Posted on 04/16/2007 6:39:22 AM PDT by veronica
If voters on the right think Rudy Giuliani's love life is too racy, what will they think about Fred Thompson? The former Tennessee senator, who is considering his own run for the GOP nomination, was a swinging single during most of his eight-year tenure in the Senate, making him a favorite of gossip columnists, who often referred to him as the "Tennessee Stud."
Just weeks after winning his first campaign for the Senate in 1994, Thompson was spotted waltzing with country singer Lorrie Morgan, who dated him for more than a year. "He's a wonderful man. He's very special to me - he really understands me," Morgan said at the time, telling reporters they had even considered marriage.
But alas, it wasn't meant to be. By 1996, they were splitsville. One reason: she didn't like dressing the part of a conservative Republican. ("Get that basic black dress out of the closet," Morgan wrote in her 1997 autobiography, "Forever Yours, Faithfullly." "And no cleavage, baby!")
But Hollywood Fred, as he is sometimes known, was no lonely heart. Over the years, Thompson was linked to plenty of other woman around Washington, including GOP pollster Kellyanne Fitzpatrick (now Conway) and fund-raiser Georgette Mosbacher.
In 2000, his love life got a little messy, spilling onto the pages of the New York Post's famed Page Six. His then-girlfriend (and future wife) Jeri Kehn complained to Page Six that "all these women" were constantly gunning for her man. "They just won't leave him alone," Kehn told the paper. "I can't get up to get a cocktail at a party without coming back and finding some girl sitting in my chair."
Kehn, who inisisted she was dating Thompson, singled out one lady in particular: then-Time magazine columnist Margaret Carlson. "She won't get the hint he has a girlfriend," Kehn complained. "She calls his apartment all the time. I mean, what is the deal with these woman? Don't they have any pride? It's a joke all over Washington that Margaret has a huge crush on him. And Fred clearly is not interested." Mee-ow!
At the time, Carlson refused to comment, but Thompson, clearly unhappy with Kehn's outburst, issued a terse statement to The Washington Post. "I don't generally comment on these matters," he said. "But as it relates to statements made about my friend Margaret Carlson, there's not a bit of truth to them. I should be so lucky." Thompson married Kehn in 2002, and they now have two young kids. A
pparently Carlson, who is now a columnist for Bloomberg News, still likes Thompson, in spite of the dustup. Carlson, who did not respond to an e-mail from Newsweek inquiring about the matter, was spotted on "Hardball" with Chris Matthews last week, swooning over a potential Thompson candidacy. "He's handsome, he's charming, he sounds like a president-. He's smart, he's articulate, he knows his line, he can hit his mark," Carlson said, predicting that he'll jump in to the 2008 race soon. "For the press, he would be the new McCain because he does seem honest and open."
Nothing like posting a 2 week old piece of slime. Trying to blunt a bit of the Rudy train wreck eh?
Ouch. That'll leave a mark. ;-)
Honestly, we have better things to talk about. Meow!
I’m confused. A single man dates a number of different women, and we’re supposed to be ... shocked? scandalized? outraged?
single being the dispositive word. rudy swang plenty but he was married at the time.
Compare this to way Guiliani and Gingrich handles their love lives, and Fred comes out waaaaaay on top.
The horror.
It’s desperation. This article was a hit piece that missed.
Rudy/Romney’s internal polling must be looking really awful with the way these guys are acting around here.
exactly. they are attempting to draw some moral equivalence between rudy’s serial adultery and fred’s swinging single days.
Fred was single and was living the dream.
“Single” is the key.
There is no comparison between a man who had extra martial affairs to a *single* man dating. Anyone looking for this to be a hit piece is in a big state of denial.
Rudy's love life plays little role in anything. Rudy's problems are Gays, Guns, Abortion and Spending.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.