The American Spectator

I just spoke to Fergus Cullen NH State GOP Chairman. He had quite a bit to say. He began: "Fred Thompson has a great opportunity to make a great first impression here and he's not taking advantage of it." He reiterated that this situation reminds him of the 1999 October Dartmouth debate which George Bush skipped, saying "If you asked them [the Bush team] they'd say 'What a mistake we made.'" I asked if he had had contact with the Thompson camp. He answered: "One of the frustrations is that they have had zero official contact with the New Hampshire GOP all year. We try to communicate and we certainly told them of the debate. If I sound frustrated I am." He repeated that if Thompson changed his mind and became an official candidate before the debate the GOP would accommodate him. Cullen stated, "I do hope they reconsider." He continued that it appeared that Thompson "deliberately" timed his entry "to avoid participating in this event." Does the fact Thompson will appear on Leno that night make a difference? "I think it does. It definitely does." Cullen said pointedly that the fact that Thompson "will be trading jokes while other candidates are having a serious debate will not be missed." Cullen explained that there is "genuine interest in his campaign but he doesn't seem serious." He then referred to the NH Union Leader article yesterday which he says "summed up" how voters in New Hampshire feel. He ended by saying that Thompson's failure to appear says to voters "we're not ready to talk issues substantively."