It's been an interesting week for Fred Thompson. New polls have shown him declining towards fringe status in Iowa and New Hampshire. But yesterday he got a big boost from a National Right to Life Committee endorsement. And today he received a blessing from the Osservatore Romano of U.S. conservatism, the Editors of National Review.

Interestingly enough, the National Review editorial ranks Fred's views on abortion as the least compelling aspect of his candidacy, instead lauding him for his positions on Social Security, immigration and defense spending.

It will be interesting to see over the next few weeks whether Thompson's elite supporters can attach enough helium balloons to his candidacy to lift it from its rank-and-file lethargy.