Posted on 01/23/2008 12:46:20 AM PST by gpapa
We need to deserve to lead. And this is what this is all about; its about deserving to lead.
That was Fred Thompson on Saturday in South Carolina during a sincere, passionate, well-grounded speech that sounded like his farewell to the campaign trail. With his announcement Tuesday afternoon that he has withdrawn his candidacy for the Republican nomination for president, we now know it was. It was a bittersweet moment for any conservative who had been watching his campaign and wished it had been a more effective one earlier in the process. It was also a moment for the ages one that every civics class in America should reflect upon: Politics is about policy and service to this great nation; thats what makes the campaign worthwhile. Thats why you put up with the trophy-wife slanders and Chris Matthewss questions.
It was about a year ago that Thompson filled in for radio legend Paul Harvey on ABC radio. In commentaries we reprinted here on National Review Online, the former Tennessee senator took on Ahmadinejad, anti-Americanism, Hugo Chavez, feminists, Islamic radicals, and even the Sainted Al Gores inconvenient religion. He praised the work of our men and women in uniform. He took on immigration plans offered by the president and John McCain.
You got the sense from those commentaries that he just gets it. He cares about his country and he cares about common sense. The good conservative sense Thompson articulated certainly resonated the blogosphere got enthused for a possible presidential run. They could get into this guy.
(Excerpt) Read more at article.nationalreview.com ...
Maybe Fred was to good for us...maybe we were just...unworthy...Pray for America....
I’m sure grateful that we had George Washington and not Fred Thompson commanding our revolutionary troops at Valley Forge.
Fred Thompson’s abrupt announcement, while leaving no doubt as to its finality, leaves every question as to his rationale.
Frankly, I don’t understand it, especially when the announcement comes on the very morning that Huckleberry gives up on Florida, eliminates most staff pay, and no longer keeps the press around. Huckleberry’s campaign is running on the fumes from an oily rag. Basically, it’s as dead as Fred’s.
Rudy Giuliani is also failing badly in Florida and is just days away from his own denoument.
The field is already winnowing, and Fred’s time was coming. All of us who had volunteered, sent money, made phone calls, talked up our friends, were still there with him, and we let him know it, too. All he had to do was live up to his own words.
He was funded and finding his voice.
And he quits. Just like that.
Speaking for myself, I’m questioning the kind of man Fred Thompson really is. From here, today, as I type, he looks like a very different man to who I thought he was.
Just the kind of man we DIDN’T have at Valley Forge.
Thank God.
Oh STFU National Review. Now all the “conservative” media comes to praise Fred only after they buried him all campaign.
The guy just wasted everybody’s time and money.
from Best of the Web Today: Bye-Ku for Fred Thompson
They called him “tortoise”
But now the man with no hair
Has got out of ours
I was devastated to hear he’d withdrawn. He didn’t enter too late, the others enetered far too soon! I’m sick of the whole process, to be honest. Now it will begin in earnest for the 2012 election, at this rate!
For conservatives, it seems that the numbers are dwindliing, or conservatives are just plain lazy. We had two good conservative candidtates. We wanted them to act like Howard Dean, I guess, to get our attention and we could swoon over them. Otherwise, how do you read that the only two conservatives have pulled out because of lack of support? We don’t want gentlemen anymore, we want someone to act like the others, but be different on the inside. Well, I think what’s on the inside is what comes out. Maybe it is us who’ve changed for the worse.
And My Vote! !
Stop crying like little freeking school girls.
A lot of people invested time and money and loyalty in the guy. It could have been better spent.
For me, this is a big one. I had done something I hadn't done in a long time. I had faith, in a politician, because of that though I know fred had his reasons, some I suspect we will never know and some I hope I'm wrong about.
Thanks Fred.
The socialists have taken over the democrat party, driving many JFK type democrats (strong military, cut taxes, but domestic big government liberals) into the republican party.
The result is the republican party now consists first of moderate liberal democrats - Huckabee and McCain and moderate democrat/old liberal republicans - Giuliani and Romney. I omit the code pink libertarian.
Conservative Republicans, of various types, including genuine evangelical - political conservatives are now a minority in their own party. Unless there is a genuine renewal of the GOP upon its foundational principles conservatives will continue to be a minority.
