A while back, the MSM was telling us America wants a new "plain-speaking Harry Truman". Ever see Truman make a speech? He did not come off like James Whitmore in "Give 'Em Hell, Harry!". He came off like an accountant. Yet, people supposedly admire his blunt and direct comments and responses.
Thompson could be a Harry Truman type IMO, but he has more personality than Harry. Every time I see him interviewed, I am always impressed by the fact that he does not try the typical politician's dodge of changing the subject and not answering questions. When he was asked in one interview if he agreed with the Scooter Libbly sentence commutation, he said "heck, yeah, the president did the right thing. He shoulda pardoned him". When the same question was asked during a pubbie debate, some time elapsed before Guiliani finally said he agreed with it. Fred is up-front on these issues, as he was last night with his comments about the Rush Limbaugh BS scandal.
I guess I did find Thompson's interview on Hannity "scintillating". He gave the (IMO) right answers to some tough questions, which shows he has the courage to lead. I value a performance like that over rhetorical brilliance any day. Besides, the only presidents I've seen that truly impressed me with their oratory were FDR, JFK and Reagan. Churchill was impressive, too, mainly due to his choice of words. I almost never watch Bush make a speech. These guys don't write their speeches, anyway, and if their delivery is not that great, I don't bother. I just catch the "talking points" versions later.
If we can see Fred make some strong and courageous stands, while a Hillary or Obama responds with the typical lame "I'll have to wait until I can appraise the situation", or "we really need to talk about healthcare"; I think we will see the difference beween a leader and a power-hungry would-be demagogue.
Heaven help us if Fred resorts to replying "I don't recall" and takes the American flag off of his lapel and uses his anti-American gesture as a political point.