And if Fred Thompson's still alive?

Now that the New York Times has a piece suggesting that the death of Fred Thompson's campaign may have been greatly exaggerated, the question becomes this:

Will anyone come out of the Super Tuesday sweepstakes with a presumptive lead for the Republican nomination?

The front-loading of this whole procedure, combined with the absence of a genuine front-runner and the number of credible candidates (meaning candidates with the potential to pick up at least a state or two along the line) is beginning to play out toward a convention that may actually select the nominee.

You can already hear whispers in some states of sending uncommitted delegates to the convention.

Ironically, this may not be a bad development for Republican chances in November, despite the conventional wisdom that holds the opposite.

The lack of a decision prior to the convention will focus more attention on the convention, keep the Republican base engaged, and prevent either Hillary or Barack from knowing precisely who the opposition will be. (Sure, they'll get some mileage out of waiting for the Republicans to make up their minds, but not that much.)

Moreover, brokered conventions don't have that bad a track record at producing winning candidates.

Just ask Abraham Lincoln.

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