Irishgit called this one. There was no campaign here per se...this guy was a shill for McCain from the outset.

I think there was an element of "He looks like a President and can act like a President, so let's make him President" about his campaign  People probably thought it was viable strategy solely on the basis that it worked tremendously well for Ronald Reagan.  And Fred Thompson was a better actor than Ronald Reagan too.  But I think he was hampered by his own lack of committment to the cause.  He had wandered in and out of politics (and show business) several times and didn't really appear to throw himself into his Presidential bid with much feeling.  Perhaps next time they should seek out a method actor for the role.

What campaign?  This was a lazy, incompetent campaign with a lazy candidate at the helm.  Only the monumental ineptitude of the Giuliani campaign allowed this guy to beat anyone.

He wasn't running for the Republicans, he was running for the Shiftless Loafer Party.

Fred Thompson's campaign was probably as exciting as Jerry Seinfeld's suede jacket w/pink and white interior lining.

Fred Thompson is morally sound, but he lacked something to pull the Presidential race off.  He was my first choice until Huckabee appeared in the first debate.

He's gotten his straight-talk express back on track by sticking to his beliefs (mistaken though they might be on the wisdom of getting into Iraq). His straight talking has been very effective.

Thompson's campaign had a tough job: to draw attention away from Thompson's lack of heart, his failing memory, and his comparative incompetence.  I think Loerke's review does a better job of conveying this point than mine does.  

On top of it all, this campaign had to sell a guy who, in my view, completely misunderstands the US, its history, and why it's a good place to live.  A candidate who openly sanctions the use of torture should try his luck somewhere else.

Was over before it started really. Maybe he should have figured out some way of putting his name on the ballot without actually entering the race, because that's the only time he was doing any good. He waited too long to get in, then once he was there it seemed like he wasn't interested in being there. By the time they got to South Carolina, he seemed to be perking up and hitting his stride, but it was a day late and a dollar short.

I think Fred Thompson is a joke, but that makes me appreciate the efforts of his campaign workers all the more. His poor PR people knew they had cubic zirconia on their hands, but they had to pass it off as a diamond. The result was beating Giuliani in all five states where he ran: considering that the contest was between a lazy two-bit actor and a national political figure, that's no small achievement.

...and you quit your day job.

Fred Thompson is probably better suited to acting than he is to being presidential material.  I remember him best in his role in "Hunt for Red October".   It almost seemed that, during the campaign, he was lost at times because no one had written a script for him.  I like many of his positions on issues, but he just seemed a bit slow on the uptake.  Lord knows we need someone better than Dubya as a communicator and inspirer.  I don't think Thompson would have been much of an improvement over G.W.B. in that respect.

Who on earth ever took this guy seriously? His trohpy wife?

What campaign was that, again? Did you say, Fred Thompson?

Quite possibly the most incompetently run campaign of 2008. There was plenty of staff turnover, which probably contributed to the lack of direction exhibited by the Thompson campaign. The candidate himself never really seemed all that interested in running for President either. You have to want it in order to win. I get the sense that he was pushed into the race by supporters who told him that he had a chance to get the nomination. In theory, he could have been a good candidate that the GOP might have rallied around, but ultimately it didn't work out. Thompson didn't bring much to the race.

If Thompson hadn't left politics for a couple of years to go back to acting he would have been the man to beat.  Being from Tennessee I saw first hand what he can do.  He was a great senater and climbed the party's leadership ladder quickly.  He had a lot of impact on congress and did wonderful things for the families and people who had become ill working in Oak Ridge and New Mexico during the cold war.  Thompson can get things done and is well liked and respected by his peers.

What campaign. He never had an impact on the Republican primaries. He entered the race to late to be taken seriously, and with a less than enthusiastic attitude as well. He was a joke during Republican debates, and it was rather obvious to anybody with a pulse that he never stood a chance.

A disappointing effort.  It never seemed as if Fred's heart was in it.  It was almost as if he was pushed into this whole thing by those desperate for a tall, social conservative with authoritative sounding voice.  If you're into charismatic social conservatives, at least you still have Huckabee.