Here Comes Fred

Or so says the hearsay:

Fred Thompson is set to announce that Nashville will be the home of his national campaign headquarters, WSMV is reporting.

A source close to the campaign planning tells WSMV that that Thompson planned to announce his candidacy on the steps of the historic Fall School Building Tuesday, but Thompson campaign officials deny that Tuesday's announcement is an official run for the White House.

I think it likely that Thompson will enter the race, if not on Tuesday, certainly in the next week or so. Not only will he profit personally by such a run, but the party needs someone to whom the base will rally. Now, this doesn't mean that Mr. Thompson is conservative--his voting record is quite similar to McCain's--though I guess this puts him to the right of "America's Mayor".

Simply put, no one is all that excited about Rudy McRomney; thus the party will attempt to force someone else upon the base. I make no predictions about the success of the move, as the rumblings of discontent from the religious right over Thompson's flimsy stances on moral issues, such as abortion, as well as his tepid religiosity, are not necessarily to be trusted.

I will note, however, that Thompson has no chance of defeating any of the leading Democratic candidates, especially Hillary, who will eat the lazy actor alive. Still, Fred is more likable than Rudy, and the base, still head over heels in love with Ronald Reagan, might conflate acting ability with conservatism and fall for the man. It wouldn't be the first time the party has been duped.