Republican and Conservative political analysis and commentary

Yesterday was a big day in the Fred Thompson presidential campaign, as the former Tennessee senator visited with more than five dozen Republican members of Congress in preparation for what now seems an inevitable announcement of his candidacy. Today's edition of The Daily Fred is chock full of news links. Let's dive right in...

Nashville Tennessean: Fred Thompson took the stage and gave a virtuoso performance Wednesday during a private meeting with House Republicans -- leaving many star-struck and gushing about the prospect of the former Tennessee Republican senator running for president.... "When he makes that announcement, he will have a groundswell of support unlike any other candidate we have seen in many, many years," said Jeff Miller, R-Fla.

Memphis Commercial-Appeal: Former U.S. senator Fred Thompson of Tennessee didn't win over the two Greater Memphis congressional Republicans among the 53 who greeted the prospective presidential candidate Wednesday -- but then, he hasn't even declared yet.... U.S. Rep. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, whose district includes DeSoto and Marshall counties, has not committed to any candidate for president yet, but said he was impressed after a closed-door meeting with the television and movie actor, who he disclosed is also his fourth cousin.

The State (South Carolina): Fred Thompson, a Republican registering well in national polls as he flirts with a presidential run, is the talk of this town's political elite.... It's a different story in early primary states where voters will choose the GOP nominee.

New York Times: Former Senator Fred D. Thompson of Tennessee is not a declared presidential candidate, but he demonstrated his political star power Wednesday by drawing an audience of dozens of House Republicans searching for an alternative to their party's current presidential field.... The House members do see a bit of Reagan in Mr. Thompson, both for his conservative record and an acting career in which he has often played the commanding authority figure, a fact they said should not be overlooked in assessing his appeal.

Boston Globe: But while Thompson's public flirtations with a run have quickly registered in polls, questions remain over whether he is ready to commit to a presidential campaign. Some Republicans have privately expressed concern about signing on with a candidate who is unwilling to give the race his fullest attention.

CNN: Former Tennessee senator and possible Republican presidential contender Fred Thompson met with over 50 members of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday.... "I wanted to come over and see some of my old friends, make some new friends and tell them what was on my mind and listen and to see what was on their minds," said Thompson. "And we had a good talk, enjoyed it, and we'll be seeing more of each other, I'm sure."

See also: Hotline.

...Don Surber writes:

This race is a marathon and it looks like some are running themselves down even before the race begins. Without lifting a finger or raising a dime, Thompson is out-polling Romney in the Real Clear Politics poll averages. It’s Rudy 31%, McCain-Feingold 20%, Fred 11%, Mitt 10%.

The money is ouit there. He has plenty of time to collect it. Even if he waits until Labor Day, he will have announced 2 months before GWB did in 1999.

...Glenn Reynolds comments on Surber's post, adding, "With Internet fundraising -where I suspect Thompson would do very well - he has even more room (than September), I think."

So, is Fred running? Consider this (unconfirmed) news from a blogger:

I recently had a conversation with a proprietor of a political web consulting company that designs campaign websites for candidates. He had been contacted by a staffer for Fred Thompson about building a campaign website for the former senator from Tennessee. It is highly unusual for someone who isn’t considering running for president to be requesting bids on building out their website; ergo, Thompson is laying infrastructural groundwork for a presidential run.

Problem: It's a firm that does web work for Democrats. Memo to Fred's people: There are plenty of good Republican firms and plenty of great conservative web talent.