Posted on 07/24/2010 3:47:23 PM PDT by Brices Crossroads
Below is a transcript of a portion of Fred Thompson's interview with Rich Galen on his radio show July 23, 2010 in which Thompson and Galen discuss the relative merits of Gingrich and Palin, as well as the likelihood that either or both will enter the GOP.
Galen is a former press Secretary to Gingrich, and he gives the back of his hand to Sarah Palin in the interview, calling her "a really interesting personalit[y]...but not necessarily ... qualified to be the nominee or be president." Incredibly, and to his discredit, Thompson laughingly agrees:
"THOMPSON: Uh huh...
GALEN: And uh, I dont think Sarah Palins ever going to be the nominee. I dont think she believes that she can be the nominee and Im not sure she wants to get into that. I mean, I think shes, uh...you know...shes doing what she does and shes doing what she does better than anybody weve seen in a long time.
THOMPSON: You know she may be in the first stages of Newtism, and that is, uh, being...being a real player and going around the country making lots of money. (Laughs)
GALEN: Yeah, and ...
THOMPSON: Thats what Newts done for a long time and maybe hes ready...maybe hes ready for the next stage and maybe, uh, youre right. Maybe Sarahs idea is that shell do this for a while and then her second stage will come along a little later."
As someone who supported Fred Thompson in 2007-8 both on this forum and financially, I am bitterly disappointed that, at a minimum, he did not correct Galen's outrageous statement that she is unqualified to be either the nominee or the President. I know Rush Limbaugh or Mark Levin would have defended her because I have heard them both do it. In fact, Galen would never even have made such an outrageous statement in front of them because he would know it would draw a harsh refudiation from either El Rushbo or the Great One. (In fact, I heard Levin take Ann Coulter to task one time because she trashed Thompson).
Instead, he says "uh huh" and proceeds to amplify Galen's canard by citing the lamestream media/GOP Establishment wishful thinking-spin that she is too happy making money to run. Galen is a RINO "gun for hire" and former employee of Gingrich. He is not admirable, but he is doing what he is paid for. Fred Thompson has no such excuse. Shame on him.
The transcript of the entire segment on Newt and Palin is below:
"THOMPSON: Rich Galen, the founder of Mullings.com, the wit and wisdom of Rich Galen uh, if you want to check that out. Rich, youve been around here a long time, uh, you worked for Newt Gingrich, you worked for Dan Quayle and, uh, GOPAC and uh...
GALEN: And Fred Thompson..
THOMPSON: Yeah, I thank you much for that. We had a lot of fun on the campaign trail. Theyre coming out of the woodwork now. Do you think Newt might be serious this time...?
GALEN: Yeah I do...
THOMPSON: You know Newt pretty well and Newt, this time of the year every four years you know, uh, says, Well, Im thinking about it, Im thinking about it and then he doesnt. What do you think?
GALEN: Yeah, I think that, uh, that this time, unless there is some..something pops up between now and next February that says dont do it, hes...I think hes disposed to do it. So I think hes gonna be a candidate.
THOMPSON: Is that right? How do you think he figures...is it as clear as, you know, it seems to be, and that is that Obama is very unpopular and, uh, he cant come back like Reagan did, uh, in his second two years and be re-elected?
GALEN: And Clinton did...
THOMPSON: And Clinton did...
GALEN: Yeah, you cant..I dont think you can project that far out. I think what Newt is...and Im putting words in his mouth; I havent discussed this with him...I have discussed the first part with him, but not this part.
THOMPSON: Uh huh...
GALEN: The, uh, I think what Newt is looking at is A) the Republican competition, first of all. I mean, it doesnt matter whether the incumbent can be defeated. If youre not the nominee then it doesnt make any difference. Um, and uh, I think he looks across the landscape, uh and he sees some really interesting personalities.
THOMPSON: (Loudly laughs) Youve been in town too long Rich, youre becoming too diplomatic. (Loudly laughs again)
GALEN: But not necessarily people who are qualified to be the nominee or be president.
THOMPSON: Uh huh...
GALEN: And uh, I dont think Sarah Palins ever going to be the nominee. I dont think she believes that she can be the nominee and Im not sure she wants to get into that. I mean, I think shes, uh...you know...shes doing what she does and shes doing what she does better than anybody weve seen in a long time.
THOMPSON: You know she may be in the first stages of Newtism, and that is, uh, being...being a real player and going around the country making lots of money. (Laughs)
GALEN: Yeah, and ...
THOMPSON: Thats what Newts done for a long time and maybe hes ready...maybe hes ready for the next stage and maybe, uh, youre right. Maybe Sarahs idea is that shell do this for a while and then her second stage will come along a little later.
GALEN: Theres no, uh, I mean theres no advantage for somebody like Sarah Palin to absolutely do, uh, you know, do a, uh, whats the statement that we always talk about?
THOMPSON: Sherman-like...
GALEN: A Sherman statement, you know, if nominated I will not run. If elected, I will not serve. I mean, it doesnt do any good to take herself out of the running. It makes good sense for her to be among the mentioned and, uh, you know why get in the way of that? Next Spring, sometime, shell decide what she wants to do and everybody will react to it then. But uh,...
THOMPSON: Uh huh...
GALEN: Yeah, I think the threshold question is I think Newt is serious about it.
Do me a favor. Don't post any more of your idiotic questions to me.
Thanks!
“Do me a favor. Don’t post any more of your idiotic questions to me.
OK I will, if you’ll refrain from putting a negitive spin on everything you post about!
I can’t wait for the Republican Primaries and the debates! That is going to be very very entertaining! I really really can’t wait for the Debates!!!!!
Your statement above pretty much encapsulates the essence of Freddy.
I still keep a priceless souvenir from the 2008 election...
I’ll be just north of Co Longford this October.
ROTFLMAO! That explains a lot.
Agreed...who will be there is anybody’s guess!
Dude, I have no idea what you are referring to.
I see three possibilities here.
1.)You have me confused with some other poster.
2.)You have misread one of my posts.
3.)You are nuts.
She had a capable successor who finished her agenda.
How is that "quitting?" Quitting implies that when you quit a job, the position is left open and there is temporary confusion on who would do the remaining duties until a replacement is chosen. Nothing of that sort happened in Alaska.
Why does it matter? If she would have stayed in her position and allowed herself to be bankrupted and ruined politically, you wouldn't have given a damn anyway.
Aren’t you going to great lengths to argue whether she ‘quit’ or not? She did, plain and simple. As to constitutional duties, SHE was elected by the people, not the “capable successor” she determined would do a good job.
Would you feel a little upset if you were an Obama voter and he quit to leave the job of President to the “capable” hands of Biden?
on second thought, don’t answer that...but you get my point!
Obama quit his job as senator.
Gurn - yes, she resigned. You can say that she quit. Whatever tickles your ribs.
Clearly, you neither understand nor care about the circumstances behind her decision, however. If you did, you wouldn't bring up this discredited talking point. And it is a desperate meme fabricated by the Left because they're pissed that Sarah didn't play by their rules. Repeating it doesn't make it fact.
It's not like she signed a 5 year deal with a sports franchise and then quit because she didn't like the terms. As a public official, there's no rule stating that one must finish the job regardless if their name and state are being dragged through the mud. (and since when did resigning from office become a bad thing anyway?) Sarah had a capable successor who is finishing out her term - again, how is that "bailing" out on the people?
Look, in a nutshell, Sarah was targeted, she saw it and sidestepped her enemies, and she answered a higher calling. Even Stevie Wonder can see this. If she would have stayed in office and drowned under the crushing ethics violations and other smears, would you have still supported her? No, you wouldn't. You'd scream along with the left that she's too "scandal plagued" to run for President and dismiss her out of hand.
She signed a 4 year deal with the people who elected her. In my book, I’d say that’s a deal she should have honored (not to mention the value of the experience). Obama didn’t quit until he announced he was running for higher office and won. Had he lost, he’d still be a senator - ala Kerry, McCain, Clinton. Sarah didn’t run for anything when she quit. She quit to focus on speaking engagements and ???
Look, its not a personal slam against her credibility as a person or her character necessarily. Again, Sarah only looks qualified in comparison to someone as inexperienced as Obama...but doesn’t mean she’s qualified. She does not have the skills and/or experience one would expect in that role...and that’s a matter of opinion. To turn this into something more is a mistake.
I am not disputing that. She quit, she resigned. But you're making a shallow, dead-end point. Try and understand the circumstances behind her decision. Be a conservative and get the facts.
As to constitutional duties, SHE was elected by the people, not the capable successor she determined would do a good job.
Said constitutional duties she was not able to perform because of external circumstances. If I was an Alaskan taxpayer, I wouldn't want my Governor and state hog-tied, wasting hours and money fighting enemies. I would want her to step aside and let someone else less-popular take control.
Would you feel a little upset if you were an Obama voter and he quit to leave the job of President to the capable hands of Biden?
Apples and oranges. Presidents can't be sued or have endless ethics allegations filed against them.
She was elected by the people to perform a job that she was no longer able to do because of external circumstances. If one cannot provide adequate representation, they need to step aside. I don't understand why this simple concept is lost on you people. That's what she did. But apparently, she should have clung to power, broke, gasping for air, and ruined according to her critics who wouldn't have supported her even if she had done that. So spare me the false outrage of her "quitting."
In my book, Id say thats a deal she should have honored (not to mention the value of the experience).
Sigh. Please reference smack-down statement above.
Obama didnt quit until he announced he was running for higher office and won. Had he lost, hed still be a senator - ala Kerry, McCain, Clinton.
And you don't see your irony of politicians milking their jobs while pursuing another?
Sarah didnt run for anything when she quit. She quit to focus on speaking engagements and ???
I guess little things like her Facebook notes which derailed Obamacare, cap and trade, and forced Obama's hand on the BP oil spill and national security doesn't matter, right? Or the endorsements supporting conservative candidates and retaking Congress in 2010. Again, Sarah is answering a higher calling. She was needed nationally and she took the opportunity.
Look, its not a personal slam against her credibility as a person or her character necessarily. Again, Sarah only looks qualified in comparison to someone as inexperienced as Obama...but doesnt mean shes qualified. She does not have the skills and/or experience one would expect in that role...and thats a matter of opinion. To turn this into something more is a mistake.
Hey, I'm not mad. I'm here to debate. She certainly is more qualified for POTUS than Mitt Romney. Mayor, co-business owner, energy regulator, Governor, VP nominee....where are you seeing the inexperience at? Do you really believe the fallacy that since she didn't serve the traditional two terms as Governor before running for POTUS, somehow she's not qualified? In those 2.5 years, she accomplished A LOT. Again, more than people like Romney, who's single term was a disaster.
????????????
you're such a literalist... things must fly over your head often... and i don't mean that literally...
This thread has gone to 300 posts. Please tell me who has done more to aggressively attack the Obama nightmare than Palin?
Who is the most vocal opponent to massive expansion of government than Palin?
Who had more impact in slowing down the Obamacare freight train than Palin?
Newt? Mitt? All the “its my turn” GOPers said nothing when their country needed them. I’m tired of liberal-lite Republicans. Find me someone better than Palin and I will vote for them. Find me someone with Conservative values that they will stick with, and I will support them. The names floating right now will not cut it.
Either the GOP gets serious about being a true party in opposition or I’m through with it. The stakes are too high to have another Dole or McCain nominee.
IMHO, “Brices Crossroads” is a not very good name for a Freeper, or for anyone for that matter.
Why would someone call up the demons of the slave trade, the Fort Pillow Massacre, the murder of unarmed soldiers captured at Murfreesboro and the founder of the KKK, to which the pen name, “Brices Crossroads”, pays homage?
I also notice the “BC” often posts articles and replies critical of Sarah, which is a good thing: Sarah and Freerepublic does not need a positive relationship with someone whose hero is a white supremacist.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.