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Today's NH Union Leader editorial page argues that Thompson should attend the Sept. 5 debate in New Hampshire, and articulates his dilemma this way:

If Thompson announces before the debate, New Hampshire voters will expect him to be at the University of New Hampshire with the other announced candidates. A no-show will be counted here as a snub.

If Thompson waits until after the debate to make his announcement, it will appear to some as if he timed the announcement just to avoid the New Hampshire debate. That would give his foes the chance to say he is either not serious about running for the nomination or is too unprepared to be considered a credible candidate.

Of course, on the flip side, if Thompson does jump into the race by taking part in the NH debate, and he's completely unprepared and looks foolish, it could strangle his candidacy in its infancy. If he waits until after the debate to announce, though he may generate some criticism for having ducked, he'll still be able to participate in the Dartmouth debate in New Hampshire on Sept. 27, at which point he'd have more time to prepare. In fact, if immediately after announcing his candidacy, he agrees to participate in the Dartmouth debate, that will become the news story--not the fact that he skipped a debate that is already old news.

CORRECTION: There is no Dartmouth debate on Sept. 27. See here.