I know that Fred Thompson still has a lot of fans in the
conservative media and among bloggers--and a base of loyal national
supporters who are willing to grasp onto anything to report a
coming Fred surge, but I haven't detected any signs of it here in
Iowa. Of all the events I've been to in both parties, Fred drew the
smallest crowd--even Joe Biden and Bill Richardson outdrew him. On
the same day that Mike Huckabee attracted about 500 people to a
large theater in Ottumwa last Friday, Thompson crammed about 40
people into a tiny conference room at a hotel.
The latest cause of the Fred euphoria is this Zogby
poll showing him at 12 percent, in a tie for third place with
John McCain. Has the bar really gotten so low for Thompson that
after camping out in the state for weeks, he's tied with somebody
who has hardly put any resources into the state, and it's cited as
evidence of a "surge"?� We're supposed to
believe that a narrow third place finish--with him getting less
than half the support of the second place candidate--is going to
catapult him to
a win in South Carolina and on to the nomination? I'll be the
first to admit it if I'm wrong, but I really do think that's
wishful thinking on the part of the Fredheads. Huckabee remains
very strong here on Caucus eve.
topics:
John McCain, Joe Biden
