at all.
Decisions about where to shift staff are still being made, but after tonight’s Myrtle Beach debate, the former Massachusetts governor almost certainly won’t be back in the state until after Michigan's contest next Tuesday.
Meanwhile my buddy Rick Moran is trying to raise funds for Fred Thompson:
Fred Thompson’s campaign is once again at a critical juncture and again I am showing my support for the candidate of my choice by organizing a Blogburst in hopes that we can raise the funds necessary for Fred’s campaign to be competitive.
I like Fred a lot; heck I like all of the Republican candidates a lot. And having been there myself I admire the folks who push on for their candidate when everybody else has given him up for dead.
Our longtime buddy John Hawkins does a superb job with these interviews, and I recommend this one strongly:
I agree with you. Now, let me ask you a question you've probably heard 500 times: you have been called a trophy wife quite a bit during this campaign. Do you find that insulting given what you've accomplished in your life?
You know, your perspective changes as things in your life change. At first, it was kind of a strange experience to go through, but now, after being on the bus with the boys, and being 41 years old with two kids under 4, I am thinking that's not such a bad thing to be said about me.
She comes off as a very intelligent and caring woman. As you folks know, I'm supporting John McCain for President. But one thing I've learned in the last couple of weeks is that all of the top Republican contenders have terrific qualities. We're going to be well-represented next November no matter who gets the nomination.
Thompson: The Supreme Court has attempted to delineate the constitutionally appropriate roles for individual and governmental decision-making on the issue of abortion. Beyond that, I believe that the federal government should not interfere with individual convictions and actions in this area
I would make an exception to this general rule of governmental non-interference in a very limited number of cases where government has a compelling interest in promoting the public welfare. For instance, I believe that states should be allowed to impose various restrictions if they so choose.
I've said in the past that I think there ought to be room in the Republican Party for pro-choice candidates. However, I have to admit that I'm a little surprised that three of the top four candidates for the Republican nomination (Thompson, Romney and Giuliani have all at various times been in favor of retaining legalized abortion.
A lot of interest in this "non-campaign" campaign. John Fund:
He lacks the compelling story of Rudy Giuliani during 9/11. He isn't a war hero with a 24-year record in Congress like John McCain. He doesn't have the M.B.A. smoothness and business success of Mitt Romney. But what Fred Thompson demonstrated to an enthusiastic Virginia Republican Party dinner Saturday is that he has gravitas, a presence and the ability to make people comfortable. Most importantly, many at the dinner saw him as a conservative who doesn't alienate or cause angst with any element of the GOP coalition.
That's a fair assessment, I would say. Although of course one of the reasons Thompson does not alienate a lot of the coalition is that he hasn't run for office since 1996 and thus has not had to take stands on current issues.
While it was clear Mr. Thompson has found a way to excite the Republican base, his impending candidacy is at a crossroads. He has run what Fred Barnes of The Weekly Standard calls "the greatest non-campaign campaign I've ever seen" and has managed to land in the upper ranks of the crowded GOP field without spending any money. But when his actual campaign begins next month, a different standard of success will be applied.
Many doubt he can catch the front-runners with such a late start in raising money, organization and endorsements. He responds that "it's too late to follow those rules even if I wanted to, and I don't want to." Instead he plans to use new technology in innovative ways that include everything from the Internet to distributing videos to cell phones. Less tech-savvy primary voters can expect to see Mr. Thompson as a constant presence on talk radio and cable TV news. Will that be enough? Much of it may depend on just how much Mr. Thompson can build on the success of Howard Dean in 2004 in harnessing the power of the Internet as a fund-raising tool.
Let me remind Mr Fund that Howard Dean's success was all in 2003; once 2004 started his campaign had almost no success.
But in other ways, Thompson remains resolutely a non-candidate. When those aides were asked for a copy of the speech their new boss was about to deliver, they explained that there was no such thing. Thompson would speak from the heart, or at least a few scrawled notes. And when he did speak, there were the first notes of a stump speech in that very familiar low boom of a drawl.
Speaking to Republicans who have suffered a string of losses, Thompson acknowledged that the party “was a bit down politically right now.” But he added, hopefully, that “tonight we’re on the comeback trail.”
Yet in trying to fire up the crowd, he stopped short of declaring his intention to lead that comeback.
I don't know what Martin means by a "string" of losses; we lost in 2006, but we won in 2000, 2002 and 2004.
Fred Thompson is now apparently in the race. As others have pointed out, this may be his big mistake; he's like the backup quarterback on many NFL teams. He's the most popular guy in town right up until the moment that he actually gets into the game, when everybody realizes that he's not the savior.
