"He sweated profusely, breathed heavily, asked if his microphone was on..."

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Several of Mr. Thompson’s aides said he had been spending his time being briefed, often on the phone with advisers. And much of the discussion has focused on economics and security, said Rich Galen, a senior adviser to the campaign. “He’s been going through the briefing books,” Mr. Galen said.

But once off the bus, Mr. Thompson has shown occasional signs of discomfort. In a speech here on Friday, he sweated profusely under the afternoon sun, breathed heavily and, while struggling over a question, asked no one in particular if his microphone was on. (It was.)

Some audience members, in a crowd that easily reached into the hundreds, winced as Mr. Thompson sweated through the question-and-answer session. “I’m surprised they didn’t pull him out of there,” said John Chambers of nearby Punta Gorda, after the speech ended. Suzanne Miranda, who watched the event from a lawn chair, said, “I felt bad for him.”

Mr. Thompson later emerged from the bus clad in a clean polo shirt and appearing cheerful for his first interaction with the traveling press corps in two days. When reporters pressed him for a reaction to the Newsweek headline, he laughed. Is the campaign trail grueling, he was asked? “Does it look grueling to you?” he shot back. “It’s uplifting!” Minutes later, he climbed back onto the bus.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/16/us/politics/16thompson.html?ex=1347595200&en=06c5ada5b0982753&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss