It is clever on multiple levels. It obivously defends McCain
against Huckabee but it also undermines Huckabee with dyed in the
wool conservatives who don't like McCain. "Hey, if he likes McCain
he can't be all that conservative." Pushing down Huckabee who is
in the number two spot is the name of the game for McCain, and
tossing some votes to Thompson (who is asserting he is the one true
conservative) is fine and actually the least he can do in exchange
for the Thompson attacks on Huckabee. Politics and bedfellows and
all that...