Several Republican officials close to Fred Thompson’s presidential campaign said they expect the candidate will drop out of the race within days if he finishes poorly in Thursday’s Iowa caucus.
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“Without a solid third-place finish, there’s no point in going on,” a Thompson adviser said Wednesday. “It was an honorable race, and he turned out to be a good candidate. The moment had just passed.”
Thompson never struck me as terrible interested in running anyway. Others noticed it as well, lending credibility to the characterization that Fred would be a "lazy" president.
Anyway, the quote from his advisor seems to guarantee a fourth place finish. Why would anyone vote (or caucus) for a man who is contemplating an end to his campaign?
This will leave Republicans with one less unappaetizing candidate. I suspect it bodes well for McCain, who will probably get the Thompson approval.