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TV Star, Former Republican Senator Fred Thompson Mulls '08 Presidential Bid
Fox News ^ | March 8, 2007

Posted on 03/08/2007 7:43:28 PM PST by West Coast Conservative

Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson is facing increased calls to get into the 2008 GOP nomination race.

Sources told FOX News that Thompson, 62, now one of the stars of the popular NBC prime time series "Law & Order," has not ruled out a presidential bid, and has authorized advisers and supporters to continue to gauge support.

Advisers are holding regular strategy sessions, investigating fundraising avenues and private polling to measure enthusiasm. Perhaps pre-eminent among a number of prominent Thompson backers working behind the scenes is former Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker.

Baker has been a mentor to Thompson since before the Senate's Watergate hearings, for which Baker hired Thompson as majority counsel and for which Thompson earned fame for having Baker ask the key question that led to President Richard Nixon's downfall: "What did the president know and when did he know it?"

Baker ran for president himself in 1980. Thompson eyed the White House in the 1990s.

While Thompson, who also helped raise money and advise I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's legal defense fund, continues to mull a bid, sources said he has been inundated with calls from GOP donors and supporters urging him to run.

Thompson has a solid and consistently conservative voting record that his supporters said makes a stark contrast to Republican frontrunners Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney.

This week, he told radio news host Mark Levin that he would have something to say about his plans, but not yet.

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2008election; electionpresident; elections; fredthompson; giuliani
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To: EternalVigilance

221 posted on 03/08/2007 9:26:51 PM PST by Howlin (Honk if you like Fred Thompson!!!)
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To: chasio649
McCain was generally supported by people who liked his biography. Conservatives never liked his campaign finance stuff, but on average were going to give him a break, figuring that was his one quirk.

Then he thumbed his nose at conservatives in SC and MI and the bloom was off the rose.

The TrueConservatives™ were peddling endless conspiracy theories about the Bush family.

222 posted on 03/08/2007 9:28:11 PM PST by AmishDude (It doesn't matter whom you vote for. It matters who takes office.)
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To: EternalVigilance
Not surprising to see you jump on board with a pro-abort trasher of the First Amendment buddy of John McCain.

What is really not surprising is seeing you attacking another popular republican. Always the disruptor, EVie, always the fifth columnist, always dividing.

223 posted on 03/08/2007 9:28:19 PM PST by 68 grunt (3/1 India, 3rd, 68-69, 0311)
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To: babygene
The fact is his voting record has been pro-life.

Fact is, his supporters are floating three pro-life votes he made around. But he's always called himself pro-choice throughout his political career.

224 posted on 03/08/2007 9:28:19 PM PST by EternalVigilance (With "Republicans" like these, who needs Democrats?)
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To: Gelato

That's not my biggest problem with John McCain. It's just one of them. The biggest is that he is a bit "nutty", he doesn't seem to have the temperament to be President. He also had the gang of 14, and amnesty, and his opposition to reasonable interrogations, and other positions on the war on terror that are off-putting.

That said, I still rank McCain above Rudy, and if I decided not to vote for McCain in the general election it would be because I was so afraid he'd go nuts that I'd rather trust a democrat. Not likely to happen, but it is a real fear I have with McCain. If I have it, I've got to figure he'd have trouble winning the election.

I also find McCain to be very opportunistic, while Thompson's political life doesn't look like one which had votes based on gaining political advantage.

I'm no way sold on Thompson, we don't know nearly enough about him to sell me on him. But he seems intriguing, he certainly seems like he'd have the name recognition, he's got a pretty conservative record, he supports the war, and he's well-spoken and electable.

Of course, I still believe Romney is acceptable, something my fellow conservatives don't agree with me about.


225 posted on 03/08/2007 9:28:35 PM PST by CharlesWayneCT
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To: AmishDude
The TrueConservatives™ were peddling endless conspiracy theories about the Bush family.

That's bogus. Conservatives voted Bush after the McCain threat became real.

226 posted on 03/08/2007 9:29:28 PM PST by EternalVigilance (With "Republicans" like these, who needs Democrats?)
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To: West Coast Conservative

Fred Thompson's Lifetime ACU rating is 86%. Check out Thompson's other votes.


http://www.acuratings.org/ratingsarchive/2002/2002Senate.htm


227 posted on 03/08/2007 9:29:40 PM PST by Kuksool
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To: pollyannaish
LOL. I just noticed your tagline. Is it new?

