Fred Thompson's not likely to participate in the Ames straw poll, which suffered the defection this week of two top candidates.
But a solid argument can be made that he might want to take another look. The Washington Post reports that his advisers are meeting IA GOP exec. dir Chuck Laudner in DC today.
If Thompsom opts in, it would be audacious and unexpected and a way to show, at a minimum, that Thompson doesn't fear Mitt Romney's organizational prowess in Iowa.
Thompson wants to raise around $5M by August; we'd assume he wants to keep his campaign as flinty as possible. But spending a million on Ames might be a solid gamble. If he finishes anywhere near Mitt Romney, it'd be a huge win.
No one expects Thompson to even compete, so the momentum surge after even a second place finish would be considerable. And money would roll in, easily making up for whatever Thompson spent.
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As an actor, he knows that there can be gold in answering a cattle call, and with the others pulling out, it's a chance to strut his stuff. With low expectations he can't lose:
http://ajliebling.blogspot.com/2007/06/fredhead-convoy-is-ready-to-roll.html
Posted by Robert Stein | June 8, 2007 5:34 PM