Fred Thompson is solidly conservative.
Even conservatives such as Duncan Hunter have a liberal voting record on spending issues. Ron Paul's support of the WOT is shaky but misunderstood to a lot of conservatives. Tancredo keeps putting his foot in his mouth.
Thompson is heads and shoulders above the rest of them, he is conservative which will rub off on non-voters and independents. He can appeal to these people without compromising.
I understand he takes the same positions as Code Pink, and I understand he's dumb enough to think we can stand around picking our noses until these guys hit us again. I also understand he lies about the Iraq War every time he discusses it, starting with his statement on why he wasn't supporting the authorization in 2002. For example, he said we had conducted 40,000 bombing missions in Iraq since the end of the Gulf War, a total lie.