I thoroughly agree that Fred blew his best chance at the nomination. It is going to be very difficult at this late stage just to raise enough money to compete through February 5th.

Still, he has played that position as well as possible, issuing statements on issues as if from on high, detached from the dirty deeds of day-to-day politics. The same Rasmussen poll which shows Rudy whipping Hillary has the GOP race tightening: Rudy slips to 23%, Thompson has 21% followed by Romney at 15% and McCain's 13%. If these numbers are confirmed by other polls, it means a four-way race, and anything can happen.

According to Rasmussen Romney at 16% is closing on Guuliani at 24% and Thompson at 20%.

Jim Addison, I commented before seeing your comment. My numbers are slightly different from yours, but I think that Rasmussen does a "rolling" poll and one of us may have gotten a day later version.

I just don't see Thompson not officially declaring his candidacy as "Hamlet like indecision." I think it is a decided upon strategy to enter the race later in the game. Whether it is the right strategy or not is debatable, but indecision? No.

The state numbers in FL do not look good for any Republican. If we lose FL, it will be difficult to win the election.

I wouldn't insist it was indecision that kept Fred out, but the buzz was building steadily from March to about June. That sort of thing is transitory in nature. If he had jumped in June 1, he might have become the instant frontrunner. Now it becomes problematical whether he can run a competitive campaign or not, given the truncated schedule.

Murphy ~ I suspect that's exactly what happened. Our numbers are statistically indiscernible, anyway.

Reid Wilson should look at a calender to check the month AND year. He may realize then the year is 2007 and although the other supplicants to the presidency have been at it for some time all it has managed to do is deplete their campaign funds and cause untold mirth.

That Fred! hasn't entered the race is neither a mistake nor a miscalculation and it will in no way impede his ability to raise funds.

Boy, I sure hope this speculation is wrong. Fred is the only "top tier" Republican for whom I wouldn't be ashamed of voting.

While I'm not in love with everything "Republican", the Republican Party was founded around the issue of equal rights for all human beings and has held true to that principal. Of course the Democrat Party has always stood for special rights for some, no rights for others, and thus the Democrat would never get my vote, even if by some miracle it's not Bill's wife.

Having a openly pro-genocide candidate like Guiliani or a flip-flopily "formerly" pro-genocide candidate like Romney as the nominee would be deplorable.

If Fred does drop out, which I find very unlikely, it looks like Huckabee might be the horse on which I bet (and for whom I vote in the primary).

I'll still vote for whomever the Republican nominee is in the general election- but if it's Rudy or Mitt, it won't be a vote for the Republican, it will be a vote against Bill's wife.

i don't understand how this is a late stage. a year from now no one will even remember what was happening in 07, nor will anyone care.