Count this as another sign that John Thune might be in favor of running, after all -- a lengthy defense of his showing in last weekend's straw poll.
Thune told the Argus Leader on Tuesday that he's not dismayed by the findings, which he thinks were "engineered" by supporters of certain candidates.
Scores of Paul supporters, for example, could be seen packing the conference, and few political experts give the libertarian-leaning congressman much a chance of winning the GOP nomination.
"I think that poll is receiving less and less credibility and legitimacy because it's engineered by people who ship folks in for that," Thune said.
Also, Thune pointed out that ballots had to be submitted by Friday afternoon, about the time the senator was on the CPAC stage giving a speech, so many of them probably were cast before people had a chance to hear him.
"The more important issue is the overall reception you get in response to your message," Thune said of his CPAC appearance.
Former Alaska Gov. "Sarah Palin got 3 (percent), so I don't think that is a very good metric to go by. But getting the chance to get in front of that audience and see how it responds, that's an important part of the process."
By my count, this is the second hint he's made this week that he's leaning toward a run -- the other being his i/view with the National Review.
His interview with David Brody (here) counts for about a third of a hint.
