Maryland for Fred Thompson

1 Day until the Michigan Primary
5 Days until the South Carolina Primary
15 Days until the Florida Primary
22 Days until Super Tuesday

• ABC News:
  

  Thompson, who had launched an aggressive attack against Huckabee’s record during Thursday night’s GOP debate in Myrtle Beach, S.C., responded by insinuating that Huckabee is in truth nastier than his sunny demeanor, is unprepared for the presidency, and is making personal attacks while Thompson is “talking about issues concerning this country.”

  Huckabee has “raised enough money now to get some hit pieces and dredge up personal stuff and personal accusations against me,” Thompson told CNN. “And now you’re seeing the real Mike Huckabee come out. So, I think we’ve done a favor to the American people. Because these are serious times, and they require somebody that knows what they’re doing and doesn’t walk into a situation with foreign representatives and heads of foreign nations with training wheels on.”

• Jennifer Rubin, Human Events:
  

  Thompson did well enough in Iowa to live to fight another day and South Carolina is his best and final chance to climb to the top of the heap. Before the polls closed in New Hampshire the Thompson campaign announced in essence that they had become a South Carolina campaign with staff, resources and advertising focused on South Carolina including the “Clear Conservative Choice” bus tour and a statewide media buy.

  In his strong debate performance he attempted to persuade primary voters that Huckabee’s views on economics and foreign policy are essentially liberal and that Thompson is the real conservative choice.

  Asked about Thompson’s appeal, Dean Rice, who is heading Thompson’s South Carolina team, responds: “He is rooted in the same conservative core values they are.” He contends that Thompson’s endorsement by the National Right to Life Committee (and its state affiliate), his experience in national security and defense policy in the Senate and his economic record of “reducing taxes and government debt” provide a complete package to voters. In contrast to Huckabee’s message of economic populism Thompson focuses on free markets and entrepreneurs and recognizes that “every dollar that goes to Washington is probably better spent in South Carolina.” He dismisses media “chatter” about money and contends that “it is easy to get lost in the process. We certainly have the resources to get our message out there.” As for the new fascination with “change,” Rice asks, “What are they talking about changing? It is not so much ‘change’ but credibility. Where are they rooted?”

• The Tampa Tribune:
  

  Valrico resident Glory McClure, 14, is a Fred Thompson supporter. “America needs a president who knows that our freedom comes from God and not from government. If Fred Thompson was president, laws would be laws. It would be a lot more strict, and that’s important because we’ve slacked off on stuff like that. … Gun control is a big issue for me, and Fred Thompson believes that everyone has the right to have one unless they have a criminal record.”

• The Jawa Report:
  

  FredHeads, Thompson Troops and Young Professionals from all over the country traveled to South Carolina this weekend to pitch in and help Fred in his full-court press leading into the vote on Jan. 19th.

• ScrappleFace (satire):
  

  Republican Fred Thompson announced today he has pulled out of the race to set pre-primary expectations through media-driven political polling.

  Former Sen. Thompson said he’s committed to winning the Republican nomination for president, and then the White House, but would no longer allow his name to stand in public opinion polls funded by newspapers and cable news outlets.