“[C]hoosing the right nominee requires doing some electoral math. ‘I will humbly suggest to you that we need a candidate for president who is a conservative who can get some independent votes,’ the candidate said, speaking at a local watering hole called Big Muddy’s in front of 29 campaign signs and half a ski boat hanging on the wall. (Mounted nearby: the rear end of a whitetail deer.) The reason why Thompson can get those votes, he said, is credibility. Thompson repeatedly emphasized credibility, sometimes simply uttering the word out of context. ‘Credibility!’ he said. ‘It’s a big word.’ Like a good lawyer, Thompson builds his case on multiple arguments. But each has holes.” (12/15/07)