Posted on 12/31/2007 2:48:41 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
DES MOINES — In these final days before Thursday's Iowa caucuses, Fred Thompson has resigned himself to the criticism that's dogged him most _that he doesn't seem to want the presidency enough — and in fact embraces it, making it his unlikely closing argument for the Republican nomination.
As Mitt Romney attacks Mike Huckabee and John McCain, and they fire back, and Rudy Giuliani cuts his losses and heads to states where he might do better, Thompson is still driving around Iowa in a campaign bus, visiting small crowds and doing radio shows.
According to the latest McClatchy-MSNBC poll, he's in a distant third place in Iowa, , with 14 percent support, well behind Romney's 27 percent and Huckabee's 23 percent. McCain, who once seemed a lost cause in Iowa, is now at Thompson's heels, polling 13 percent. Thompson's opponents don't mention him as they criticize one another, and he doesn't talk much about them, either.
Meanwhile, Thompson and his campaign adviser Rich Galen are hinting that the results of Thursday's caucuses could determine whether the actor and former Tennessee senator has enough money and momentum to continue to other states.
Thompson spent the better part of a campaign appearance in Ames on Sunday defending his tempered ambition and flaunting his refusal to participate when the moderator of a recent debate asked for a show of hands on whether the Republican candidates considered global warming a serious threat.
"No hand shows," Thompson had declared.
He said he'd chided his rivals backstage: "If you guys can't stand up to an overbearing moderator, how are you going to stand up to the head of Iran and North Korea?"
(Excerpt) Read more at mcclatchydc.com ...
ping
Amazing ain’t it!
Go FRed Go!
I think it’s good he doesn’t obsess with the presidency. More harm is done to this country by legacy builders even when they have built a great legacy in their first term, they still feel the need to give away the candy store in their second.
If we want a conservative, I think this is our guy. I’m not down on the other candidates who seem to be in the running the way some are (well, except when it comes to McCain), but I like it that Thompson has not lusted after the presidency.
Good press on page 7 doesn’t make up for no press on page 1, least that’s the conventional wisdom. I’m crossing my fingers and hoping that Fred pulls out a fair showing.
What's this about?
SHE CAN'T BE PRESIDENT !!! (please!)
He is still speaking ! Keep talking, honey, I am sure she hates it !
Mr. Galen was just stating the obvious: How any candidate does in an early caucus or primary would effect fundraising, etc.. (except for Ron Paul LOL)
I hope Fred wins the nomination. He’s a candidate that I can see Republicans coming together to support.
All the other candidates seem to be polarizing just within our party.
So, Fred is it in my book.
It means that Fred has to come in third or better or he will drop out.
Ok thanks. Thought maybe I missed something explicit regarding Fred’s call for second.
Would you all care to make a prediction as to the percentage of caucus votes that Thompson will get come the close of the caucus process on Thursday night?
I'm sure he has a statewide organization in place and workers at the ready to get caucus goers out to the locations. The long range weather forecast for caucus night shows it to be below freezing but no snow/sleet so weather shouldn't be a factor impacting turnout.
Good luck to your candidate......
Why not get a foreign policy job then and run in four years
too old
There was a time when “conservative” meant supporting a minimalist government.
Remember that the Constitution *requires* that Congress meet at least once a year. Why would it have to *require* at least one meeting ? Because the founders envisioned such a limited role for the Federal government that there wasn’t supposed to be much for it to do. They were afraid there’d be so little need to meet that the Congresscritters would stay home on their farms. If they’d envisioned how large and interfering the Federal government would get, they’d undoubtedly have made the upper limit a single session per year.
Fred’s agenda is all about simplifying and getting back to basics. He’s *willing* to serve, not *eager* to serve. I like that.
LOL is right. You’ve got to give Ron Paul credit for pulling off such an impressive campaign despite the fact that he’s basically the ‘dark horse’ candidate and some of his followers are downright loopy.
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