Posted on 11/04/2007 8:05:20 AM PST by Sub-Driver
Fred Thompson Defends Campaign Adviser With Criminal Record
Sunday , November 04, 2007
Fred Thompson said Sunday that he wishes he had known earlier that one of his key presidential campaign advisers pleaded guilty to drug charges but he still thinks Phil Martin is "a good man."
Martin, a businessman who has lent Thompson his Cessna to fly around the country, is one of four campaign co-chairman for the '08 Republican candidate. The Washington Post reports Sunday that Martin also posted a guilty plea in 1979 for selling 11 pounds of marijuana and a no contest plea in 1983 for cocaine trafficking and conspiracy.
Judgment was withheld on the first plea while Martin served out probation. The 1983 charges, along with a felony bookmaking charge, came while he was still serving that probation. Martin's probation was extended and he served no jail time.
Thompson, who's not the first candidate this year to be linked to a donor with a criminal past, seemed to brush off the news.
"You are talking about something that happened in his life, I guess, 25 years ago ... when he was in his 20s," Thompson said. "I wish I had known about it a little bit earlier. Phil, I am sure, knows that he should have told me about this. That he thought (it) was over and done with and forgotten about I am sure. But of course nothing is ever over and done with and forgotten about in this business."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
This says it all. It also says the media is trying to immunize the Hildebeast from activities she was involved in during her youthful days. Nice try.
Is this a story of a young man who was on the wrong track who eventually straightened up and flew right?
What’s the issue, then?
>>>Slick Willard would have thrown him under the bus, backed over him a few times, pulled him out from under there, and then thrown him under some other bus.<<<
You really don’t believe in backing up your points with any kind of substance, fact, or even reasoned conjecture, do you?
I agree. I see no reason whatsoever for Thompson to backtrack on this at all.
A man who was dumb enough to be playing with drugs 25 years ago obviously did pretty well for himself afterwards. No reason to give an inch over that.
Good for Thompson. And I say that as an avowed Romney supporter.
Nothing can be permitted to delay Slick Willard's ascent to power...certainly not a pitiful little thing like loyalty. </sarc>
Larry Craig deserved to be thrown under the bus.
And Romney never said a disaparaging thing about Limbaugh. If you’re talking about a Romney spokesman in a press gotcha statement, perhaps.
What Romney actually said about Limbaugh?
MR: Well, you know, you sort of follow it from afar as youre from place to place. And I think anybody who looks at the story hears what Rush Limbaugh has to say, which of course makes perfect sense. He was referring to this soldier who had doctored up his resume, was a phony soldier. And he was critical of that soldier, and he had every right to be critical of that soldier. And its amazing to watch the Democrats turn that into something which clearly he had not intended to make it. And certainly, with his explanation, people should say oh, okay, I understand what you were saying, what you mean. I understand the context. And thats fine.
Mere fact, I know. A far cry from conjecture.
Romney isn't responsible for his own spokesman, huh? The Buck Stops Over There.
Pathetic, but for Slick Willard, expected.
Both Ways Willard is famous for that....always a wet finger in the air, a policy reversal at the ready if needed.
Here is a portion of a Rush transcript where he addresses Mitt Romney;>>RUSH Transcript:
I didnt talk about this last week, but Mitt Romney issued a statement much like he issued against who did he throw under the bus? Oh. Larry Craig. He issued a statement: Thats reprehensible what Limbaugh said, horrible, whatever it was he said and then later in the day somebody from his office called our office. We just found out that this is a smear, and Mitt will say this if hes asked about it. He hasnt been asked about it, so his statement still stands.<<<
Pat Buchanan in Human Events: “Up to this week, Craig was one of only two senators to have come out for Mitt Romney. He headed up the Romney campaign in Idaho. He vouched for Mitt in Congress and the country.
And Mitt wasted no time throwing his Idaho chairman under the bus, adding he deserved it: “Once again, we’ve found people in Washington have not lived up to the level of respect and dignity that we would expect for somebody that gets elected to a position of high influence. Very disappointing. He’s no longer associated with my campaign.”
Larry Craig’s conduct “reminds us,” said Mitt, “of Mark Foley and Bill Clinton ... of the fact that people who are elected to public office continue to disappoint, and they somehow think that if they vote the right way on issues of significance or they can speak a good game, that we’ll just forgive and forget.”
“And frankly, it’s disgusting.”
That Mitt was decisive, that he was a “good butcher,” as a prime minister must be, said Asquith, is undeniable. This speaks well of Mitt’s executive intolerance of failures and failing. But one did not hear much here in the way of compassion for Larry Craig or his family.
Some senators, like Chris Dodd, cut Larry Craig some slack and asked that we hear him out before sentence is passed.”
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=22186
LOL!
Fred handled this perfectly.
Meet the Press transcript:
“MR. THOMPSON: Nobodys made any accusations that hes done anything illegal with regard to our campaign. Now, what, what I understand is, from, from, from reading this story and from, from third parties is that when, when, when Phil was in his 20s, 24 years ago or something like that, these things came about. I know thatI did not know about that. They were in Florida; I was in Tennessee. After this he moved to Tennessee. I know Phil is a good man. He is my friend. He is going to remain my friend. He didnt go to jail, he got probation, hes paid his debt to society and turned himself around and become a good, productive, successful citizen. And Im going to have to take a look at it. Im going to have to talk to Phil, make sure I understand the nature of the situation and figure out what the right thing is. Im not going to throw my friend under the bus for something he did, you know, 25 years ago if hes OK now. On the other hand, Im running for president, IIve got, you know, to, to do the right thing, you know, and problems occur, and Ill just have to figure it out.”
John Thune.
He is my favorite future president. :-)
I have a feeling your man will end up with the nomination.
Rats, I missed him on Press the Meat! Is there a way to see it online? Shoulda DVR’ed it but I didn’t.
“Rats, I missed him on Press the Meat! Is there a way to see it online?”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/
Really? He got busted with 11 pounds of weed, and with violating his probation and with multiple counts of felony bookmaking, cocaine trafficking and conspiracy, and he got probation ???
How is that possible? Did he give evidence against his co-conspirators?
I think it reruns at 5 or 6 est on MSLSD.
The one Republican candidate the hillary camp/DNC fear the most is Fred. And next is Hunter.
Fred in '08.
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