Fred Thompson gave a closed speech to the Council for National
Policy in Tyson's Corner on Saturday, and the Hotline posts a less than enthusiastic account from a
"tipster":
1. Thompson got a standing ovation when we entered.
2. His speech started on judges and pivoted to Scooter Libby. No
one understood why he was talking about Libby. 3. People seemed to
like him because they felt like they had to. However, Thompson's
presence empowered people to bad-talk Romney, McCain, and others,
in a way that they hadn't done in previous CNP meetings. 4. People
also recognized that he is not perfect for them. They recogized
that it is awkward, even in context.
I'll take this with a grain of salt because it came from a single
anonymous tipster. But it's worth keeping in mind as another
indication that Thompson may have trouble living up to people's
fantasies about him. I'm now wondering whether it's such a good
idea for Thompson to wait so long to jump into the race. Thompson
seems to want to hold out to maintain his aura as long as
possible. But the problem is that the longer he waits, the more
expectations have time to build, and the more difficult it will be
for him to live up to the myth once he does jump in.