Fred’s official announcement strongly hints they are going to use the run out the clock game to set a time table that would delay financial disclosures until late January, as I’ve been suggesting they would for a while now. The key portion reads:

“The committee will file our formal paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission within 15 days, the time allowed by law after Fred decided to run. Additionally, we will begin to consider candidate based events following Fred’s broadcast on September 6, 2007.”

His announced schedule shows 2 1/2 days in Iowa, one and a bit in NH and one in South Carolina. Having annoyed New Hampshire, are they focusing now on Iowa and South Carolina? The latter is a must win for him (if he loses to Rudy there he’s all but out of it), but is he seriously going to compete in the caucus state of Iowa against Romney and others? Perhaps he has no choice, but a South Carolina, Michigan and Florida trifecta seems his best bet.

UPDATE: GOP NH Chairman Cullen Fergus is “disappointed” and says Thompson’s timing was aimed to avoid the debate.