Free Republic

I support Fred Thompson as do a far majority of FreeRepublic members. However, polls of Iowa voters, NH voters, national voters, etc. all place Fred way back in the pack. Why is that? Is it bad polling, e.g., oversampling non-Republicans, unlikely voters, etc.? I just can't believe that we are that far from standard Republican opinion. If we are, may God have mercy on us all. ;->

Well, that didn't take long. Former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson declared for president on Jay Leno this week and three days later, the press starts digging into ol' Fred's dirty laundry. And there's plenty to dig into, if today's London Daily Mail story is any indication. A few excerpts from the Mail's profile of big Fred: A Mail investigation raises serious questions about whether the affable Thompson is the committed pillar of 'family values' that conservatives take him to be. His second wife, Jeri, is a blonde 24 years his junior. They wed in 2002 after Thompson was advised that...

He disappointed conservatives during his eight years in the Senate. Is there any reason to think this Washington insider and veteran trial lawyer would be any better as President? The frustration of conservatives is understandable. Faced with the prospects of Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, or Mitt Romney as the next Republican presidential candidate, many are pinning their hopes on former Senator Fred Thompson of Tennessee. Could this actor-politician be the new Ronald Reagan? Mainstream media types assure us that he is. His record suggests otherwise. This is the second time conservatives have pinned their hopes on Thompson. When he was...

Young love: Fred with first wife Sarah On a winter's day in 1958, Fred Thompson's classmates crammed into a stadium to watch the hulking 16-year-old football star in a match. But their cheers turned to groans and girls had tears in their eyes as the handsome 6ft 5in youth slumped to the ground. When a group of coaches rushed to assess his injury, he flashed them a conspiratorial grin. 'How's the crowd taking it?' he whispered. Nearly a half century later, it is no surprise to anyone in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, that the schoolboy who always wanted to be centre...