50/50 [Rich Lowry]When you see something like this on The Corner, you know the buzz is real...
Those are the odds insiders I'm talking to today are putting on a Thompson run. I wouldn't have believed they were so high, but there you go. If he gets in, it's very bad news for Romney and could make the race tougher for McCain, who needs to win back conservatives from Giuliani.
Mark's Remarks
Fred Thompson would be a boon to conservatives. Conservatives are looking at this election in many ways they were looking at Gerry Ford in 1976...ie, is this the best we have???? The conservatives are looking for someone is his both a fiscal and philosophical conservative, someone who is both law and order and on moral issues is in line with them. McCain loses on all fronts--he is more concerned with getting invited to the lib parties and making friends than in taking a stand; Rudy loses in that he is liberal on philosophical and values issues, but is a fiscal and law and order conservative who wants to fight the war on terror. Romney loses in that he is an unknown and is seen as an abortion flip-flopper. Also, there is the stigma of mormonism. Add to that he is trailing a guy who hasn't even committed yet in Fred Thompson.
I had a conversation with Bill Herdmann, emeritus member of our central committee. We both agreed we were in Fred's camp if he ran, but absent that, we would hold our nose and vote for Rudy because he at least meets the bill on the war front, the law front, and the fiscal front. McCain is too much the DC senator, and besides that, Rudy is the only one who beats Hillary head to head in every poll consistently.
