Thompson's Slow-Pitch Softball

Noonan also detects "a certain dissonance in Mr. Thompson's persona. He seems preoccupied, not full of delight that he's at the party."

When Fred finally hit the stump, he didn't wow many people. Or, at least, he didn't wow most of the reporters. Slate's John Dickerson is among the lukewarm reviewers:

"Thompson's speech was fine, I suppose, but at times it seemed rambling and forced. It included all the standard appeals you would expect a politician to offer a Republican audience--support for local control, lower taxes, and judges who will protect the constitution. Thompson made no effort to distinguish himself from the other candidates. At applause-line moments his staffers clapped loudly and whooped, an age old tactic that succeeded in prompting clapping from the audience . . .

"Thompson's aides are selling him as the great communicator candidate: He is supposed to have the ability to sell conservative principles to the public, which will help him to win the nomination and also will make him the only Republican who appeals to moderates and independents in the general election. So for Thompson's candidacy above all the others, the theater of politics matters, and not just on TV or on the web."

The New York Sun's Ryan Sager cuts to the chase:

"The quick take: This is a whimper of a start.

"I'm writing from the filing center that the Thompson campaign has set up in the Polk County Convention Complex, and the verdict from the grizzled and cynical Des Moines press corps is harsh: 'Pathetic' was the word used by one vet. 'Small' and 'low energy' were the words used to describe the crowd."

Elsewhere on the Thompson front, London's Daily Mail delves into his relationship with his first wife, Sarah Lindsey:

"Though Thompson tries to portray their 1985 break-up as amicable and his family says Sarah will campaign for him, we can disclose that in her original divorce writ - which until now has never been made public -- she accused him of 'cruel and inhuman treatment' . . .

"She withdrew the petition the following March, and according to her brother, the marriage improved for a while.

"But Sarah renewed the proceedings in November 1984, this time citing 'irreconcilable differences.'

"Asked if Thompson was unfaithful, her brother [Oscar Lindsey] replied carefully: 'He has said he 'takes opportunities' [with women]. I will tell you it wasn't physical cruelty and it wasn't mental.' "