The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review wonders, Is Thompson the GOP’s guy? Choice quotes:

• But he is now considering the race amid indications his conservative record, combined with a blue-collar, pickup-truck appeal to independents and moderate Democrats, might make him the right guy at the right time.
• He could run as a commonsense Washington outsider with Ronald Reagan-class communications skills.
• Bob Beckel, who managed 1984 Democrat nominee Walter Mondale’s campaign, says Thompson could be a nightmare for Democrats because of his communications skills and likely appeal to swing voters.
• [Conservatives] like his 90-plus rating as a senator from the American Conservative Union almost as much as the zero he received from the liberal Americans for Democratic Action.

Dan Thomasson of the Scripps Howard News Service opines in the Courier Press:

Obviously Thompson’s name recognition is high enough because of his TV and movie performances to make a late entry into the campaign more plausible than it might be for others. But he also has solid credentials as well as a presidential demeanor. Whether or not he possesses the desire, money and organization to capture the nomination and then the White House against odds that at this stage clearly favor whoever wins the Democratic nod is another question.

An organization should not be a problem. A solid organization is forming even though he hasn’t announced or is even actively engaged in the process. Tennessee politicians Zach Wamp and John J. Duncan, Jr. are serving as co-chairmen of the “Draft Fred Thompson 2008” committee.

Why don’t you drop by and help Fred out with that little money problem by dropping a few dollars in the kitty. I can’t think of anything that would convince Fred to run better than seeing that the little people are willing to support him, even before he’s sure of things himself.

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