Fred Thompson’s speech has quickly rebounded, and the connection he is drawing between McCain’s distinguished military service and leadership is extremely compelling. After telling McCain’s wartime story, Thompson said, “It’s pretty clear there are two questions we will never have to ask ourselves, ‘Who is this man?’ and ‘Can we trust this man with the Presidency?'”

This adds depth to the experience argument. It’s not just that McCain has served longer in the Senate than Barack Obama — it’s that he’s a known and proven quantity, whereas Americans still feel that they hardly know Obama.