Actor, Senator, Lobbyist

Fred Thompson is in. The former Tennessee senator has filed the necessary papers to raise money for Republican presidential nomination.

With so many Republicans dissatisfied with their choices, all eyes have been on Thompson for months. (Had former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist not withdrawn from the race, there wouldn't have been room for a second Senator from the Volunteer State.)

I don't know how Thompson will fare but there are some reasons to be skeptical.

First, he's been pro campaign finance reform and quasi pro choice -- two issues that have infuriated party conservatives in the past. Will they give him a pass on these issues? Maybe but I doubt it.

Thompson was a John McCain supporter in 2000, which may be the kiss of death for those who are looking for someone to the right of the Arizona senator and Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney.

Second, Thompson's senate and acting careers are well known, but his years as a Washington lobbyist haven't been exactly scrutinized.

Will that hinder him in a GOP primary? Maybe that's not the kiss of death, but it's something Thompson will need to explain.

Finally, drive counts for a lot in a presidential race. Does Thompson want it enough to hustle the money, work Iowa and New Hampshire, suck up to local ward heelers? We don't know the answer yet but there's no indication yet that he has that kind of drive.

Who will this hurt? Chris Cillizza sees Romney being hurt the most as Thompson hones in on social conservatives. But that assumes Thompson gets real traction and some of that depends on the press which seems inclined to flatter him.

A piece by my friend Mark Halperin in TIME who gushes that
"The single most compelling feature of a Thompson candidacy would be his magnetism. A natural storyteller, he speaks with a relaxed cadence and unhurried confidence, peppering his remarks with language such as 'fella' and 'bad guys,' pausing expertly to make a point, relish an applause line, set up a joke. He is most effective when he makes fun of the superficial glamour of Los Angeles and the tangled hypocrisy of D.C."

But Thompson's 10 opponents won't let anyone forget that Mr. Homespun is a lobbyist with Hollywood ties.