The American Spectator

Well, James, the back to the future line would work if Thompson had been a fire-brand in the Republican Revolution but he really wasn't. On the list of issues in the Fox News piece today plus others Thompson just wasn't leading the band. Truth be told, he has an ACU rating and a profile pretty much like McCain (although Thompson's tax cutting record is better). (By the way, McCain folks chime in that in 1994 he was fighting for the line item veto.) Bringing up 1994 inevitably leads to the "What did you do in the war?" question. That is why the call to Thompson's past Senate life works not so well I think. ( And lobbying and acting aren't great professional platforms to run on either, which is why less resume and more ideas might be a better way to go. Do you think David Broder has noticed he's not going to get an entitlement plan from Thompson?)

Yes, every claim has a comeback but generally your pitch shouldn't put you on the defensive and help your opponents at least as much as it does you. (If the Fox News report is accurate, this whole back to '94 pitch was hotly debated in the Thompson camp, so my argument here likely was raised by the "losing" side.)