At the risk of being redundant, Thompson's exit prompts a couple of immediate questions:

1) How does this impact next Tuesday's vote in Florida? Thompson is currently garnering about 8.5% support in the polls, with McCain, Giuliani and Romney all bunched within a few points of each other at the top. Will his support split evenly, or will it boost one candidate in particular? If you look back at how Fred took away from Huckabee in South Carolina on Saturday, will Thompson's exit help put Huckabee, who is currently in 4th place at 16%, back into contention in the Sunshine State?

2) And moving beyond Florida, how does Thompson's exit play into what may be a crucial day on February 5th? Thompson was poised to compete for a cache of delegates available in Southern states such as Georgia, Alabama, and his native Tennessee. Again, will Thompson's absence provide additional opportunities for a cash-strapped Mike Huckabee to pile up additional delegates that may prove to be valuable if the contest is extended? Or will the smaller field be more helpful to McCain in consolidating his position as the "mainstream" conservative candidate in the South and across the country. Or could it be that Thompson's exit helps Romney and/or Giuliani expand their reach on Super Tuesday? All impossible questions to answer.

In Thompson's exit we have our first real shake up of what has been a wide open Republican race, and it comes just a week before a pivotal vote in Florida. Thompson's campaign never lived up to the promise so many Republicans had for him in this race, and while he leaves with the disappointment of those unrealized expectations, what support he has left may prove to have a significant influence on the vote in Florida, and thus perhaps on the selection of the nominee as well.