Thank you for asking. It is old. I've vowed to keep it until November 2008.

228 posted on 03/08/2007 9:29:56 PM PST by AmishDude (It doesn't matter whom you vote for. It matters who takes office.)
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To: EternalVigilance
But he's always called himself pro-choice throughout his political career.

I just posted an article from 2000 from National Review that proves that's a lie.

If you continue to post that as fact, that will just be yet another nail in your coffin of lies.

229 posted on 03/08/2007 9:30:23 PM PST by Howlin (Honk if you like Fred Thompson!!!)
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To: Pyro7480

It was my congressman...Dick Armey -- who was a much better congressman than a former congressman...what the heck happenned to him? Money corrupts?


230 posted on 03/08/2007 9:31:09 PM PST by Froggie
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To: EternalVigilance; Miss Marple; deport; PhiKapMom
Conservatives voted Bush after the McCain threat became real.

OMG, you do live in another universe.

231 posted on 03/08/2007 9:31:21 PM PST by Howlin (Honk if you like Fred Thompson!!!)
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To: Howlin
LOL. Good point. Well...so far I like Fred if he gets in, but I'm still going to wait to commit. So...a preliminary honk from me.
232 posted on 03/08/2007 9:31:59 PM PST by pollyannaish
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To: AmishDude

I'm not defending McCain...don't get me wrong...you sound about right...McCain had a lot of solid support going in...then he kind of went unhinged if i remember correctly...I would say that most on here liked McCain in the mid 90's....i liked most everything he said when he was on a News show back in those days...now i wouldn't give a plug nickel for him.


233 posted on 03/08/2007 9:32:02 PM PST by chasio649
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To: Howlin

I think you are really going overboard with the "evil Christian" bit.

I am TOTALLY opposed to Giuliani, and will NEVER vote for him, but I am have been a Thompson supporter for years.

I don't expect a candidate to be a saint, but pro-life and
anti-homosexual agenda are non-negotiable. Fred has those, and is a strong 2A supporter. He seems to have become more stringent against illegal immigration after 2000.

If he gets in, he has my vote, much as I like DH.


234 posted on 03/08/2007 9:32:10 PM PST by Politicalmom ("Always vote for principle...and your vote is never lost."-John Quincy Adams)
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To: Howlin
I just posted an article from 2000 from National Review that proves that's a lie.

Link, please.

235 posted on 03/08/2007 9:32:15 PM PST by EternalVigilance (With "Republicans" like these, who needs Democrats?)
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To: Jotmo

I don't think the site does a good job ranking answers to questions to put you on that chart. It doesn't take more than a couple odd votes to move you around quite a bit.

I always recommend looking at the actual votes and deciding for yourself what they mean. the ACU ratings are more accurate I believe, as well as the rankings of the various special interest organizations on the left and right.

Thompson wasn't well-ranked by ANY liberal organization, and had a respectable but not stellar rating by the ACU.

I wish Hunter could do something, anything, to distinguish himself as a leader or to fall on his face, so either he'd jump into the top tier or go away so we could try someone else in his place. Right now, I'd put Gilmore above him, and I'm pretty certain Gilmore is unelectable.


236 posted on 03/08/2007 9:32:41 PM PST by CharlesWayneCT
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To: Politicalmom
I think you are really going overboard with the "evil Christian" bit.

Where exactly did I do that?

237 posted on 03/08/2007 9:33:28 PM PST by Howlin (Honk if you like Fred Thompson!!!)
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To: West Coast Conservative

ALL-Hollywood, ALL-Fred!

Fred Thompson/Fred Grandy in '08!


238 posted on 03/08/2007 9:33:33 PM PST by incredulous joe ("...during a lull in the violence occurring at the end of the holy month of Ramadan,...")
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To: EternalVigilance

It is not my JOB to make sure you read what's posted on a thread; look for it.


239 posted on 03/08/2007 9:33:53 PM PST by Howlin (Honk if you like Fred Thompson!!!)
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To: tcrlaf

"Thompson/Rice '08

Wouldn't THAT be a hell of a ticket??"

That would be a great ticket, but I'm not sure it would be much better than AmishDude/Tancredo.


240 posted on 03/08/2007 9:34:20 PM PST by Rembrandt (We would have won Viet Nam w/o Dim interference.)
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