But there’s no denying that Fred Thompson has one of the most profound personality cults we’ve seen in politics for a long time. While traveling around the country in recent months, I’ve been amazed at how many rank-and-file Republicans see Thompson as a secular savior, as if Thompson were designed by GOP-friendly alien scientists as some sort of Super Candidate.
I like Thompson, but he's got a long way to go to establish that he's a credible candidate.
Looks like the mayor had better not order the new drapes for the Oval Office just yet:
Compared to Quinnipiac's last national poll in February, Mr. Giuliani fell to 27% from 40% — a huge tumble. Mr. Romney barely budged, going to 8% from 7%. Mr. McCain also barely budged, going to 19% from 18%. And Mr. Thompson burst onto the scene, coming in at 14%, having not been included in the last poll (and, as usual, stealing third place from Mr. Romney, despite not having lifted a finger).
And:
While Mr. McCain's favorable-unfavorable ratings have deteriorated slightly with the public at large, he's gained among white Evangelicals while Mr. Giuliani has seen an erosion. In February, Mr. McCain's fav-unfav with white Evangelicals was 53%-24%; now, it's 58%-15%. Among the same group, Mr. Giuliani went from 62%-16% in February to 57%-19% today.
These aren't huge jumps on either side. But they are evidence that Mr. Giuliani's liberal social views are catching up with him, while Mr. McCain is having some success reminding social conservatives that, though he's had some spats with the religious right, his views aren't that far out of the Republican mainstream.
All in all, a good week so far for Mr. McCain in the polls.
Is this the McCain Moment? Ramesh Ponnuru predicted this in a cover story in National Review, and now we're seeing a sudden flood of pro-McCain stories:
A lesser man than John McCain might be backing away from his previous support for the war-gone-bad in Iraq. What we're seeing instead is the very opposite of political expediency -- a Churchillian call to endure and prevail in an admittedly unpopular war but still a fight that McCain believes America cannot afford to lose.
McCain's Virginia Military Institute speech April 11 stands as his most compelling case yet for persevering in Iraq. Moreover, McCain's steadfast demonstration of principle over polls shows more courage and character than any other presidential aspirant in either party.
Giuliani, the former New York mayor, had a healthy 16-point lead over the Arizona senator last month, but that has dwindled to six points -- that is, if either Thompson or Gingrich enters the race.
Should they both toss their hats in the ring, Giuliani's lead over McCain drops to three points, 27 percent to 24 percent.
The odd thing is that I suspect McCain will do best in a head-to-head matchup with Giuliani long term. Mitt Romney continues to slide:
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who led Republican hopefuls in first-quarter fundraising with $23 million, slid into the No. 4 spot -- between Thompson and Gingrich -- with 10 percent of the vote.
Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign raised a record-setting $26 million for her presidential campaign in the first three months of a year, an impressive feat that may nonetheless be overshadowed in the next few days by news that Sen. Barack Obama managed to keep pace.
Is Fred Thompson a serious candidate? Bob Novak says yes:
Thompson's popularity reflects weakness among announced Republican candidates, as reflected in the Gallup survey. Sen. McCain, no longer an insurgent but still not accepted by conservatives, is stuck in the 20-25 percent range. Former New York City Mayor Giuliani has dropped precipitously from 44 percent to 31 percent, amid attacks on his ideology and personal life. Most startling, despite a well-financed, well-organized campaign, Romney has fallen to 3 percent.
Authenticity and star power conjure visions of Ronald Reagan. But Reagan had genuine experience running something—namely the state of California. Thompson's résumé is thin—an undistinguished eight years in the Senate, an acting career, and a youthful turn as co-counsel in the Watergate hearings. Supporters try to pump up his résumé by boasting that he shepherded John Roberts through his confirmation hearings—but that was the legal equivalent of walking Michael Jordan onto the court.
Republican Mitt Romney reported raising $23 million for his presidential campaign during the first three months of the year, shaking up the GOP field and rivaling the total reported a day earlier by Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton.
However, that 3% poll rating may dry the well up rapidly. And indeed, Mitt's money man sounds like he's thinking of moving on:
"Back in January, I had no idea that Fred was even thinking about it," Welch said. "I went ahead and committed to (Massachusetts Gov.) Mitt Romney because I thought he was the best of the lot that had shown interest in running. It would be very inappropriate and very unfair for me to say to Mitt Romney, 'Hey, Fred Thompson decided to run and I'm gone. Bye.' I'm not going to do anything like that. I made a commitment, and I'm going to stick with it, so long as he is in the race.
"If he, for some reason, were to drop out, my choice would naturally be Fred Thompson."
Welch made sure to say that last sentence several times: If Romney's out, Thompson is Welch's guy.
Animal Rights nutbars are up in arms over Rudy's wife's involvement with a firm that operated on dogs to demonstrate medical staples.
