Are People Losing Patience With Thompson?

Aug. 22, 2007 — -- In the latest Gallup presidential poll, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson ranks second among Republican voters.

One political strategist said Thompson could swim the Mediterranean with all the "testing of the waters" he's done, but he still has yet to take the plunge and officially announce his candidacy.

Thompson got razed for wearing expensive Gucci loafers to the Iowa State Fair, but he did eat some meat on a stick and he even held a pig.

Would he do all that if he weren't running?

On the radio show "Mickelson in the Morning," Thompson said, "I have declared that I'm going to declare."

Thompson has certainly been honing his message.

"Some people in this country apparently think if we can pull out of Iraq, our problems will be over. You and I know better than that," Thompson said in a recent speech to a Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Kansas City.

And the other candidates are treating him like a rival.

When Thompson wrote on his blog Tuesday that he'd spent a lot of time in New York City filming the TV show "Law and Order" and that he doesn't like the city's gun laws, a spokeswoman for former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani shot back.

"Those who live in New York in the real world — not on TV — know that Rudy Giuliani's record of making the city safe for families speaks for itself," said Giuliani's communications director, Katie Levinson, in a statement.

Enough Dress Rehearsal

Some are getting more than a little annoyed with Thompson's long rehearsal for a run. One liberal blogger just filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission saying Thompson, who's already raised more than $3.4 million, should have to play by the same rules as the other candidates.

"Fred Thompson is breaking the law and it's very important to hold him accountable. Failure to do so would create a dangerous precedent for the electoral process," said Lane Hudson, a blogger for NewsForTheLeft.com.

Thompson's organization says Hudson's complaint is "completely without merit."

When and if Thompson says those two words, "I'm running," the dress rehearsal is over and the real show starts.

"Once you do get in, you don't have time for mistakes. You don't have time to be off message. You don't have time for diversion. You have to run a flawless campaign," said Frank Donatelli, a former political director for President Reagan.

Some say that Thompson's announcement may be coming too late. One adviser told ABC News that the Thompson camp realizes "there is a point where people will lose their patience." Many believe that an announcement from Thompson will come in early September.