It’s Monday, so I spoke to the Thompson Associate.

On The State of the Race: “This is where Fred does ten events a day, and just puts the pedal to the metal. I think he’d like to be leading in South Carolina and well ahead, but there’s a genuine opportunity to go into Iowa and make some noise… The sense is – and you’re seeing this among outside pollsters, too — Romney’s just seeing his numbers cratering there, and I think we’re picking some of the pieces up. There seems to have been a notable shift in the momentum after the debate — you could kind of sense it in the way the media was looking at him and just the general buzz.”

On Huckabee: Huckabee hasn’t had a good day in quite a few days, eight or nine days, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get any better anytime soon. You have stuff like the Foreign Affairs piece – it just isn’t generating anything positive. It reinforces the argument that he and the people around him don’t seem ready for prime time and are just getting called out on this day after day.

On Huckabee hiring Ed Rollins: “It makes some sense. Of all the consultants available in terms of being a big name, Ed is the last guy left. I see that as, Huckabee’s finally got some money and he’ll spend it by getting the biggest name he can. Now, as an advisor, that’s one thing. As national campaign chairman, that sounds odd.”

The Thompson Associate noted that Rollins’ last high-profile roles in campaign leadership were with H. Ross Perot and Christie Whitman.

On New Hampshire: “Given the stake that Romney, Giuliani and McCain have there, and given the nature that it’s hard to be a latecomer in that state, it just made sense to not put an emphasis there… I’m not sure how we would have been able to do it. Maybe you could do it if you were George Bush and had $30 million.” (Of course, George W. Bush found New Hampshire to be rough sledding in 2000, even with the huge advantages in cash and name recognition.)

“It’s a political acknowledgement that you have only so many resources, and there are just other places to use it.” Also, I’m now told not to expect surprises on Fred’s bus tour.