Fred Thompson Ain’t No 12th Commandment Man

The Politico has one of the most interesting articles up about Fred Thompson published in quite a while. Most political observers focus on the polls, who raises what (plead guilty); in short, the details, but the Politico’s Roger Simon takes a closer look at how Fred Thompson handles himself and what kind of person he is and what kind of campaign he has.

When Roger asked Thompson whether the considers himself to be an “11th Commandment man” (never speak ill of a fellow Republican), the former senator answered that he’s more of a “12 Commandment man.” The 12th Commandment, according to Thompson: “Don’t speak ill of them until they speak ill of me. And then really speak ill of them.”

As Roger points out, until now, Thompson has presented himself as a folksy, good humoured guy, who doesn’t care all that much about what people say about him. That may, however, change. Soon.

In fact, he may already have changed his approach: in a recent speech he told his fellow Republicans that they have to “stay true” to their principles. When Roger asked him whether he was was refering to Rudy Giuliani, Thompson “made a face of mock horror and laughed.”

When Roger asked a follow-up question, how it could be that Giuliani - who is pro-choice, pro-gun control and pro-gay rights - leads in the national polls among (likely) Republican voters, Thompson answered: “I don’t know that people know his positions. That hasn’t really been part of the discussion up to now, far as I can tell. It seems that a lot of candidates have been campaigning for a long time and voters don’t know a lot of things about a lot of them.”

And it seems to me that Thompson will not let his fellow Republican candidates get away with that much longer.

He further believes, he told Roger, that the Republican candidates don’t have to try and find the “Reagan Democrats.” According to Thompson, these Democrats “have not gone anywhere.” Instead, it’s the Republican Party as a whole that has moved. He explained that he was referring to “big spending” and “ethical lapses” which have a “dampening effect on our own.”

When asked about the possibilities of a Republican victory in 08, Thompson explained that he believes that - although the sentiment is pro-Democrats at this point in time - there’s still time to change the tide; he believes that if he campaigns hard, he’ll be able to convince enough Independents that he’s the best person to lead the country for the coming four years.

Combine Thompson’s threatening words with the criticism and threats coming from the self-proclaimed leaders of the Christian conservatives in America, and Giuliani may be in some serious trouble. He hasn’t been attacked all that much yet - except for Mitt Romney, who has most certainly gone after Giuliani - but that has changed and will most likely continue to change. Giuliani’s opponents realize that if they don’t attack him - truly attack him - he may very well take the nomination. Not only does that mean that they might as well give up, it also means that their party will be lead by someone who disagrees with the party’s base about the issues it once cared most about.

Paperdoll wrote: "To date NO ONE has ever been able to answer my question - 'What has Fred Thompson done to qualify him for the presidency?'

That's pure bull and you know it! I've told you this many times, but you refuse to listen. here's why Thompson is well-qualified to be president:

10. Because a review of Fred Dalton Thompson's voting record shows that he consistently voted for gun owners (the NRA called him a "staunch supporter of the Second Amendment"), against abortion, for business, against higher taxes, for a balanced budget, for a strong defense, for ANWR drilling, for capping foreign aid, for free trade, for private property rights, for personal retirement accounts, for the Iraq War Resolution and for welfare reform.

9. Because, among his interest group ratings, Sen. Thompson earned a perfect zero from National Abortion Reproductive Rights Action, a perfect 100% from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, only 11% from the ACLU, 85% from the American Conservative Union, 86% from the Center for Security Policy, a perfect zero from the American Federation of Teachers, 6% from the National Education Association, 90% from the League of Private Property Voters, 97% from the National Tax Limitation committee, 88% from the National Taxpayers Union and a perfect zero from the liberal ADA. In a 1995 analysis, Project Vote Smart listed Thompson as having supported Contract With America items 100% of the time. The Club for Growth has just released a a report in which Club President Pat Toomey concludes, "Fred Thompson's eight-year record is generally pro-growth with an excellent record on entitlement reform and school choice and a very good record on taxes, regulation, and trade. His belief in a limited federal government is demonstrated by his numerous votes against government intrusion in the private sector and increased federal spending. His fondness for Tennessee pork aside, Thompson consistently voted against increased spending and new government projects, at times, one of only a handful of senators to do so."

8. Because under his Chairmanship, Sen. Thompson's Governmental Affairs Committee actively pursued an agenda aimed at producing a smaller, more efficient, and more accountable government. Of his efforts, the Kingsport Times-News wrote, "Sen. Thompson is to be applauded for keeping a watchful eye over Washington fiscal matters. There should be more like him." Chairman Thompson held hearings on improving the federal regulatory process; reforming the IRS; exploring ways to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse; and a number of national security issues, including the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and missile technologies. Thompson also investigated and successfully enacted solutions to information management problems such as government computer security.

