I saw Thompson on FNS this morning and unimpressed by his answers to Wallace's questions, which struck me as shallow and canned.

That doesn't surprise me. Nobody gives substantive answers early in the campaign unless they're a vanity candidate like Al Sharpton or Alan Keyes.

When I talked to Romney at CPAC, I couldn't get answers on even basic questions that any candidate could have anticipated. There's just not much upside, I guess, in getting pinned down.

True--and a valid point.

However, if you are Thompson and are contemplating a late bid, then one would think you would have to say something to generate a little excitement. If you are basically going to say the same things as everyone else, why enter a crowded field?

Romney at least is consider one of the "Big 3" while Thompson would be one of the crowd.

I don't know what y'all were watching on FNS but the Fred Thompson I saw on FNS this morning gave short, direct answers to Chris Wallace's questions. There was no hesitation, no long drawn out explanations, no deep thought processes. Just quick, off-the-cuff repsonses that actually answered the questions, unlike several other candidates that seem to talk for minutes but say very little.

Fred Thompson is a man that I can support without reservation. While it's fortunate that his positions on the topics put to him by Chris Wallace mirror my own, I could still get behind him even if they weren't so similar, because he is a man of conviction, a leader and not a politician.

With the other republican candidates there is a need to compromise. Rudy is big on national defense but a social liberal. McCain is too unpredictable on everything, you never know where he is from one minute to the next. And Romney doesn't impress me as being strong on defense while he has other positions I like.

But with Fred Thompson I see a solid man who is unafraid of declaring where he stands on anything. He is conservative and my guess is that he would be a nasty opponent in a fight. Just the kind of leader this country needs right now.

If he runs, he will get my vote. And in my community, I can bring some other votes with me too. Something tells me that I am not the only one out here in fly-over-country that has this opinion of him. Watch for the opinion polls to come out in the near future. He will be there at the top with a commanding lead.

Fred Thompson is a worthy successor to Ronald Reagan. He understands what leadership is all about. We Americans need a leader. That's all -- nothing fancy. Somebody who speaks plain truth and knows how to tell it.