Thompson fails to win his case on campaign trail

By Paul J. Gough

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (Hollywood Reporter) - It takes a "Law & Order"-style investigation to find Fred Thompson on the campaign trail.

The lawyer/actor-turned-presidential candidate has been raising eyebrows for months with his unconventional approach to Campaign 2008. He participated in Saturday's ABC News debate and Sunday's Fox News candidates forum, but unlike every other candidate stumping for votes in the precious few days between Thursday's Iowa caucuses and today's New Hampshire primary, Thompson has been remarkable for his low profile.

"He's done a terrible job of acting in this campaign," said Diane Owen, an associate professor of political science at Georgetown University.

There are no big Thompson rallies such as the ones Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama held in the Granite State during the weekend. There's no "Straight Talk Express" like John McCain, who has been leading the polls here. And Hollywood hasn't come to New Hampshire to campaign with Thompson, like Chuck Norris has with Mike Huckabee or Wilford Brimley for McCain or Viggo Mortensen for Dennis Kucinich.

There wasn't one public event listed in the Manchester Union Leader, the state's mega-politics paper, for Thompson during the weekend. And around media circles, his camp has put out word that he's not going to be campaigning much.

While most GOP candidates love to evoke the name of actor-turned-political icon Ronald Reagan, Thompson had the chance to become his 21st century embodiment. A lawyer and senator from Tennessee before he was an actor, Thompson had certified conservative credibility in a race that has shown a growing split in the GOP between religious and traditional conservatives. But ever since last year, when he appeared on "Fox News Sunday" to talk about a possible run for the presidency and later filed an exploratory committee, Thompson has been more anti-candidate than candidate.

He didn't lay the groundwork in Iowa and New Hampshire like other candidates, who seemingly have spent the past three years criss-crossing those states if not taking up residence there. He opted out of his "Law & Order" contract last spring but didn't take many of the big steps toward running until comparatively late in the process. After months of flirting with the idea, Thompson announced his candidacy September 5 on "The Tonight Show." But he's been famously absent from doing the kinds of things that candidates do to win.

It's that kind of attitude -- out of the norm for presidential candidates -- that has made many veteran political watchers and journalists scratch their heads and wonder what he's doing.