Thompson Camp Trying to Lower Expectations

The Fred Thompson campaign is very aware that many pundits (including moi) have said that Fred has maybe 10 days to make a big impression as his campaign becomes formal or else what's left of the Fredhead bubble will burst. The campaign is trying to lower those expectations:

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Fred Thompson’s campaign said Monday it will continue to “make mistakes” after he announces his presidential bid Wednesday, following weeks of pre-announcement turmoil.

“I would certainly acknowledge that expectations are high, but I don’t agree with the idea that we have to go out and be perfect,” Thompson’s communications director, Todd Harris, told The Examiner.

“You know, we’re going to make mistakes — I’ll say it right now,” he added. “We have to have a good announcement tour. There’s no question about that.”

Harris is the third communications director Thompson has employed in recent weeks as the former Tennessee senator struggles to assemble a campaign apparatus in advance of his candidacy. In recent days, campaign aides have predicted somewhat smoother sailing.

“Put it this way — no campaign is ever calm and you always have some amount of turmoil,“ Harris allowed. “But the most important thing for us is making sure that every day we’re taking steps forward. That doesn’t mean that everything will be calm, but we have to be moving in the right direction every day.”

One pundit (I don't remember who) was recently critical of the decision to go on the Leno show the night before the official declaration of candidacy (and on the same night as a GOP debate), declaring that as "so yesterday". The campaign is defending that decision:

Thompson will announce his White House bid Wednesday night on the “Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” after skipping a Republican debate in New Hampshire.

“There have been a million debates already and there are going to be a million more,” Harris said. “And people are going to see Fred Thompson out there, mixing it up with the other candidates, mixing it up with the media, engaging the voters. They are going to see months and months and months of that.”

In the meantime, Harris said, “it makes a lot of sense” for Thompson to appear on the Leno show instead of the GOP debate because the candidate will reach “everyday normal Americans who don’t live in the 202 area code.”

I think the campaign's right on this one. Fred will gets lots of free publicity with the Leno appearance, but once again, it's important that he make a big impression or he could kill the campaign before it even starts. His appearance will be compared with the candidates at he debate, and he can't afford to stumble. You know that at least one of the other candidates will mention his absense from the debate in favor of the Leno show, and will try to paint Fred as an unserious candidate. I expect that to come from Romney or Rudy as they have the most to lose from the Thompson candidacy.

The race starts for real on Wednesday night.