I have been slowly coming to that conclusion. Fred Thompson's closing YouTube message to the people of Iowa reinforces that persuasion. He offers substance and consistency and thoughtfulness that I find impressive. Peter Robinson at The Corner says the following (my underlining):
While the other contenders are frantically saturating the Iowa airwaves with 30- and 60-second attack ads—Romney is guiltiest, if only because he’s richest—Thompson has sat himself down, looked into a camera, and spoken for a quarter of an hour, calmly and straightforwardly making his case. I myself find this impressive—in a way, moving. Thompson seems to have stepped out of the eighteenth century. He trusts voters to think. And if the comments on YouTube are at all representative, plenty of people agree.
Me: Positively, I am impressed with Thompson. Negatively, I don't feel happy about rich people (e.g. Romney) totally outspending every other candidate and blanketing a state with unending TV ads.