If my e-mailbox is an accurate measuring stick – and I have no illusions – then more than a few potential Fred supporters say they’ll donate when he actually announces he’s running for president, not dipping his toe in the water. As one reader put it:

Well, you hit the nail right on the head and pounded it in firmly. Over at Daily Pundit, Bill Quick has a link to donate to Fred’s campaign. I clicked the link one day, so I could send him a small sum. Turns out they only accept credit cards or checks via snail mail. NO PayPal. Well, I had planned to give via PayPal. I posted about this at Daily Pundit, and Bill (via a Fred contact) responded that the non-campaign isn’t set up to take PayPal donations, and won’t until Fred officially declares his candidacy. To me, this is quite stupid. Especially for a non-campaign that up till then had seemed so together when it came to grassroots via the internet. After such confounding reasoning as that, I decided not to donate anything. Not until (or unless) Fred’s folks get their act together.

Beyond any technical issues, I would just wonder out loud that the Jim Gilmores, the Tommy Thompsons, even the Mike Huckabees of this race have found raising funds difficult, as I’m sure most donors would prefer to give to a guy who might actually become President, not a longshot. While many of us expect to see Fred Thompson formally announce his bid in September, why risk donating up to $2300 to a guy who could, theoretically, back out at the last second?