Fred Thompson Setting Record For Ex-Staffers

Today Fred Thompson officially becomes a candidate for President. The roadkill trailing him to that decision just got a bit longer.

Jim Mills, the former Fox News producer who joined the campaign only weeks ago, has resigned due to "strategic differences." This from campaign manager Bill Lacy in a memo to the staff, sent out Tuesday "just before we begin the Big Dance."

"Our new Communications Director Todd Harris is building an experienced and aggressive team of campaign professionals to help lead our press operation," Lacy wrote. He added, "This constitutes a substantial shift, not in our candidate's message, but in the way we support it and enhance it. Due to this shift, Jim Mills has informed me that he is leaving the campaign due to strategic differences. I respect Jim's decision and encourage all of you to join me in wishing him the best of luck."

The continued exodus could be due to the fact that Thompson HQ is not such a great place to work. But also, just trying out new top-level staffers the way some people try out new shoes almost automatically presages a chaotic environment. So far, Thompson's team has been moving in twenty different directions at once, with each new hire revamping the operation completely. And so we have this campaign limping, struggling, huffing and puffing... to the START LINE.