Justin Webb's America

Thompson conundrum

• Justin Webb
• 23 Jan 08, 12:43 AM GMT

CHARLESTON: The answer to the Fred Thompson conundrum is simple, it seems to me. The conundrum is this: why did he not catch on in spite of the fact that he had a genuine, if somewhat offbeat, appeal? The answer: the Republican Party is serious, or getting serious, about winning in 2008; it is not that Fred was deficient policy-wise but that his general demeanour, lacklustre to the point of other-worldliness, was never going to triumph against tough-savvy Hillary or New Deal Barack.

It seems to me that the Republican Party is now searching for winners: McCain is plainly there, or thereabouts, but so is Romney, now that the economy has (semi-officially) tanked, and Huckabee and Giuliani are not out of it yet. Assessments are in on the history of the Thompson non-surge. He will be missed.

This video showed Fred at his best. His fans will be watching it and crying into their whiskey...

UPDATE: I should add, though, that my personal favourite advert of the campaign so far was this one, created for the slow-to-catch-fire southerner by Slate Magazine (I know it's a spoof but it's great).

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