The first rat deserted the Fred Thompson campaign’s sinking ship yesterday when former N.Y. Sen. Al D’Amato — who famously loathes fellow New Yorker Rudolph Giuliani — scurried onto the more seaworthy vessel of John McCain.
A few hours later, Thompson announced he was leaving the race:
Thompson bowed to what became inevitable after his third-place showing in Saturday’s South Carolina primary. Less than an hour after the polls closed that night, when it was already evident he would be an also-ran, Thompson addressed his supporters in the state — remarks that walked right up to a withdrawal but stopped just short of it. Since then, he has been absent from the campaign trail.
Thompson’s campaign was fabricated in the lofty realms of the Beltway’s GOP ivory tower: He was an actor like Reagan, a Southerner and a conservative. Never mind the fact he was a K Street lobbyist for 18 years, which was twice as long as he served in the U.S. Senate. What could go wrong?
In a rare, funny moment on “Saturday Night Live,” a send-up of Thompson captured what was wrong with his campaign. When asked to rate his desire to be president, the actor spoofing Thompson said something like, “I’d give it about a six.”
In the five contests so far, Thompson’s campaign accrued just five delegates to the GOP Convention this summer.
One thought on “Campaign ’08: ‘Fixin’ To Get Ready Fred’ Thompson Shuffles Offstage”