Nagourney Pronounces On Fred

No other reporter has the power to craft throat-clearing articles like the Times' chief political correspondent, Adam Nagourney. Why? It's a mix of the man's talents and his paper's cachet. Even in this media multiverse, every Nagourney article is read and digested by political elites.

Here's Nagourney's take on Fred Thompson:

"[A]s Mr. Thompson campaigned across Iowa this week, he was something other than the dynamic presence that some in his party have been yearning for. Iowans saw a candidate who is subdued and sonorous, a laconic presence who spoke in soft monotone, threw few elbows and displayed little drive to distinguish himself from his opponents."

"... on this trip Mr. Thompson showed some signs of developing as a candidate. For the last several days, he has been vigorously attacking Democrats for trying to increase government spending and defending President Bush’s veto of a proposed expansion of a child health insurance program."

"Voters who came out to see him as he traveled through Iowa — even while expressing admiration for his views and intense interest in his candidacy — said they were struck by how little energy or passion he appeared to bring into a room."

"Mr. Thompson does not appear to share the taste of his some of his rivals for lingering at the rope line shaking hands; he tends not to ask many questions of the people he meets and tends not to make prolonged eye contact with them."