Romney loses a key backer to Thompson

Fred Thompson -- " Law & Order " star, former Tennessee senator, and likely late entry into the Republican presidential contest -- just poached one of Mitt Romney's key conservative supporters in Congress.

US Representative Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, who's been with Romney since January, announced today that she is jumping ship and will now back Thompson if he runs.

"Fred Thompson is a man of uncommon talent, character, and judgment," Blackburn said in a statement. "He is a proven statesman and public servant. He is the right person for these challenging times . . . . I sincerely hope that Fred Thompson will choose to seek the Republican nomination for President of the United States."

It was just a few months ago that Romney was trumpeting Blackburn's support. "With extensive experience in the public and private sectors, Congresswoman Blackburn will provide valuable insight as I move forward," Romney said in a statement on Jan. 5. "I am proud that she has joined my exploratory committee as a senior adviser," he added, describing Blackburn as a "rising star among conservative leaders."

Thompson's entry into the race is sure to shake up the GOP field. Romney is clearly hoping Blackburn's defection is an aberration.

Revisiting Bill Clinton's marital misbehavior, Carl Bernstein asserts in "A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton" that she threatened to run for Arkansas governor as payback for her husband's dalliances and refused a divorce when he raised the subject in 1989.

"Her Way: The Hopes and Ambitions of Hillary Rodham Clinton," by longtime New York Times investigative reporters Jeff Gerth and Don Van Natta Jr., explores her Senate career in depth as well as her past. The Washington Post reported on the books' contents yesterday.

The Clinton campaign dismissed the books as a "20-year-old rehash" of issues surrounding the couple. "The news here is that it took three reporters nearly a decade to find no news," said a spokesman, Phil Singer. (AP)