Fred Thompson is a good man, but he was just not able to pull it off against a weak field in 2008. If it were him against any of the RINOs, including Jindal, Cantor, Mitt, Palwlenty, Huck,etc. I would pull the lever for him in a heartbeat.
Two points: First, he is not running. Period.
Second, he is even less likely to run against
Sarah Palin, with whom he agrees on most issues.
That said, I could see Fred Thompson as an absolutely splendid Vice Presidential candidate on Palin’s ticket. He could serve one term. Then, when she runs for reelection,she could elect someone younger who could succeed her (serve her third term, as it were).
(Actually I wish Reagan had been able to do this with Ford in 1980. Mollify the establishment by picking Ford, then jettison him in 1984 in favor of a real conservative. Unfortunately,we got Bush instead)
Your post cracked me up: that Thompson is not a RINO compared to any of those on your list. He’s been to the left of most of those on some issues. Thompson has been a long-time McCain supporter including supporting campaign-finance reform. When he backed out of the race to whom did he throw his support? If you’re calling Jindal a RINO all I can say is WOW.