Thompson displays lack of command
WASHINGTON - Former senator Fred Thompson of Tennessee set low expectations for his first debate as a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. And, in the first minutes of yesterday's Michigan debate, he failed to reach them.
Asked why two-thirds of Americans express pessimism about the economy, Thompson said, in his folksy drawl: "Well, I think there are pockets in this economy that, certainly, they're having difficulty. I think they're certainly those in Michigan that are having difficulty. I think you always find that in a vibrant, dynamic economy."
Thompson's dismissal of Michigan's pain didn't pass unnoticed. Mitt Romney, former governor or Massachusetts, quickly jumped in to say, "It's inexcusable that Michigan is undergoing a one-state recession."
Thompson's performance slowly ticked upward from its low start, but his answers, while often soothing, rarely moved beyond agreeing with other candidates and endorsing broad principles such as free trade. He sprinkled in a few specifics about the alternative-minimum tax and the War Powers Resolution, but otherwise concentrated on conveying an impression of grandfatherly ease and geniality.
Supporters consider Thompson's slow metabolism to be part of his appeal - he comes off as friendlier than most of his Republican rivals. And standing on a stage beside such caffeinated figures as former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, the libertarian Representative Ron Paul of Texas, and the anti-illegal immigration crusader Representative Tom Tancredo of Colorado, Thompson should have come off well.
But by delaying all summer in declaring his presidential intentions, Thompson inadvertently raised questions about his work ethic and preparation. Each debate answer yesterday had to be viewed as a test of his awareness. So when, for example, he lapsed into political boilerplate in response to a request for specifics on reforming Social Security - "You've hit on a major problem we've got to come to terms with," he began - the focus was less on his charm than on his lack of command. When he did mention a specific change, he suggested indexing Social Security to inflation, an effective but politically toxic remedy that would cut most benefits.
The other candidates, who have been debating since the spring, had a different challenge. By now, they have faced one another often enough that they seem to carry the stale air of old routines from one encounter to the next. Giuliani and Romney, for instance, long ago began targeting each other with their responses on a range of issues, in an apparent acknowledgment that the two Northeasterners in the race are fighting for the same space.
Yesterday's furious disputes over their respective records on budgeting and taxes ended up dragging down both of them, as they each tossed up wildly contradictory statistics to label the other as a liberal spender.
Senator John McCain of Arizona and former governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas seemed presidential by comparison, as they resolved to lead their party away from the path of wasteful spending (McCain) and economic elitism (Huckabee.)
There were surprising moments at the margins of the debate. Giuliani answered "maybe not" in response to a question about whether the United States would have gone to war in Iraq if not for its foreign oil dependence.
Paul scolded many of his rivals, accusing them of equivocating on whether it was necessary to seek congressional approval to go to war. Romney, for example, had seemed to imply it was a legal technicality, and he would have to consult his lawyers.
When not targeting each other, Romney and Giuliani took shots at Senator Hillary Clinton of New York, the leader in most early polls for the Democratic nomination, as if auditioning to be the GOP's attack dog against a figure many Republicans disdain.
And by the end, Thompson, the longtime star of TV's "Law & Order," even got off a good retort to a Romney joke about the long run of debates being like the TV show: "It has a huge cast, the series seems to go on forever, and Fred Thompson shows up at the end."
"And to think I thought I was going to be the best actor on the stage," Thompson quipped.
Luckily for Thompson, it is still two months before most voters start making up their minds, and he can comfort himself by realizing that his performance yesterday wasn't a disaster - and, for that matter, that it set low expectations for his future debates.
