Republican and Conservative political analysis and commentary

Hotline previews Fred Thompson's growing presidential campaign team:

Ex-Sen. Fred Thompson, who attends his first official political event in Orange County, CA tonight, has authorized a cadre of top Republican operatives to prepare a presidential campaign on his behalf. Republicans said that four circles of Thompson allies are at work. The first, consisting of Republicans with ties to Thompson's home state of Tennessee, includes ex-Sen. Maj. Leader Howard Baker, Tom Ingram, chief of staff to Sen. Lamar Alexander, current TN GOP chairman Bob Davis, and Mark Tipps, a former chief of staff to ex-Sen. Bill Frist.

Tipps, a Bush fundraiser and lawyer, is advising Thompson on politics and fundraising, and he ran Lamar Alexander’s Iowa state campaign in ’96.

Then there’s the world inhabited by former aides to Frist -- and Frist himself, who has been sounded out about the possibility of serving as Thompson’s finance chair.

A third circle includes the Republican activists Thompson came to know in Washington, including David Bossie, a former House government affairs committee counsel and Clinton antagonist.

At the highest level – though not necessarily the closest to Thompson – are Republican political professionals like pollster John McLaughlin.

Republicans said that Thompson allies are compiling lists of potential supporters and fundraisers.

Sources close to Thompson said that Republican media firms have been approached about the possibility of working for a campaign. They include Scott Howell and Co., which produced controversial ads attacking Harold Ford in 2006’s Senate race. A Republican close to Howell’s firm confirmed that  Thompson allies had reached out, although Thompson himself has not been in contact. Howell’s firm has been also recruited by ex-NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s campaign.

Hotline says sources close to Thompson said June is the likely month for launching the campaign: "They expect Thompson to take his family on vacation and make a formal decision shortly thereafter."