McCain-Thompson '08

By Aziz P. -
not exactly a surprise:

Fred Thompson, the one-time Republican presidential candidate, endorsed Sen. John McCain Friday, calling on the party to "close ranks" behind the presumed nominee.

"This is no longer about past preferences or differences. It is about what is best for our country and for me that means that Republican should close ranks behind John McCain," Thompson said in a statement reported by the Associated Press.


I dont know if FDT is angling for veep or not (though it's hard to see his limp and brief candidacy as anything other than a vanity run). But the advantages he'd bring to McCain are undeniable - including the South:

The endorsement now may help McCain to coalesce the factions of the party around him. Thompson, who represented Tennessee in the Senate for eight years, is thought of well in the South, an area that McCain has not done well in.


Paradoxically, declaring Thompson the VP might help McCain in the general with his base rather than against the Democrats. The enthusiasm gap continues and only Fred! seems to be the candidate who can bring some of that back.

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