Posted on 10/09/2007 9:39:09 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Fred Thompson may not yet have won the hearts and minds of Republican voters in the United States. But give the GOP presidential candidate this much - he knows who runs the government of Canada.
"Harper. Prime Minister Harper," Thompson said, without hesitation Tuesday when asked during a Republican all-candidates presidential debate to name Canada's leader.
That Thompson correctly answered the unexpected question saved him some mild embarrassment before an audience of Republican supporters at the CNBC debate in Dearborn, Mich.
But it'll likely do little to quell larger doubts about a late-starting presidential campaign that has struggled to meet expectations.
Hyped as the new Ronald Reagan when he announced his candidacy on Jay Leno's Tonight Show in September, the actor-turned politician was expected to inject some much-needed energy into the campaign for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination.
But many GOP voters are still waiting for the curtain to rise on the candidate's crusade. "He entered the race late but he is not running a campaign like someone who is playing catch up," says Mark Rozell, a presidential scholar at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.
"Many Republicans complain that he almost seems aloof to the Republican voters. This candidate just doesn't look to have anything of the charisma that Reagan had."
With just more than three months before the first Republican presidential primary, Thompson is running a distant second in most national polls to former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani. A Gallup survey this week showed Giuliani with 32 per cent support among Republican voters and Thompson favoured by 20 per cent of GOP supporters.
While Thompson has surpassed other major contenders like Arizona Senator John McCain, longtime U.S. political analysts say his support still stems more from name recognition than an inspiring presence on the campaign trail.
The 65-year-old former Tennessee senator has made just one campaign visit to New Hampshire, an early-voting state where a good showing is considered important for any candidate with serious White House aspirations.
And while he has cast himself as a Reagan-style Republican - a straight-talking small government conservative - critics say Thompson has appeared less cheerful and optimistic than dour and disinterested when meeting with voters.
At a rally last week in Iowa, Thompson ended a rambling 25-minute speech to a group of Republicans and, like any good actor, waited for the inevitable ovation.
When the room remained silent, the candidate asked meekly: "Can I have a round of applause?"
Thompson, who gained fame playing hard-nosed district attorney Arthur Branch on Law & Order, made his national debut Tuesday at the all-candidates debate.
Welcoming Thompson to the field of eight other candidates, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney likened the Republican race to an episode of the popular TV series.
"It's a lot like Law and Order. It has a huge cast. And Fred Thompson shows up at the end," Romney said.
The forum was cast as a crucial opportunity for Thompson to regain momentum that even campaign staff admit has been lost since he entered the race.
"We fundamentally understand here that we're still going through some growing pains as a campaign," Bill Lacy, Thompson's campaign manager, told reporters.
The question about Canada came out of the blue from moderator Chris Matthews, who noted Michigan's proximity to Canada and asked Thompson whether America's northern neighbour got enough attention from U.S. leaders.
"Our friends ought to get plenty of attention," Thompson said, who seemed reasonably well-versed on Canada's trading relationship with the U.S.
"We get more oil from them, I guess, than anybody. They have more potential oil to sell than an awful lot of people."
Thompson's laid-back campaigning style has already been spoofed by Saturday Night Live. In a satirical skit last weekend, SNL's Darrell Hammond portrayed Thompson as ambivalent about winning the White House.
"How badly do I want to be your president? On a scale of one to 10, I'm about a six," said Hammond-as-Thompson.
Many conservative Republicans welcomed Thompson's entry into the GOP race in September because of lingering unease about the top tier of GOP candidates.
Giuliani, Romney and McCain have all run afoul of Christian conservatives who question their views on issues like abortion and gay rights.
But Thompson's efforts to target those "value voters" hit a snag recently when James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, questioned his commitment to the campaign.
"He has no passion, no zeal, and no apparent 'want to,' Dobson said of Thompson.
I have been thinking the same thing, Dobson's recent behavior with respect to Fred has been very odd and seemingly uncharacteristic of Dobson. If Fred gets the nod we are in for one helluva coaster ride.
That was one of the first things I thought about when all of this started.
Wish someone would ask Dr Dobson, “Since three SC Justices are almost certainly going to have to retire between 2008 and 2012. Who do you want appointing those next three Justices? Hillary Clinton or a Republican?”
Wow. I wondered exactly the same thing earlier today. Is Dobson another one of those sleazy televangelists with whores and a cocaine habit? I posed the question here a few weeks ago asking whether Dobson is so full of himself that he sees himself as some kind of GOP "kingmaker". (Personally, I am very unfamiliar with the man but I see his name in thread titles here all the time.) Anyway, I was assured by several freepers that Dobson is a standup guy. I dunno.... SOMETHING'S going on.
I hear you on that . Makes you wonder why Dobson is acting so bizarre .
Thompson ‘08 !
By the way, it’s interesting, isn’t it, that this Canadian scumbag Sheldon Alberts finished his hit piece with the rather old news about Dobson’s memo?
When Fred said “ Harper “ I thought, Oh no its Trudeau .
My dog is sneaking under the bed. This piece don’t smell right.
Maybe someone should investigate Dobson...
Maybe someone should investigate Dobson...
Wanted to slap that smarmy little Chrissie when he changed the question, interjecting a what he apparently guessed might be a “challenge” to Bullfrog Fred.
What a weasel. He must be a ‘progressive’ dummocrat.
Dobson’s ego must be profound. I wish he would show some common sense here.
Shame on you, Sheldon, you left out Fred’s very apt rejoinder to Mitt’s so-called joke, saying that he thought he (meaning Fred) was the only actor on the stage.
I think you're close on perception if not details.
Something nasty there and his shrillness means he knows it might break soon. Assuming the martyr mantle early to deflect bad news.
We're going to have to change the tag line "Bush's fault" to "Fred's fault" soon.
I really get the impression that Dobson (someone that I used to respect) likes to feel he should be the moral authority of the Republican Party and any candidate should go to him begging for approval; has his nose out of joint because Fred basically says he doesn’t care what Dobson thinks. Dobson’s got his knickers in a twist because someone isn’t buying into his self-importance.
Saved Fred mild embarrassment? If he hadn’t known the answer, Matthews would be the new Che, a hero of the left for taking Fred out with a single bullet. Instead, Fred caught it in his teeth and spit it right back at Christopher.
And it’s obvious why he asked Fred and not another candidate. Acute fear of Fred.
I wonder if any of the others are thanking their stars that they didn’t get that question.
Matthews had prepared the question because of the flap in 1999 when candidate George Bush was asked by a reporter to name the leaders of Chechnya, Taiwan, India and Pakistan.
“Bush was only able to give a partial response to the query on the leader of Taiwan, referring to Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui simply as ‘Lee.’ He could not name the others.”
From http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/11/05/bush.popquiz/
They say this like it's a bad thing.
Noone who wants the presidency as much as Hillary Clinton does should ever be allowed to have it.
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