THOMPSON PULLS OUT OF PRESIDENTIAL RACE

Actor FRED THOMPSON has withdrawn from the 2008 presidential race. The Republican Law + Order star has failed to win any of the ongoing state primaries, and has resigned himself to the fact he won't be a front runner for the party's candidacy. He came in third in South Carolina recently - a state many considered his best chance of winning. In a statement released on Tuesday (22Jan08), Thompson said, "I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort." Mike Huckabee, John MCCain and Mitt Romney are considered favourites for the Republican party candidacy to become the next U.S. president.