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My Favorite Fred Thompson Columns Well, he’s out. And I’m left with three great questions that inspire only mediocre answers, if indeed there are any answers that can be provided at all: One, why vote against Fred? I don’t mean why did they; I mean why should they have. The best answer I ever heard came from statements like “that’s what we need to do — to amend the Constitution so it’s in God’s standards”? Three…lacking some kind of reform, does our electoral process have any better chance of installing a quality leader at the head of our government,...

Family ties guide Thompson BY MARGARET TALEV WASHINGTON -- Fatherhood and ambition. In Fred Thompson's life, they rise and fall together, a recurring couplet in the nostalgic story of a Tennessee fella who's guided more by life's surprises and others' expectations than he is by any master plan. Consider: The small-town jock called ''Freddie'' and ''Moose,'' who, at 17, upon getting his high school girlfriend pregnant, married her, heeded her politically connected family and made something of himself. The divorced U.S. senator, lawyer, lobbyist and actor who dropped out of politics when one of his three grown children died...

At the Last Minute, Thompson Shines By Byron York Greenville, South Carolina — At various times during Fred Thompson’s presidential campaign, there have been moments in which Republicans who admire Thompson and want him to succeed have said, “Yessssss! Yessssss! Why haven’t we seen more of that?” One such moment happened in December, after Thompson’s “no hand shows” performance at the Des Moines Register debate in Iowa. Another came nine days ago after Thompson’s forceful performance at the Fox News debate in Myrtle Beach. And there was another last night, in the final appearance of Thompson’s South Carolina primary...

Fred on the Bus by Erick Erickson Traveling through snowy South Carolina with Fred Thompson, I’m struck by the sense that finally, the man has arrived. The candidate so many conservatives were excited by early in 2007 is finally walking the land. The Fred Thompson in South Carolina this week is the one America saw knock into Mike Huckabee as a pro-life liberal with “blame America first” beliefs whose economic policies would destroy the economy. And the crowds love it. Though barely mentioned in the national media, Senator Fred Thompson has been on a barn storming tour crisscrossing South...

Thank You, Michigan FredHeads By Sean Hackbarth in Supporters Thanks to all of you in Michigan who came out to vote for Fred. You can still play an important part in this campaign: Phone for Fred and make calls to South Carolina voters. Tell friends and family to become Friends of Fred. Write letters to newspapers. Publish a weblog or leave comments. Join Fred’s Facebook and MySpace groups. Check out these Fred forums: >FredHeads.com, Draft Fred Thompson, and Marblehead Regiment Forums Make pro-Fred videos. Fred still needs your help in his battle for the conservative heart and soul of...

Fred On Fire in South Carolina by Martha Zoller Wendell Goler: Gentlemen, if we can, let's move on. In his second inaugural, President Bush made clear that this country would no longer trade civility for democracy, yet relations with Pakistan seem to test that. Senator Thompson, would your administration continue to back Pakistani President Musharraf despite polls that show two-thirds of the Pakistani people want him to resign immediately?| Sen. Fred Thompson: Oh, my goodness, go against the poll? --Fox News Republican Presidential Debate, January 11, 2008 In a debate format that usually sets the stage for Gov. Mike...

Backers urge Thompson to 'get rough' January 14, 2008 By Stephen Dinan - MONCKS CORNER, S.C. — The hottest topic among South Carolina Republicans right now is the fire in Fred Thompson's belly. Unlike the other candidates who still are trying to convince voters of their philosophy and credentials, Mr. Thompson finds his biggest challenge is trying to convince voters he's serious enough about his bid for the Republican presidential nomination. It's a curious position for a candidate to be in — one where his supporters seem to want him to want it more than he does. "Get rough,...

Fred Thompson: philosopher Submitted by Joewm315 In the earliest days of our country, our leaders, the Founding Fathers, were first and foremost philosophers. They were thinking men in the tradition of the greatest minds of the Greeks or the Renaissance. Men like Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and Benjamin Franklin wrote for years about freedom and the role of government. Their writings inspired the birth of what is now the greatest nation on Earth. They were men of substance, who thought deeply about issues. They believe that substance and thought trumped rhetoric. They set bedrock principles, and adhered to them...

Fred Thompson Releases Substantial Plan to Reduce Federal Spending Fred Thompson just became the first and only Republican candidate to produce a detailed and substantial plan to reduce federal spending. If you’ve not already seen this Thompson interview with Charlie Rose, I recommend it highly. Scroll to 36:18, for example, to hear his sensible — yet all-too-rare — bottom-line analysis on the subject of torture: Video And here’s a telling quote from 16:11, in the context of fixing the “No Child Left Behind” fiasco and moving towards voucher programs: You can’t get away from what has worked for us,...

Thompson cruises through S.C. By RODDIE A. BURRIS GOP hopeful looks ahead during N.H. primary They were voting in New Hampshire, but Fred Thompson was stumping in South Carolina. The television actor and former Tennessee U.S. senator became the first of the 2008 presidential candidates to arrive here Tuesday, abandoning the nation’s first primary and casting his lot in the Palmetto State. Tuesday, he opened an 11-day bus tour, campaigning in Greenville, Lexington, Camden and Columbia. Political analysts think Thompson might need to win the Jan. 19 GOP presidential primary to keep his campaign viable. “This is his kinda...

