Posted on 11/29/2007 8:29:43 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Like a fickle Hollywood actor who maddeningly keeps his own schedule, Fred Thompson finally walked on the set here last night and turned in the performance his long-suffering supporters have yearned for all these months.
The "Law and Order" star's positions were more polished than ever. He attacked Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney sharply and effectively.
And he stayed above the fray when the fights around him got downright nasty.
Giuliani, meanwhile, gave the performance his supporters have always feared, showing his most liberal feathers to date.
He had to defend his past coddling statements about illegal immigration, said constitutional gun rights are open to modification, and faced a question about using New York cops to protect him while snuggling in the Hamptons with a woman not then his wife.
The former mayor's position drew boos from the conservative audience on more than one occasion. Where Giuliani stumbled, Thompson soared.
"Cut taxes for eight years when I was in the United States Senate. Never met a tax I liked," he said simply when asked if he would ever sign a bill to raise taxes.
After Giuliani attacked Romney for having illegal aliens do his yard work, Thompson said he was surprised to hear the mayor scolding anyone about bad hires.
It was a clear and devastating reference to Giuliani's former police commissioner, Bernard Kerik, who now faces federal corruption charges.
And he took a stick to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who is now surging in polls.
A video clip produced by the Thompson campaign showed a corpulent Huckabee begging his legislature for a tax hike - any tax hike - so he could sign it.
It was a sight so ugly only someone in the movie business could have come up with it.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
haha, you’re banned.
However I will agree Mitt did very well for a moderate.
“Luntz said fred AND mitt won”
I saw that part but I thought he opened with the Fred statement, I just tried to watch it again but I missed the opening and only caught the Fred and Mitt portion.
LOL. Don’t look now but it appears our good friend the Paulbot has been ZOTTED!
Personally, I’d like to see a Thompson/Hunter ticket.
I have read all the stuff about romney, and I do not look at it like the rest of you guys. I researched him a year ago, found his anti amnesty position, he was okay with me. I like Duncan Hunter and Tancredo, Fred might do, Mitt is the one for me. And again, I have read lots and lots and lots of junk posted about him here. Some of it looks petty, like nothing someone would do would never make them happy no matter what. I read about him a year ago and I believe him. So call me any kind of sucker you want,but your friend is right,we’ve heard the crap,and don’t look at it like you do. I think he would be an awesome president. There is an excellent chance he will be our next Prez. I thought he did well last night, was glad to see Bill Bennett and Charles K thought so too,along with those 34 pubbies with Luntz.
I think Rudy and McCain absolutely killed themselves. Romney didn’t do himself any favors, but came out of it better than Rudy.
Fred, Hunter, Tancredo and Paul all did well, especially on immigration. Hunter absolutely pwn3d the gay General, it was awesome.
Huckabee did well on style, but was sorely lacking on substance.
DUNKEN HUNTER.....
Holy sh!t! You, sir, should consider a career in talk radio.
What a terrific post. Said everything I’ve been thinking since Fred decided to run. Your words should be published in a conservative paper.
Thanks for sharing that with us. We may all become liberals now too.
“I have to respectfully disagree. I find that Fred comes across as serious, thoughtful, confident and steady. In this day and age, 65 is still young.”
Therefore I must regretfully and respectfully disagree with you. I don’t get TV where I’m at, and I’m too cheap to pay for cable (haven’t watched TV since 2005). I was on an army post last night working out in the gym and they had the debates playing in the lobby as I came out. I was surprized that in a gym filled with hundreds of military personnel, none were out their watching the debate. So, I had time to watch some of it before going home. I had never seen any of the candidates recently except in still pictures which I figured weren’t accurate depictions.
My first impression when I saw Senator Thompson was to gasp. He looked not just old but emaciated. I’m sorry to say he is not a “vibrant” 65. He acted old also in the way he spoke, etc. Those were my impressions of his health and state of being. I guess I expected him to still look like the character he played in “Hunt for Red October.” I guess fifteen years and cancer can take a toll on a person. He reads much better than he sounds - but that is not necessarily a bad thing.
I also got to see McCain do a serious backside kicking on the Texas isolationist Ron Paul. That was fun to watch and well said. He gained points with me for that.
I finally got to see Huckabee that I had already decided to support, and was pleasantly surprised. He really is glib and funny. I liked the way he deflected the foolish “what would Jesus do” question they way it deserved to be. I had never heard or seen Huckabee before.
I had never seen Romney before and he immediately was irritating to me. He had that same condensending smile I have seen in the faces of those Mormon boys riding around on their bicycles with white shirts and ties - spreading a false version of Christianity. Plus, he was just too pretty. Kind of a GOP “Breck Girl” as rush says about his democratic counterpart.
Guiliani was as abrasive as I expected him to be. I didn’t get to hear much that the others had to say expect some of Ron Paul.
My goodness have I ever drifted off subject....
with all due respect ......Denzell is much more handsome and thoughtful than Obama
*i am neither queer or afrocentric
Mitt is not one to be mentioned in the same breath as Duncan, Fred or even Tanc. At least not in conservative terms.
“Personally, I’d like to see a Thompson/Hunter ticket.”
That works for a lot of us.
Woohoo!!! Ozone!!
“Dick Morris on Bill O’Reilly’s “Factor” tonight excoriated Fred saying he looked old, tired, did not know what to do not being scripted, etc.
But, who listens to anything the toe-sucker says?”
Right now he is sucking up to Huckabee.
Well, that’s a good night then... “it was romney and thompson up, guliani and mccain down and out.”
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