And from the “Pardon Me For Breathing” Department:

Fred Thompson uses his Tennessee beginnings as if they were a Hollywood setting, but today Fred Thompson will use the Volunteer State as his personal ATM and an excuse to withdraw from the Florida Values Voters debate.

“Tennessee is too important and too pivotal in the 2008 presidential election to be used as a backdrop or a checking account,” said Tennessee Democratic Party spokesman Wade Munday.”

These times are too perilous to have an actor parading around the state, portraying a presidential candidate, and avoiding serious debate for serious times,” Munday continued. “Fred Thompson has yet to offer a substantive response to our military friends and families in Iraq, but he’s willing to raise money using their sacrifices as a political soundbite.”

Aside from the financial withdrawals, Fred has withdrawn from debate after debate on account of some rather unimpressive campaign appearances. Now he uses Tennessee as an excuse to withdraw from a debate on values, because he has yet to memorize those lines.”

J-Ger sez, “How dare Fred Thompson… raise money for a presidential campaign! He should be like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and John Edwards, and never hold any fundraisers at all! Why doesn’t he act like Hillary and rely on nice men like Norman Hsu to give him money!

My reaction? Man, but Tennessee Donks have had the Fear of Fred put into them.

[cross-posted at….]