Captain's Quarters -

The fact that Thompson's closest adviser is the man who started the Federalist Society should scream that Fred's one of us!!!

Shame on Will for missing that.

I'm sorry, but I can't help but succumb to the most overused comparison of all: what would George Will have written about the ex-congressman and railroad lawyer from Illinois in 1859? Seems to me that that sorry looking country bumpkin with arms and legs too long for his body and a voice like Walter Brennan, did Ok!

And besides, if he thinks an acting career is a pretty shallow pond from which to launch a campaign for the White House, think of starting from a journalism career? At least acting talent has some practical application to the job in question!

That basset hound crack was lame, but what Will is after is the buzz that Thompson "appears" or seems presidential. Many people have been talking about him in general terms, where his bearing and image have been elevated over substance (not really on this blog, though). And now that he will be taking positions and entering debates, the idealism of some will take some hits. For some, he simply won't be able to live up to lofty expectations (e.g., all the Reaganesque comparisons). Already there was a YouTube clip of him up yesterday saying that abortion shouldn't be criminalized in a 90s debate; I'm sure his years of lobbying will come under scrutiny. The grumbling of his senatorial "laziness" was another low level swat at him last week. It's tough living up to such high hopes.

I will make a decision on Fred T after a few debates. I do not think that you can decide on someone until you see him/her in action. I recall that a year or two ago everyone was all enthused about Condi Rice and Powell. That was stopped after we studied them for awhile.

It is actually a funny example of MSM hopelessly trailing in news delivery, which up to now they've almost monopoly to create. And they even don't know what hit them (or do some basic research in that matter).

Captain, why haven't you discussed Fred Thompson's voting record, or his lobby past?

Will has a point, the hype regarding Fred Thompson, and the unobjective negative slant on some of the fine GOP Candidates for the nomination is misguided.

Fred Thompson is a good man, with some good Conservative credentials, but the fashion doesn't equate with the Man.

He may be a great President, but let's make certain, and find the best Candidate for the Job.

I'm disappointed in George Will. I had no idea he was an anti-southern bigot until now. What's next for his shameless parody of southerners? The "George Will Minstrel Show"?

By the way, the scandal involving Marie Ragghianti and former Democrat Governor Ray Blanton was known as the "cash for clemency" scandal at the time. Blanton led the way for Bill Clinton by selling gubernatorial perdons for cash. The scandal helped elect GOP candidate Lamar Alexander governor of Tennessee.

I have studied Fred Thompson in depth. For me, the choice will be between Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney. Joe Lieberman would be a good VP choice for me.

Capt. Ed's post on Will's column is spot on. I've wondered over the past couple of years just what sort of candidate Will would find both authentically Conservative and electable? More importantly Will misses the essential reasons why Fred Thompson is getting positive movement - he is basically Conservative and has the singular ability to articulate Conservative positions and principles without sounding mean spirited. That is very much in the Reagan mold.

Another essential point is that none of the other candidates quite fit both the Republican mold and the Conservative mold. The two aren't wholly and completely the same but act as a coalition to elect national candidates. Giuliani is a Republican but not at all Conservative on social issues. McCain is untrustworthy as a Republican and nearly a pariah as a Conservative. Romney is a johnny-come-lately social Conservative and both Republicans and Conservatives are looking at him cautiously as he seems to lack authenticity.

Lastly whomever the Republicans nominate needs to have the type of charisma that is attractive to the general electorate, mainly Independents. Thompson certainly has that kind of presence, though in truth all of the top Republicans do whereas I'm not so sure that's true of the Democrat leaders. Just wait until Independents get a good look at Hillary up close and personal or Obama's real life story and record.

Although some believe Thompson has calculated his campaign just the way its going he does have tremendous grass roots support that is growing larger every day and seems to be spreading like wildfire, but we'll soon see if the flames keep lit after his record is scrutinized and he participates in debates. Will the Fred Heads continue to burn bright or flame out like the Deaniacs in 2004?

Best to pay attention to the source, folks. Please remember that Will (and Novak, too) are tame "house conservatives" for the media establishment. That Will would have a problem with Thompson is no surprise, as Fred's not a RINO, like Will is.

In my mind, George Will established himself as an Ivy League elitist during the Harriet Miers flap. I was opposed to the Miers nomination myself but watching Will try to put her down for having been educated in (gasp!) Texas instead of New England just about brought me around to her side. As Fred told Sean Hannity last week (I'm probably paraphrasing) "Getting insulted by some of these bozos is a compliment." That being the case, I'm guessin' he enjoyed the Will column immensely.

Has it occurred to anyone but me that a skilled actor like FDT could shed the Tennessee accent in a New York minute if he wanted to? It wouldn't be honest, but when did that ever stop any other politician from doing anything?

I added and excerpt and link to my 2007.06.11 "Forty Four!" Roundup.

Okonkolo, I watched that same video or one similar to it. Fred doesn't believe abortion is any of the federal government's business. That's called "federalism."

George Will doesn't uderstand Fred Thompson or, for that matter, flyover country.

I have never seen Law and Order, which may be the primary basis for Will's assessment of Fred.

Unlike George, I doubt that Fred sits in his expensive box seat watching the Nationals or the Orioles, sipping wine and ruminating about the state of what was once the national pastime.

However, I expect that Fred was in attendance at the Busch Grand National car race in Nashville this past weekend.

I have personally seen Fred in the pits at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Nor, I anticipate, does Fred wear a bow tie and flit around in the same social circles as Will, who was once a conservative himself.

As a Tennesseean who happily voted to send Fred to the Senate and who rued his decision to not seek re-election, I am quite enthusiastic about his apparent decision to run for the Republican nomination.

The man is all substance and freely speaks his mind, and not consultant - prepared sound bytes, on the radio and on the Internet.

If George would simply listen to the radio and learn to use Google, he would see that Fred articulates his positions quite clearly and that he is a true conservative.

As a member of the Federalist Society, I hope (and fully expect) to hear Fred speak at this year's convention at the Mayflower in D.C., where Fred was recently seen conferring over lunch with former Senator Frist.

Senators McCain and Specter spoke last year, and hearing Fred speak would be a real treat at this year's convention.

George Will is accustomed to trying to interpret the intentions and thoughts of politicians who crave the attention which politics brings and who generally have had limited success outside of the political arena.

Fred doesn't fit into that category and that fact, along with Fred's southern accent (which is the way we talk in a good bit of the country), seem to confound Will.

It's ashame, because he used to be a pleasure to read.

I'm in agreement with Mr. Will. Mr. Reagan"s
credentials as a political activist, writer and thinker went back decades prior to his ascending to office. Mr. Thompson is a relatively Johnny come lately. Furthermore, the Republican Party does not need a savior what with Mrs.Giuliani, Romney,McCain and Huckabee all amply able to represent it.

Bill Faith;

you're right.
I didn't say he was pro-choice and probably could have worded it better, but though it was a federalist response, he did state that he didn't think it should be criminalized, then went to states' rights and people figuring out the right thing to do (which could be a soft way of saying "I hope they come to their senses and vote to...). It struck me that, for some voters, it was a softer response than they would like.

Hey, Captain! You're way better than George Will!

I loved the stuff you covered. Sure fills out the picture of who Fred Thompson is. And, I'd be the first one to say "you only need the acting JOB to become an actor."

It sure helps, though, if you're a quick wit. And, can remember dialogue.

FDR, by the way, could do "immitations" of others. Using his voice. And, accents. And, he was both spot-on; and very, very funny.

George Will isn't the only conservative to take a pot shot at Fred Thompson, either. Because I saw Ann Coulter doing this on TV. The night of the debates; when Fred was "on" Hannity. Creating very watchable TV segments. Fred was on for over seven minutes. He comes across, comfortable. And, fine.

Ann Coulter, however, proved to me WHY the "conservative label" is mis-used by pundits; like George Will and Coulter. Both think they're the mainstream of the movement. And, this is NOT true!

It's citizens, themselves, who particpate, that makes parties either strong. Or weak. And, there's a bias within the conservative movement leading a lot of the people who vote ... to WANTING TO WIN. Which also means to accept COMPROMISE.

Here, I'll give credit to Tom DeLay; a real maven of politics. Who sez the best powers in DC are the ones you have when you realize COMPROMISE is the name of the game. (That's why he pushed Clinton; by going so heavily to the RIGHT. Clinton was FORCED into the CENTER.)

Well, that's how the ball gets moved around the playing field.

While what remains unseen is just how angry Bush and McCain probably are right now! Since their influences wane.

Again, when Schwartzenegger was running to unseat Grey Davis; the beauty of watching voters going to the polls; where they were more conservative than Schwartzenegger ... still produced the votes for Arnold. Because lots of voters aren't going to dump their ballots! Many want to "vote for the winner." And, the best way there is to see that the candidate isn't an extremist.

From Ann Coulter's remarks about Fred Thompson, I have a lot more confidence that Fred will do as much as he has to "for the lunatic base," but that he's a realist. And, he will bring possibilities back to the GOP, that won't look like the Bush style of ramming things down people's throats.

You'd think with his own dad as a reminder, Dubya would have known the mischief his dad's team got into. But, no.

Maybe, that's what's hard to figure out? How can men like Jimmy Carter and Dubya, make those mistakes?

I had a wonderful math teacher; who found my mistakes, easily. When I told her she ought to write a manual, she said "no two people make the same errors."

Errors, however, appear, when you don't have the rules down to a point they're second nature.

That's why both Gore and Bush STUNK! They were error-prone all their lives. Neither the best students, or the best choices a party could give to voters. While the donks, today, are impervious to change.

The GOP field? Has two or three front runners: Guiliani, Romney & Fred Thompson will juggle one of them "away."

Senator Fred Thompson’s biographical information can be found at: http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=22003

Project Vote Smart produces the National Political Awareness Test (NPAT), which essentially asks each candidate “Are you willing to tell citizens your positions on the issues you will most likely face on their behalf?” You can find Senator Fred Thompson’s responses to the NPAT at: http://www.votesmart.org/npat.php?can_id=22003

For more information on Senator Fred Thompson please visit http://www.vote-smart.org or call our hotline at 1-888-VOTE-SMART.

Actor/lawyer/Washington lobbyist.

And don't get me started on campaign finance reform.

This is the guy coming to rescue the GOP?

If so, we're finished. Nobody outside of the freeper club is going to be fooled by this one.

Come on - we can do better. Newt, rescue us!

When has Gun Control George ever hit a SINGLE with a column, let alone a home run? Even when he's right, his anti-Southern and anti-Western bigotry sink his point. He's a wimp and a coward, forever spending his life trying to belittle men superior to him.

Will is just jealous because Thompson is a better commentator.....and never uses baseball analogies.

Hey!!!
Doesn't anypone here care that Fred Thompson is a longstanding member of the Council on Foreign Relations? How can anyone be anything but a globalist whore if they are beholden to CFR? CFR has given us endless and senseless wars in the name of "regime change" and "nation building." They've deliberately left our borders open and have stealthfully schemed for a "North American Union" that will further erode our sovereignty and manufacturing base. And you honestly believe that Fred "CFR" Thompson will be good for this country? Wake up and smell this nation's betrayal!!!!!

Eric, did you say "freeper club?" Heehee... last I looked they were drowning in the FRed-flavored Kool-Aid.

I can't be sold on Fred Thompson as either a conservative or a "savior." I can't believe, considering how badly we've been had by the Bushes, why we would offer ourselves wholeheartedly up to any one candidate, especially this early in the game.

Stand back and look at each one clearly and critically rather than projecting your hopes, agendas and dreams, etc. Isn't that what Will is saying? Sounds sensible to me.

Thompson has already lost points with me, with this coy waiting-in-the-wings crap. I've been around a lot of Hollywood actors; I recognize his jaded attitude. Harry Truman said something once about staying out of the kitchen if you can' t stand the heat.

Thus far, the 10 Republicans who have shown up for 3 debates can stand the heat pretty well. Why? Because they generate heat themselves. Look for the "fire in the belly."

So far, Fred comes across like a cold fish.

I am a rabid conservative Republican and I like Fred Thompson. A rabid, liberal Democrat friend of mine likes Fred Thompson. If two diametrically opposed people like us can agree on Fred Thompson, there MUST be something there, there.

I came to the conclusion a long time ago, that Mssrs. Will - Novak - Bush 41 - Bush 43 etal. represent the Blue-Blood Nor-eastern republicans who have pissed our party away.

President Reagan ticked them off and Fred Thompson will most surely do the same.

It's time they understand that in this age they can no longer control the party - the ability to get the information is immediate and they can no longer feed us the company line.

The times belong to the new conservatives, the rise of the new republicans will surface in 2008.

I'm With Fred 2008

Cheers, Steve

Mark Levin said on his radio show tonight that George Will is a Rudy backer! I think it would be fair to ask Will who is backing especially after a hit piece like this.

I agree with you, Steve.

We need to exorcize the GOP of its blue-blooded elite' who deign to rule it by birthright.

Bush 43 squandered a great opportunity to lead as a conservative, but, with few exceptions (Justices Roberts and Scalia), he has behaved like his father (during the last year or 2 of his singe term.

Rudy is an adulterous whoremonger, McCain is more beholden to Mexico City politics than the GOP, and Romney flip-flops as badly as Kerry.

Fred is truly a ray of sunshine who is getting ready to rise on the GOP horizon.

Funny thing about "executive" experience in a president:

In most executive positions, subordinates actually do what the executive tells them to do, or they suffer the consequences.

When has that happened in the past 50 years? I remember Reagan firing the air-traffic controllers. That's it.

So what good does "executive experience" do a U.S. president? In practice, he doesn't actually execute much.

I am a rabid conservative Republican and I like Fred Thompson. A rabid, liberal Democrat friend of mine likes Fred Thompson. If two diametrically opposed people like us can agree on Fred Thompson, there MUST be something there, there.
Posted by: wkm at June 12, 2007 1:15 AM

You are so right, wkm. And that is what is scaring the bejabbers out of the DNC, the LLL nutroots and their useful fools in the MSM.

That is why you are seeing them already bending over backwards and trying anything they can to destroy Fred-from the snarky comments about his wife to the arrogant pontificating hit pieces about his "inexperience" (Tell me exactly how much "experience" does the media darling Barak Obama have? ).

It will only get worse as time goes on.

Unfortunately for them they will find that their tactics will not work. Why? Because they simply do not know or understand anyone outside of their little gated "reality-based community" of the mind. They simply will not and can not believe that, as you stated, a "rabid conservative Republican" and a "rabid, liberal Democrat" can like anyone like Fred Thompson. To the dwellers of the "reality-based community" Fred Thompson is little more then a "white trash" redneck hillbilly.

"Will's description of Thompson manages to miss all that, as well as the eight years he served in the Senate. That isn't an extraordinarily long time..."

Well 8 years IS an extraordinary time to serve in the Senate, as Senate terms are 6 years long.

Article 1, Section 3, U.S. Constitution.

Uh, yes -- and Fred served the final two years of Al Gore's term after Gore became VP, and then won the seat himself for a full six year term.

Eight years. You could look it up ... which you obviously failed to do.

wkm--Yeh...OAKLAND (there there)!!

TJAnderson--Right on!

firedup--You said it!

While I appreciate the rest of you supporting Fred Thompson for President, you are quite mistaken in your assumptions, particularly the one about "the conservative base [being] excited" about his expected candidacy. Whether you know it or not, a lot of conservatives left the GOP, tore up their cards and aren't going back and not for a RINO like Thompson. I'm not saying Thompson hasn't done some smart things as early as 2000 or so to prep for this day:

-He quit the Senate prematurely
-He married a trophy wife

The latter might help him in the Northeast where evangelists don't have a hold on conservative politics. But the latter doesn't help him in the South among evangelical conservatives.

Just remember--polls don't mean much, now, and certainly not for an unannounced candidate!

Five things hurt him that the public at large isn't yet aware of (and thus his high poll numbers) assuming he doesn't properly answer them publicly:

-His stance on the 30 million illegal aliens here in the U.S. and whether he would boost the effort to build the Fence (which is the law). Anti-Invasion conservatives are deeply suspicious that he might continue Bush's push for amnesty for these many millions given his clear unwillingness to "round them up". There is no "middle ground" on this issue. Either you're for legalizing them, or you're for mass deportation. What Thompson DOESN'T say in the Chris Wallace interview is what he will do as President--would he push to legalize them as Bush is doing? Or will he finally take the reins off of ICE and rid the country of those who don't belong here? What he also fails to mention in the interview is how sky high housing costs would plummet if the 30-plus million were to begin to leave. Apartments and homes would be vacant, and rents would drop precipitously, favoring low-wage Americans. Thompson says he's "afraid of what mass deportation would mean to the economy". It would be A BOON!! Instead of the slave labor we now have, employers would have to pay a reasonable wage (as they did prior to the Invasion) and many out-of-work Americans would be lined up for those jobs! It's already been proven time and time again after the raids on the meat-packing plants in the Midwest

-His ties to Bush and the RINOCRACY and to McCain, especially.

-His vowing to continue the war in Iraq which the American public is tired of and against

-His supposed "conservative record" as a Senator

-His refusing to kill any SPP/NAU efforts made by Bush. Americans want their sovereignty preserved and want the Invasion fr. Mexico stopped! Thompson is a member ofr the treasonous org The CFR.

Conservatives have been "had" by RINOs Pappa Bush and GW. They aren't coming back to the nest just to cast a vote again for "the lesser of two evils"--not enough of us this time! Many of us, like myself, will support a true conservative like Ron Paul until or unless he drops out. At that point, many of us will vote for The CP candidate who hopefully will be Dr. Jerome Corsi. Now THERE'S a conservative I could support!!

Here are Thompson's remarks to Chris Wallace in a March interview on the Invasion fr. Mexico:

WALLACE: You also favor comprehensive immigration reform. I want to...

THOMPSON: No, no, no, no.

WALLACE: Well, let me put up on the screen something that you said last year about illegals, and let's take a look at it. "You're going to have to, in some way, work out a deal where they can have some aspirations of citizenship but not make it so easy that it's unfair to the people waiting in line and abiding by the law."

Now, you said, "Look, it's just not realistic that we're going to round up 12 million people and ship them all out of the country."

THOMPSON: Well, that's true, as a general statement. We woke up one day after years of neglect and apparently discovered that we have somewhere between 12 million and 20 million illegal aliens in this country. So it became an impossible situation to deal with. [Not true! We knew it was happening, screamed blood hell but weren't heard until Rep. Tancredo and the Minutemen Project came along]

I mean, there's really no good solution. So what do you do? You have to start over. Well, I'm concerned about the next 12 million or 20 million. So that's why enforcement, and enforcement at the border, has to be primary. [Well, Mr. Thompson, WE THE PEOPLE are concerned about THE CURRENT 30 million here who are killing, raping, maiming, molesting and committing fraud on U.S. taxpayers!]

I think most people feel disillusioned after 1986 when we had this deal offered to them before, and now we're insisting that, you know, we solve the security problem first, and then we'll talk about what to do with regard to other things — certainly no amnesty or nothing blanket like that.

But figure out some way to make some differentiation between the kind of people that we have here. [Huh? Amnesty? What's he talking about? Differentiation???]

You know, if you have the right kind of policies, and you're not encouraging people to come here and encouraging them to stay once they're here, they'll go back, many of them, of their own volition, instead of having to, you know, load up moving vans and rounding people up. That's not going to happen." [We'll only encourage them to go back if the jobs dry up. And that will only happen when the Feds crack down on the millions of lawbreaking employers here! Will President Thompson do this? Not the way he tells it. No mention of "employers" in his response]

********************************************

In other words, he's against blanket amnesty--but would "want to figure out some way to make some differentiation..." sounds like another amnesty to me!! There are only three
possibilities--either you're for laissez les tranquille (leaving them alone or giving them some form of amnesty) OR you're for arresting and deporting. There IS no "middle ground" on this issue. Since he didn't mention employer sanctions or ENFORCING the Fed. laws on the books against employers hiring illegals, that indicates to me that Thompson would CONTINUE what Bush is doing--a little enforcement here, and none everywhere else, continued "catch and release" and the continued deaths of Americans at the hands of illegal aliens will continue. I don't think that is acceptable to most Americans. If you read americanpatrol.com, you'd know that we lose 13 Americans a day to drunk driving illegals. Here's what admired Rep. Steve King of Iowa reports:

"U.S. Representative Steve King reported that we lose 13 Americans per day to drunken and/or unlicensed illegal aliens. He also reported that we lose an additional 12 Americans per day to murder by illegal aliens, and that 8 American children per day are molested by illegal aliens."

This cannot continue. And conservatives will not rally around a candidate who is not on our side. The LAST thing we need is another RINO in The White House. 8 years of the present one is enough, given the damage he's done.

Good luck y'all with Mr. Thompson. He'll need it.