« Previous | Main | Next »

Thompson: 'Some of Us May Get Shellacked'

January 03, 2008 11:56 AM

ABC News' Christine Byun and Teddy Davis Report: Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson seemed to acknowledge Thursday that a poor performance in Iowa could lead to an early departure from the presidential race.

"Some of us may get shellacked," said Thompson. "We've got to recognize the signals that we're given and respond accordingly. I expect a strong win. We'll see."

Thompson made his comments on MSNBC after Tim Russert asked him if it's "on to New Hampshire" regardless of what happens in Iowa.

While the former Law & Order actor hinted that a dropout could follow a shellacking, he also distanced himself from his recent expectation-setting, saying that his goal is not as simple as "second or out."

"People read a little too much into things like that," said Thompson.

"Somebody asked me do you need to finish third? That didn't sound very good. So I set my goal higher than that because I'm not going to play into any negative scenarios. I think we have a real opportunity to surprise some of the experts."

While campaigning in Ames, Iowa, on Dec. 30, Thompson told reporters, "I need to come in second."  By saying that he needed to come in second, Thompson risked setting a bar so high for himself that a third-place victory -- which would be something of an achievement for his struggling campaign -- would amount to a self-imposed disappointment. Under the rules that he seemed to set for himself in Ames, Thompson could beat Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani in the caucuses and still be setting himself up to drop out of the race.

During his morning show appearances on Caucus day, Thompson blamed others for stirring up rumors about whether he will withdraw.

"People try to drop these things on the eve of the election, try to suppress the other guy's vote, whatever genius activities these guys engage in with more money than judgment sometimes," Thompson said of the speculation on "Fox & Friends" this morning.

At his first event on Thursday, Thompson said his candidacy has always been about his desire to serve the country.

“Always remember, it’s not about me. It’s not about you. It’s not about Iowa, it’s not about Tennessee or New Hampshire or anywhere else, it’s about our country,” Thompson said to a room of two hundred supporters in West Des Moines.

He talked about unity within the Republican party to elect a candidate with a “longtime, solid, proven” conservative record and a leader who can “tell the truth.”

Thompson said,“You’re electing a leader who will need to know the kind of world we’re living in today.”

As he closed his speech, Thompson tried to champion his case: “Let’s go out and shock the world, let’s do something great for our country!”

January 3, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (1)

User Comments

Posted by: dano | Jan 3, 2008 12:44:48 PM

Post a comment

Name:

Email Address:

URL:

Remember personal info?

Comments: