Subtext

I don't know how many of you may have watched last nights Republican Presidential Primary Debate on Fox News, but I want to talk briefly about that tonight. I watched some of it this afternoon, thanks to my DVR I was able to skip over some of the inane ramblings and political double-speak that apparently can't be done without, regardless of which party you call home.

The first thing you notice is that none of them really have all that much new stuff to say. Even the good stuff that some of them put out is stuff that you've heard before, and I guess that shouldn't be a big surprise, since this is something like the seventh time that they have gotten together for such a debate. And of course the second thing that comes to mind is that there were only eight of them there this time, instead of ten like before, and then as you think back, you realize that you don't even remember anything about the two that weren't around this time. I guess they really left a remarkable impression, huh?

Of course, the most disappointing part of it was the absence of Sen. Fred Thompson, who only officially declared himself to be a candidate today, choosing to skip last nights debate in favor of telling Jay Leno that he was in fact running for President, although I guess that wasn't the official announcement... seemed to make things pretty official from my viewpoint, but again, I digress.

One thing that stuck me ( I know, you're thinking, how come this guy isn't dead yet with all the things that strike him all the time...) is how much Fred Thompson's presence was felt, even though he was not in attendance. His name still came up several times, and it was fairly obvious that he has some of the current field running scared. Not the current top of the field, but certainly some of the ones that you sat there wondering why they even bother to stay in the race. And it was also clear that even the ones that don't flat out fear him still have a healthy respect for his potential as a contender. I've said before, I don't think Romney has a chance in reality, and I think McCain has been out since the immigration debacle, which he again tried to defend last night, but I think Rudy would welcome a good old fashioned political slug fest with another heavy hitter like Thompson simply because, if he manages to come out on top, the nomination would be in the bag. I think the healthy respect comes from the stark realization that he just might not come out on top.

There has been some criticism of Thompson for waiting so long to get into the race, and for skipping last nights debate, but the fact of the matter is that the Primaries are still five months away, which means that most Americans are still a good three of four months from paying too close attention to the whole thing, which, if he plays his cards right, and runs a good campaign, gives him more than ample time to pick up the nomination. And as far as the debate goes, it's not like there won't be ten or twenty more between now and the primary.

Only time will tell, and I'll be listening closely.