Fred Thompson ends candidacy for president  Update: Fred Thompson has withdrawn from the campaign with the following statement posted at his website:
"Today I have withdrawn my candidacy for President of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort. Jeri and I will always be grateful for the encouragement and friendship of so many wonderful people."
While America returned to work on Tuesday at the end of a three-day weekend honoring the life of Martin Luther King, the webmasters for the presidential campaign of former senator and actor Fred Thompson still appear to be kicking back and relaxing.
Most sections of the Republican presidential back-fielder's website have not been updated since the South Carolina primary concluded. The last press release posted on the site is from Jan. 18. And, campaign staff have not posted any favorable news coverage about the candidate since the same day. A campaign blogger posted a Jan. 22 entry, but only for an "Open Thread" discussion.
Within the open thread, hundreds of Thompson supporters urged the candidate to press on, while some bemoaned the lack of news coming out of the campaign.
"From having this site updated many times daily and the red truck for donations to a stagnant page for a few days now - somebody official needs to say something soon," wrote one commenter.
The campaign's information blackout followed rumors that Thompson was officially getting ready to bow out of the contest for the Republican nomination after his poor showing in South Carolina, a state that he identified as crucial to his path to the nomination. The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder and the Washington Post's Michael D. Shear both referred to rumors that an announcement would come this Tuesday.
And Fox News' Carl Cameron reported on Monday night that Thompson would not participate in a Thursday night debate in Florida, but also seemed to indicate that Thompson might not make a Tuesday announcement.
"The Senators plans are very fluid," Cameron wrote. "As of 8:45 this evening, there are no plans for any announcement about whether he will stay in the race or not. The team is wrestling with very few options. The Senator is in Nashville visiting his mother (in her 90’s) who has been ill."
Cameron speculated that Thompson was hoping for a Vice Presidential nomination, perhaps from Senator McCain. But the National Review's Jim Geraghty challenged that speculation, and added that Thompson would not endorse another candidate. And he also predicted Thompson's exit soon.
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