I’m as disappointed with Thompson’s exit as everyone. I almost maxed out the amount I could contribute to the man. However, reality is reality. Fred wasn’t going to finish in the top 3 in Florida. He may have one a few on Super Tuesday but it was becoming pretty clear that Fred wasn’t going to secure the nomination under any scenario. Fred’s decision not keep asking for money when he no longer had a realistic chance is understandable. Fred was unwilling to stay on simply to feed his own ego, like Paul and Keys.
Instead of trashing the man, who at least gave conservatives a choice, you should be thanking him for sacrificing as much as he did and save your criticism for the sheep that dutifully did the media’s bidding and voted for McCain and Huckabee.
This is not Fred’s fault.
It is the fault of conservatives that do not get involved in their state parties to prevent independents from controlling the Iowa, NH and SC primaries.
It is the fault of conservatives that have not stepped up to take control of the Republican Party away from those more concerned with garnering power or being liked.
It is the fault of conservatives that do not get informed about the candidates and vote (like most everyone) on the basis of popularity.
It is the fault of conservatives that a man wins primaries because he is not ashamed of expousing his religious beliefs while getting a pass for his position on the issues.
It is the fault of conservatives who support a man based on his looks, wealth and business acumen rather than his historical stance on the issues.
It is the fault of conservatives who back a candidate that did the right thing in the face of tragedy.....he led people with confidence and strength....but never found too many conservative principles worth fighting for.
It is the fault of conservatives that take an “all or nothing” mentality to the issues rather than embracing incrementalism like our opponents have employed so successfully.
Fred is out because conservatives did not step up.
The Republican Party is ours for the taking, but conservatives are typically averse to overt activism.
If you want to blame everyone else for the lack of conservatives in this race, you are more like the “no personal responsibility” liberals than you think.
Looking at your sig The Democratic Party will not exist in a few years....we are watching history unfold before us
I'm thinking you're right, it will most probably be replaced by the Ministries of Truth, Peace, Love and Plenty ... ring a bell for you?
Maybe you missed my point, Vet.
My complaint wasn’t with what Senator Thompson did, it was a complaint about what he DIDN’T do: persevere.
You can take fair umbrage at my tone, maybe. Fair enough. But you can’t really take issue with my point.
In fact you make it yourself, indirectly, when you criticize “the sheep that dutifully did the medias bidding and voted for McCain and Huckabee”. The point is that the sheep would not have been able to do that for much longer - maybe a week or ten days. Giuliani was already dying, Huckabee already dead, and McCain a bloated gasbag of foulness that was about to burst on its own. The field was about to clear out for Fred.
And Thompson didn’t give Conservatives a choice - at least not this conservative. My primary comes late.
Like you I was nearly maxed out - over $2,000 moved from my bank account to the Thompson campaign.
Frankly, I’d like it back.
Hell, it appears to gone right now as a counterpoint to the left.
Personally, I will not support leftist candidates - I do believe that everyone on the GOP ballot right now from Mitt - forced health care for all of us and WE pay - to McCain - forced amnesty for all and WE pay - are far enough to the left that I do not care who is elected any more.
Mitt looks great - nice hair - but the results of his governing are no different than hillary’s.
McCain must have this poster on his wall:
Ayn gav bli pigyon
Translated: No back without a dagger in it.
Rudy and huckabee are known commodities to all.
May the GOP have good luck in it's future endevours.
I'm sitting at home with my wallet closed and my vote my own.
Had conservatives held firm in 2006 and not abandoned some very good conservatives in the House and Senate, the Democrats would be on their last legs.
But because of spending and a Senate that was not very conservative overall, we abandoned the Republicans and allowed the Democrats a victory that re-energized them.
Conservatives do not know how to play the game for the long-term. Instead, they cut their noses off in spite of their face.
So, just like in 1992, some conservatives will allow a treasonous, lying, socialist to occupy the White House where they can keep moving the liberal agenda forward unopposed.
As I stated before, too many conservatives treat the political war exactly like liberals treat real war......when things don't go exactly the way conservatives want, they retreat.
Just wondering: Did you factor in his mother and her illnes? What would you do in his sitation?
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