Thompson's "folksy charm" and Hee-Haw personality is not going to help him in a debate, since it appears that he has nothing to say. No firm ideas and no grasp of the issues.
He reminds of the Tom Tomorrow cartoon about "The Candidate In The Reagan Mask."
I can't see him doing well in the primaries.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl.../MNI4SN49V.DTL