The big dramatic tension at the moment is whether this incredibly ponderous Fred Thompson is in the process of giving a dropping out speech. Fox was sticking with it. But then Fred wouldn't get to the point. So for a while they cut away for something else.

Late Update: He finished without saying one way or another whether he was out. But the tone and tense of the speech made it pretty clear he's done.

Don't Get Much Later for Fred Update: Not surprisingly, Fred's campaign is sending out signals that he's packing it in.