7. Because as a member of the powerful Senate Committee on Finance, Thompson focused on reducing taxes, reforming the tax code to make it simpler and fairer, and restoring the Social Security and Medicare programs to long-term solvency. He advocated a balanced approach to trade and national security and pushed for an export control policy that protects our country's national security without unnecessarily burdening American industry with bureaucratic red tape. He also proposed legislation to curb the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by China and other countries and to strengthen the United States' response to such activities.

6. Because when Thompson makes the rare mistake, he admits it and learns from it. Though he's rightly still not comfortable with the idea of people giving large sums of money to legislators and then coming before their committees to ask for the government's favor, FDT has owned up to the fact that that McCain Feingold was a poor attempt to solve the problem of influence peddling and just plain old bribery. He's learned that full disclosure might just be the best way to deal with the probelm. Fred has also admitted that his vote for the immigration reform measure which President Reagan signed in 1986 created an additional 12 to 20 million illegals. He's learned from that and has grown much tougher on the issue, advocating the securing of our borders before anything else is done and the deportation of illegals when they are captured.

5. Because Fred Thompson has been committed to federalist principles his entire political career and has brought federalism to the forefront of the current political dialogue. He has also been a voice in the wilderness speaking out about the coming entitlement and national debt crisis, calling for a frank discussion of how we must deal with it. Thompson stands apart from the other major Republican presidential candidates who have been for the most part silent on these issues.

4. Because Sen. Thompson has the admiration and respect of his former colleagues on the hill. As president, he would have the best chance of all the candidates to get the congressional cooperation required to advance his agenda. FDT has demonstrated this kind of leadership with his very successful shepherding of John Roberts through the political minefield that is the U.S. Senate.

3. Because he scares the devil out of leftists. Even the liberal Washington Monthly in a 1999 hit piece had to begrudgingly admit that as a Senator, Thompson worked hard to keep his campaign promises. Democratic strategist Bob Beckel revealed, in a discussion on Fox News' Hannity & Colmes program, that Fred Thompson for president would be their "worst nightmare" because of his communications skills and ability to appeal to swing voters. Many backers of Fred's GOP opponents attack him even more viciously than the Democrats do because he poses a major threat to their candidates now that he's in the race.

2. Because he doesn't scare independents and Reagan Democrats. Like Reagan, Thompson is that rare sort of conservative who can sell conservative ideas to moderates and independents. And again like Reagan, he may be the only potential candidate who can unite the factions of the Republican Party right now. No, Fred isn't Ronald Reagan, and he's the first one to say it. But he is one of Reagan's smartest students and most consistent disciples who has the same kind of media-savvy and commanding presence. Also like Reagan, Fred Thompson is much more than "just an actor."

1. Because he will beat Hillary Clinton like a rented mule.

In addition:

Fred has considerable domestic and foreign policy experience:

He ha served as Chairman of the International Security Advisory Board (a high-level panel charged with evaluating long-term threats to U. S. security), a Visiting Fellow at The American Enterprise Institute and has held a seat on the US China Economic and Security Review Commission. With all three of the aforementioned groups, he has devoted his time to studying intelligence and national security. As one of the primary leaders who established the Department of Homeland Security, Fred Thompson has a set of national security credentials that no contender now can match.

Let's review:

Barack Obama: Two years as a US Senator. No leadership positions in the Senate. Eight years as a state senator. Ran unsuccessfully for congress in 2000. Private practice attorney, law professor. Top quality education (Harvard)

Hillary Clinton: Six years as a US Senator. No leadership positions in the Senate. Eight years as First Lady of the US. Twelve years as First Lady of Arkansas. House Judiciary committee staffer, private practice attorney, law professor. Top quality education (Yale)

John Edwards: Six years as a US Senator. No leadership positions in the Senate. Democratic nominee for Vice-President in 2004. Private practice attorney. Top quality education (North Carolina)

Fred Thompson: Eight years as a US Senator. Four years as Chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee. Assistant US Attorney. Co-Chief Senate Watergate Council. Special counsel to the Governor of Tennessee (1980), Special Counsel to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (1980-81), Special Counsel to the Senate Intelligence Committee (1982), Private practice attorney. Actor, Radio show personality, research fellow with the American Enterprise Institute. Top quality education (Vanderbilt).

So, basically here we have four politicians, all attorneys, all with law degrees from top institutions, all with eight years or fewer in the Senate, all without long careers in public office. But Fred Thompson’s resume is clearly far more impressive.

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