Republican and Conservative political analysis and commentary

I haven't mentioned it before but there's a web page dedicated to drafting Newt Gingrich to run for president. It's DraftNewt.org and includes a blog on the home page. Today's entry looks at a recent Evans and Novak email newsletter that looks at the campaign prospects for Gingrich and Fred Thompson.

The two big Republican "non-candidates" for President -- former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.) and former Sen. Fred Thompson -- topped a recent Oklahoma straw poll. Thompson took 38 percent and Gingrich took 15. This comes as yet another sign that Republican discontent for the big three candidates -- Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, and Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) -- overwhelms the Republican side of the presidential equation. Giuliani, who placed third, had only 9 percent.

Gingrich continues to hold his powder, hinting that any announcement will wait until the fall. Thompson, starting far behind in the money chase for the Republican presidential nomination, is considering adopting the 2004 tactics used by Democrat Howard Dean (D-Vt.) to raise campaign money via the Internet. All the signs of discontent at the grassroots level suggest that he could succeed in doing this.

I have a hunch that if one runs the other won't, and it's clear that Thompson is moving toward an announcement earlier than September. If Thompson runs, the rationale for a Gingrich candidacy - that conservatives don't like Giuliani, McCain or Romney but none of the "real conservatives" in the race can win - shrivels.