I DO SOME HANDICAPPING

Fred Thompson is the only GOP candidate (if he does become one) that I am afraid of. His presence on TV reminds me of Raygun and all too many people fell in love with that presence. I suppose the Fundies will ultimately be calling the shots and I don't know overall what they think of him but...

At least one representative of the Fundies finds Thompson acceptable:

"A lot of conservatives have been struggling here to figure out where to go with a candidate that can keep the coalition together," a former presidential candidate who is now president of the nonprofit American Values, Gary Bauer, told me yesterday evening, referring to the GOP alliance among economic, defense, and social conservatives. "I think Fred Thompson has a fairly decent chance of emerging as the candidate that can do that."

I had to ask him to clarify whether this was an endorsement. He said it wasn't.

I then asked whether Mr. Romney might also fit the bill.

"Mitt Romney is trying to fill that space," Mr. Bauer said. "But he continues to wrestle with concerns about how recently and how sincerely he has come to those [socially conservative] positions."

"Meanwhile," he said, "Thompson has a record that goes back quite a few years."

"It will make the competition better," he concluded.

UPDATE:

Mullah Dobson isn't keen on Freddie -

Dobson Offers Insight on 2008 Republican Hopefuls
Focus on Family Founder Snubs Thompson, Praises Gingrich
By Dan Gilgoff
Posted 3/28/07

Focus on the Family founder James Dobson appeared to throw cold water on a possible presidential bid by former Sen. Fred Thompson while praising former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is also weighing a presidential run, in a phone interview Tuesday.

"Everyone knows he's conservative and has come out strongly for the things that the pro-family movement stands for," Dobson said of Thompson. "[But] I don't think he's a Christian; at least that's my impression," Dobson added, saying that such an impression would make it difficult for Thompson to connect with the Republican Party's conservative Christian base and win the GOP nomination.

In a follow-up phone conversation, Focus on the Family spokesman Gary Schneeberger stood by Dobson's claim. He said that, while Dobson didn't believe Thompson to be a member of a non-Christian faith, Dobson nevertheless "has never known Thompson to be a committed Christian—someone who talks openly about his faith."

"We use that word—Christian—to refer to people who are evangelical Christians," Schneeberger added. "Dr. Dobson wasn't expressing a personal opinion about his reaction to a Thompson candidacy; he was trying to 'read the tea leaves' about such a possibility."