Republican and Conservative political analysis and commentary

The Hill's Brent Budosky says "the major media is missing the full magnitude of the grassroots Republican surge that will soon transform the 2008 field," and says that transformation is the coming surge of support for Fred Thompson for president.

You should read Budosky's whole post over at The Hill's Pundit Blog.

I believe he's 100 percent right...

Fred Thompson is not just another senator, ex-senator or ex-governor jumping into the race and trying to court the conservative Republican base so necessary to winning the nomination. He's transforming the race.

Thompson's announcement yesterday that he is giving serious consideration to running for president will freeze the field - in fact, it probably already. McCain, Romney and Giuliani will see an immediate halt to any upward progress they had among conservatives. The lesser-known candidates in the race, with the possible exception of the one-note (immigration) Tom Tancredo, will see their attempts to win conservative support and dollars stymied while conservatives await Fred's decision.

As the Thompson surge materializes, you may see it transform other races too. I could imagine seeing former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee drop out of the race and run for the Senate instead - giving the GOP instantly a popular and credible challenger to take a seat from the Democrats in the '08 cycle. Tancredo even might bow to reality and run for the open Senate seat from Colorado in '08, a race he could win and keep the seat, now held by Republican Wayne Allard, in GOP hands.

Even Newt Gingrich, the undeclared candidate who said he would wait until fall to announce if he is running, has had his calculus changed - now, waiting to fall might be too long, if Fred later this spring or early summer goes ahead and fills the role of conservative savior of the party.

Fred Thompson's decision-making process - not Mitt Romney's money and resume, not McCain's establishment support, and not Giuliani's celebrity - is now the dominant force in the early race for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination.