Fred Thompson - A Man For All Political Seasons

Update

Fred Thompson - A Man For All Political Seasons
By Dave Hinz - Publisher
03/10/07

In the week since I first penned this article about Fred Thompson and his conservative credentials, I have seen his name bandied all about the internet and airwaves as a possible Republican candidate for President.

Whether my piece was prescient or merely timely, it would appear that the former Tennessee Senator is weighing his options and considering a run for that office. Discontent among party conservatives with the current field of candidate leaders has fed speculation that others with more credible conservative credentials are being sought. The name of Fred Thompson appears prominently in this category.

No less an authority than The American Spectator is feeding that speculation:

Thompson chose not to seek a third term in the Senate back in 2002, but his combination of star power, common-sense approach to policy and issues, and gravitas has placed him -- along with
Jeb Bush -- on a conservative wish list for those not happy with the current crop of Republican presidential candidates in 2008.

While a Jeb Bush candidacy is nothing but a pipedream, the American people having become tired of the collective Bush family of candidates, a Fred Thompson presidency is not beyond the realm of possibility. The greatest obstacle, in fact, to such a reality, is seen to be his close friendship with Senator John McCain. According to a quote in that Spectator article:

"He's not going to do it, we've been assured of that," says one John McCain adviser in Washington. "Senator McCain thinks the world of Fred Thompson. They are friends. They've talked."

According to Washington Whispers:

We hear that his buddies are strongly urging him to jump into the already packed GOP race. "The draft- Fred movement grows," says one ally, citing several blogs pushing Thompson, who has been feeding his fans with occasional commentary-laced fill-in work for radio's Paul Harvey.

If McCain is unconcerned by a Thompson candidacy, the other front-runners are. A supporter of Mitt Romney downplays the addition of Thompson into the Presidential race. "We've heard that he isn't interested,
but even if he was it wouldn't matter; we're focused on Governor Romney's campaign and getting his message to as many Americans as possible."

Adding fuel to the speculation, Thompson has begun to take a more public role in the campaign, penning an op-ed in the newspaper and appearing on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace.

Another indication of the power of a Fred Thompson Presidential run is the fact that the opposition has begun to notice him, as evidenced by the veiled attack on theHuffington Post blog:

Former Sen. Fred Thompson calls Libby trial "travesty." He's not a prosecutor, but he plays one on TV. And you gotta admit it was fun watching Tim Russert getting grilled on the witness stand.

So often, for the left, reality begins today. They apparently forget his years of service in the Senate, and the years before that as a Prosecuting Attorney. He first came to national attention during the Watergate Commission as minority council.

According to the blog Riehl World View, Thompson was recently discussing the Libby case
with Mark Levin on his radio program when Levin asked him about
a Presidential candidacy.

I'll have more to say about that a little bit down the road.

"Sure, he's hearing the talk about unhappiness with the current field of candidates," says a Thompson supporter,
"but he's just as concerned about how the Republican Party got to this point, and where conservatives can take the party moving forward. He sees a dearth of up and comers out in the statehouses, and he sees a dearth of ideas. If nothing else, I think he wants to get conservatives and the GOP back on track."

There is no better advocate for a movement than the President of the United States. Through that office, President Reagan presided over a rebirth of conservatism that led eventually to control of both houses of congress and the executive branch.

While the beneficiaries of that movement managed to forget their roots and regained their minority status to which they seemed so much more accustomed, a strong conservative leader in the oval office might well reverse that trend.

Again, the question in everyone’s mind: Is Fred Thompson the one who will lead the Republican back to its conservative roots? Or will one of the other front-runners step forward and provide the “movement leadership” the Party faithful crave?