Fox News finally gets around to reporting

Looks like "Big Media" is finally picking up on things I've been putting out here for a while..

Numerous signs point to a Thompson candidacy, and a summertime announcement is widely expected, although people close to him caution that he has not made a final decision about running.

Never mind that he basically already is.

Thompson is hiring staff, speaking to conservative groups, writing online columns on topics of the day and staking out positions on issues like the Senate immigration overhaul. He also is testing his pitch on the Internet.

[The Rest of the Story]

"It's important to the future of this country that (Republicans) have somebody that can win in November," Thompson said in a recent online interview. "People are looking for somebody who can talk straight to them. That's what I hope I bring to bear."

His expected entrance into the already crowded GOP field could dramatically shake up the wide-open race but it's unclear who among the strongest contenders, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney, would be affected the most.

Conservatives who make up a big part of the GOP base have found fault with Giuliani, McCain and Romney for varying reasons and for months now have been searching for a candidate to embrace.

Thompson's backers bill him as the perfect person — the one truly conservative candidate in the mold of Ronald Reagan who can beat the Democratic nominee in November 2008. Rep. Zach Wamp of Tennessee called Thompson "naturally conservative with a down-home sense of humor and a confidence about who he is."

In the Senate, Thompson was considered a reliably conservative vote. The American Conservative Union gave him a lifetime rating of 86 out of 100. He fiercely backed the Iraq war, worked to limit the federal government's role, supported banning a late-term abortion procedure, and voted for President Bush's tax cuts.

Courtesy of Fox New

Better late than never, I suppose