I just attended Fred Thompson's first campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa. 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.