Thompson Endorsed McCain Last Week

In the file marked "Huh. I didn't know that," Fred Thompson endorsed John McCain this past Friday. I don't know if I missed it because I was busy or if it wasn't widely reported. Both Stop the ACLU and Michelle Malkin had it over the weekend.

"This is no longer about past preferences or differences. It is about what is best for our country and for me that means that Republican should close ranks behind John McCain," Thompson said in a statement reported by the Associated Press.

Thompson's endorsement was expected. The two men were colleagues for years in the Senate and shared what associates called a friendship. But while he was in the race, Thompson had bristled at the idea that he was going to drop out and endorse McCain.

The endorsement now may help McCain to coalesce the factions of the party around him. Thompson, who represented Tennessee in the Senate for eight years, is thought of well in the South, an area that McCain has not done well in.

Malkin seems very offended (surprise) at being told to "fall in line." The endorsement hasn't brought McCain the South and it almost doesn't matter for purposes of the primaries. Republican voters are left with only two candidates to chose from, and the national polls reflect that.

posted by Gabriel Malor at 11:46 AM

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