Lights, Camera, President?

May 4, 2007— -- From his frequent TV appearances, blogging on conservative Web sites and planned speaking engagements before Republican groups in Connecticut and Virginia, Fred Thompson leaves little doubt that he is running for president.

He provides an attractive package to many conservative voters and pundits who are looking look for an ideologically traditional, electable and articulate standard bearer.

Once he becomes an official candidate, scrutiny of his record and views will get under way. For now, one of the few complaints about him seems to be the dig that he lacked energy and doggedness in his Senate years.

Exhibit A is his unfocused and ultimately unsuccessful chairmanship of the hearings on Clinton/Gore fundraising practices.

In short, the whisperers say he is lazy.

This is translated into the speculation that maybe he will be a less committed and focused candidate, unwilling or unaware of the demands of the campaign. This is a particular problem, so the criticism goes, for someone starting late in the race with no funds and no state organizations.

Rather than dispute this or assure voters and potential supporters of his energetic determination, he has taken an interesting tact.

In a Neil Cavuto interview, Thompson said, "Going on the road for months at a time, and for all practical purposes, just checking [in] every once in a while, I wouldn't do that. I don't think it has to be done that way. I know people will expect that of everyone -- to run frenetically around for years. And I don't do frenetic very well."

A Thompson aide explained subsequently in a politico.com story that Thompson needn't trudge incessantly through primary states like other candidates, saying, "Because of his name ID, he doesn't have to go diner to diner and church to church."

Another potential campaign supporter remarked, "Well-known candidates can do things a little differently. You show up, you're accessible, but you don't have to go to every county seat several times."