Jonathan Martin, blogging at The Politico, has some further thoughts about endorsements in the presidential campaign.
And then there is this, from the Knoxville News-Sentinel, the journalistic home of the Draft Thompson movement. Rep. Jimmy Duncan, Romney's golden get in Vols Country, says he'd walk back his Mitt endorsement if Thompson gets in, Rep. Marsha Blackburn has a conspicuous no-comment on the same and Frist and Corker have nothing but warm things to say for their fellow Tennessean. It's yet another reminder of how unsettled the race is and the kind of buzz the Law & Order star is creating among both conservative activists and elites. The next important question about Thompson: Do all those old Howard Baker/Lamar!/Fristie donors (we're talking about you, Ted Welch) also hop on board the Fred Train?
Well, the answer, at least for now, regarding Welch is, "No." He's stickin' with Mitt Romney. But of course if Thompson enters the race it is not inconceivable that he could crumble Romney's conservative support support - and McCain's and Giuliani's - and turn the primary race into a two-man contest between himself and the former mayor of New York. If that happens - if the Fred Express is headed for victory - most of those who supported Romney or McCain will hop over to the Thompson train.
As for Blackburn, I disagree with Martin's description of what she (her spokesman, actually) said. For an explanation, click here.
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