I have to admit, over the course of the last week I was beginning to have my doubts as to wether I picked the right candidate when I endorsed Fred Thompson. My doubts had nothing to do with his politics, as I have yet to find one issue I disagree with him on, I was however worried about his electability. With the media largely ignoring him, his poll numbers have been stagnant around the 10 to 15 percent level. His fundraising numbers have been lackluster to say the least, which caused concern that his lack of available funs would cause him to drop out of the race even before super Tuesday.

I am happy to say that my doubts have been removed, and I am now confident I have backed a candidate with a real chance at winning. Thompson’s performance in the debate last night was easily his best, and by far better than any other candidate. A look around the blogsphere today shows others agree with me overwhelmingly:
Michelle Malkin:

The debate is finished. Fred will be declared the clear winner. There are a lot of folks on our side of the blogosphere who were pulling for him. He delivered his one-liners better than anyone else. He aggressively attacked Huckabee, showed humor, and looked comfortable on stage.

Jim Geraghty:

Tonight, Fred Reminded Me of Roy Hobbs.

Winner: Thompson. This performance was so commanding, I wanted his last answer to echo back to the lights in the back of the auditorium, blow out all the lamps and spotlights, for the theme to “the Natural” to play, and for him to trot around the stage in slow motion while sparks showered down in the background.

Captain Ed:

Who put the vitamins in Fred Thompson’s oatmeal? We have waited for Thompson to show up on the campaign trail, and tonight he finally did. He had energy, focus, a command of detail, and a willingness to finally engage with the other candidates on the stage. He took almost everyone else aback, and seized momentum that he only occasionally relinquished.

John Hawkins:

Fred Thompson (Big Winner): He was energized, funny, gave good answers and just tore Mike Huckabee up. This may have been Fred’s best debate yet.

Red State:

Fred Thompson owned this debate. He owned it. He dominated.

Here is what the Frank Luntz focus group had to say after the debate:

Today Thompson received the endorsement of Human Events who said:

We make this endorsement on the basis of much research, having interviewed Sen. Thompson and some of his opponents, as well as examining what they have all said and done. We conclude that Thompson is a solid conservative whose judgment is grounded in our principles.

Thanks to his performance last night, Thompson has already surpassed his goal of raising an additional $540,000 by this evening. With $616,000 raised so far from 6,700 new friends, a South Carolina win is no longer looking like the long shot prediction it once was. Let’s see if we can push that $616,000 up to $750,000 by the end of today!

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Election 2008, Features, Fred Thompson, Video