Presidential candidate Fred Thompson returns to the Upstate Link only allowed due to copyright complaints The view from inside the Palmetto State After a couple days campaigning in South Carolina there is good news to report. Out of the several hundred Upstate homes we visited, Fred Thompson is the most popular candidate. In fact, among decided voters Fred is more popular than all the other candidates combined. That’s the good news. The bad news is that there are as many undecided voters as decided ones. Here’s how the view looks from the ground in this corner of South Carolina:...

Audio & Video: Ticket to the Next Dance By Sean Hackbarth Fred spoke to supporters after his third-place finish in the Iowa Caucuses.Video An old article, re-published in the NH Times Leader: Thompson: His life has been awash in opportunities, seized with an actor's sense of timing By NANCY BENAC Fred Thompson: The Quiet Man of 2008 campaign scores an invisible win Mark Tapscott Let's see now: Fred Thompson started way late, has had a tumultuous staff lineup, spent virtually nothing compared to others like Mitt Romney, was almost unseen in Iowa until three weeks ago, was either ignored...

Fred Thompson Busy 01-02-08, Bill Bennett, Laura Ingraham, Fox "Happening Now",Mark Levin Show, Jeri on Van Susteren *all times Eastern 8:30 am Fred Thompson does a live interview on "Morning in America" with Bill Bennettlisten here to a recording of the interview with Bill Bennett10:35 am Fred Thompson does a live interview on "The Laura Ingraham Show" listen online guide11:45 am Fred Thompson is a guest on Fox News' "Happening Now"1:50 pm Fred Thompson meets with voters at event in Waterloo, Iowa 4:15 pm Fred Thompson meets with voters at event in Cedar Rapids, Iowa 6:00 pm Fred Thompson...

An Account of Thompson's 'Desire' Question, From The Man Who Asked Jim Geraghty Todd Chelf, the Iowa Republican who asked Fred Thompson the question about his desire to be president that launched this weekend's brouhaha, gave me his account of the question, the answer, and the aftermath. After watching the blogs and media coverage of the question, I think the question and answer were taken out of context. From the start I want to make one thing clear, I do not nor have I ever thought Sen. Thompson is lazy. No one can accomplish in a lifetime what he...

Fred Thompson says he's not running to satisfy personal ambition By BILL THEOBALD Link only allowed due to copyright complaints. Fred Thompson on CSPAN in Pella, IA 12-28-07 Fmr. Sen. Fred Thompson (R-TN) meets supporters at the Smokey Row Coffee House in Pella, IA. 00:35. Fri 12-28-07 For those who missed the C-SPAN broadcast yesterday or don't have Real Player installed, here is the YouTube video. Fred Thompson Makes Major Reaganesque Speech For Iowans : Too Late? By Joe Gandelman With polls in Iowa see-sawing faster than a see-saw in a playground used by hyperactive five-year-olds, a Republican candidate...

Transcript: Fred Thompson on 'FOX News Sunday' Sunday , December 30, 2007 WASHINGTON — The following is a partial transcript of the Dec. 30, 2007, edition of "FOX News Sunday With Chris Wallace: "FOX NEWS SUNDAY" HOST CHRIS WALLACE: After months of campaigning, Americans will actually start to vote this week Thursday night in the Iowa caucuses. Joining us now from the campaign trail in Ames, Iowa is Republican presidential candidate and former senator Fred Thompson. And, Senator, welcome back to "FOX News Sunday." REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE FRED THOMPSON: Thank you, Chris. Good to be with you. WALLACE: You're...

Thompson talks tough on defense By WILLIAM SMITH FORT MADISON -- Dressed in a casual leather jacket and walking onstage to a country music entrance, former U.S. senator from Tennessee and candidate for the 2008 Republican nomination Fred Thompson presented himself as a straight shooter to a packed house Friday night. "I will be tomorrow the same person I am today. What you see is what you get," he said. "I dance to no man's tune. I've never been accused of changing my political position in order to pick up some extra votes." The former senator, lawyer and actor...

'Laid back' Thompson says he knows how to win By Ed Tibbetts Quad-City Times About the nicest adjective some analysts have applied to Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson is he's laid back. More often, they're apt to call his campaign lethargic, dull, lazy, sleepy-eyed -- or, in the words of a conservative columnist, "fizzy as day-old cherry Coke." Thompson, if he cares, doesn't show it. In fact, he seems to wear his demeanor -- and his campaign's pace -- quite proudly. Take when he walked into the Thunder Bay Grille restaurant in Davenport this month. Barely had he begun...

BLOGBURST FOR FRED: JOIN THE MARBLEHEADERS Rick Moran Two Hundred and Thirty One years ago yesterday, a barefoot, ill-clad army of 2,000 men crossed the ice choked Delaware River to surprise the Hessians at Trenton, giving George Washington his most important victory in the cause of American independence. The story of how that victory came about is instructive to the cause of Fred Thompson’s campaign for the presidency and the reason for this blogburst today. Not because Fred resembles George Washington in any way or that a Thompson presidency would be as significant an event in history as the...

AP Gives Thompson the ‘04 Treatment by Jed Babbin The Associated Press -- once the gold standard of fast and accurate reporting -- changed during the Bush presidency. What was liberal bias has reshaped the wire service into one of the most politically activist media outlets. This is a cautionary tale for every Republican candidate. What AP tried to do to Fred Thompson is going to be repeated against any conservative candidate who exudes a whiff of conservatism in the primaries and whichever Republican gains the presidential nomination. Those of us who cast a leery eye on the media,...