Posted on 03/08/2007 7:43:28 PM PST by West Coast Conservative
Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson is facing increased calls to get into the 2008 GOP nomination race.
Sources told FOX News that Thompson, 62, now one of the stars of the popular NBC prime time series "Law & Order," has not ruled out a presidential bid, and has authorized advisers and supporters to continue to gauge support.
Advisers are holding regular strategy sessions, investigating fundraising avenues and private polling to measure enthusiasm. Perhaps pre-eminent among a number of prominent Thompson backers working behind the scenes is former Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker.
Baker has been a mentor to Thompson since before the Senate's Watergate hearings, for which Baker hired Thompson as majority counsel and for which Thompson earned fame for having Baker ask the key question that led to President Richard Nixon's downfall: "What did the president know and when did he know it?"
Baker ran for president himself in 1980. Thompson eyed the White House in the 1990s.
While Thompson, who also helped raise money and advise I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's legal defense fund, continues to mull a bid, sources said he has been inundated with calls from GOP donors and supporters urging him to run.
Thompson has a solid and consistently conservative voting record that his supporters said makes a stark contrast to Republican frontrunners Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney.
This week, he told radio news host Mark Levin that he would have something to say about his plans, but not yet.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
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I don't remember the exact date, but it was sometime after January 9th. The idea came to me one day while listening to him fill in for Paul Harvey. I wrote an email to a FReeper friend the next day to get his opinion. He thought it was a great idea as well. So I probably mentioned it here on FR somethime that week or the week after.
That's an interesting point, but it begs the question: why not just support McCain?
Why not McCain, when when the biggest negative McCain has is one he shares with Thompson, as you mentioned? Thompson was so important to campaign finance reform that he has actually been given credit for its passage:
Fred Thompson laid out the best line ever in the House of Representatives --- "I will surrender the floor to the honorable Representative of the State of Massachusetts, Barny Fag."
Pandemonium ensued!! Hilarious.
That's not encouraging.
Go Fred!
Thank the good Lord for that.
I like Fred Thompson, but his name sounds like the answer to a trivia question in the year 2040.
Was it Thompson or Dick Armey?
Navel gazing, a la Newt is just someone playing coy.
Bingo. Every dollar raised now cannot go to Fred. He certainly has a far better chance at the nomination than any of the current weak crop of those further to the right. ACU rating is probably similiar to McCain's.
"Can you confirm he's for abortion?"
From his voting record, he is not. Some people like to make thing up...
You said something to me and we just ran with it that night.
What can I say, we're so far ahead of the curve, aren't we?
You are so funny! You'd have my vote! : )
What do you mean, "cool?" Cool in a good way, or frosty?
Actually it was Dick Armey, my Rep from Texas.
BTW, there's a Run, Fred, Run website out there if you want to post your "Go, Fred" comments.
Well, be sure and hold on to that; let it stick in your craw and make you mad; then you can work against him should he get the nomination.
"id like to see a Rudy/Fred ticket."
I'd like to see a Fred/Newt ticket.
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