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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: Howlin
I could have sworn they did. Wiki says they haven't. I can't tell from their website. It's like a TrueConservative™'s post on FR.
341 posted on 03/08/2007 10:47:43 PM PST by AmishDude (It doesn't matter whom you vote for. It matters who takes office.)
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To: CharlesWayneCT
Thompson is definitely on my list of considered candidates, along with Romney, then Brownback, then Gilmore and Hunter, although I'm not committing to that order yet. Based on opinion on Free Republic, Hunter is the favorite, followed by Thompson, with McCain, Giuliani, and Romney showing a lot of negatives.

Plus, face it, a Hunter-Thompson ticket would drive the Demonrats gonzo!

bavarianilluminati.com

342 posted on 03/08/2007 10:49:31 PM PST by bIlluminati (You can get more with a kind word and a Colt .45 than you can with a kind word alone.)
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To: zarf

I wouldn't go as far as RINO - he's just more of an all-around, "regular" conservative, less ideological, has a basic disdain for the way things are done in Washington, loves America, and has a basic conservative viewpoint.

Duncan Hunter he's not...but he's a considerable improvement over just about anyone else out there who actually has a snowball's chance in hell of winning.


343 posted on 03/08/2007 10:49:54 PM PST by RockinRight (My wish for Islam - The Glass Parking Lot Formerly Known As The Middle East.)
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To: Hildy

That doesn't matter to me.


344 posted on 03/08/2007 10:50:20 PM PST by RockinRight (My wish for Islam - The Glass Parking Lot Formerly Known As The Middle East.)
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To: AmishDude

You actually think a thread on FR with all of 10 posts was indicative of the entire Republican 2000 primary season?


345 posted on 03/08/2007 10:55:25 PM PST by streetpreacher (What if you're wrong?)
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To: itsahoot

I wouldn't say that. Thompson can come across as another beltway insider, however...let's not forget that the main reason he left Washington was because of all the BS that goes on there - he's in the position of being liked well by his fellow Senators but not being quite the "insider" that would make him a negative.


346 posted on 03/08/2007 10:58:46 PM PST by RockinRight (My wish for Islam - The Glass Parking Lot Formerly Known As The Middle East.)
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To: JRochelle

How is he to the right of Bush on the issues?


347 posted on 03/08/2007 10:58:57 PM PST by gpapa (Boost FR Traffic! Make FR your home page!)
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To: Siobhan
Rudy Giuliani/Newt Gingrich '08

That's my 2 cents.

348 posted on 03/08/2007 10:59:24 PM PST by Silly (plasticpie.com)
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To: EternalVigilance

EV, would ya lay off the pro-abortion LIE?


349 posted on 03/08/2007 11:00:07 PM PST by RockinRight (My wish for Islam - The Glass Parking Lot Formerly Known As The Middle East.)
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To: Pyro7480

He can't. He's going off a 13 year old National Review article - but all his votes in the Senate suggest a strong pro-life position.


350 posted on 03/08/2007 11:02:51 PM PST by RockinRight (My wish for Islam - The Glass Parking Lot Formerly Known As The Middle East.)
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To: Gelato

Thompson is like McCain was about 10 years ago when most people still liked him.

And Fred's not a lunatic, either.


351 posted on 03/08/2007 11:03:46 PM PST by RockinRight (My wish for Islam - The Glass Parking Lot Formerly Known As The Middle East.)
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To: RockinRight

No, he won't.


352 posted on 03/08/2007 11:04:23 PM PST by Howlin (Honk if you like Fred Thompson!!!)
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To: RockinRight

Lie? It's what he ran for the Senate as. That's indisputable. If he's changed, I, for one, am going to need a lot more than an alleged phone call by a staffer.

But, he can't run from the fact that he was THE linchpin for McCain-Feingold.


353 posted on 03/08/2007 11:05:31 PM PST by EternalVigilance (With "Republicans" like these, who needs Democrats?)
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To: streetpreacher

Hey, it's delicate and imprecise work to find articles that old, you try it.

But it only took 3 checks, with my search criteria, to find one.


354 posted on 03/08/2007 11:06:32 PM PST by AmishDude (It doesn't matter whom you vote for. It matters who takes office.)
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To: EternalVigilance

McCain-Feingold, and his rolling over for the Clintons are his two major negatives.

However, McCain has about 10 major negatives and Rudy has about 1,433 major negative points...


355 posted on 03/08/2007 11:07:24 PM PST by RockinRight (My wish for Islam - The Glass Parking Lot Formerly Known As The Middle East.)
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To: Howlin

I have to laugh at that.


356 posted on 03/08/2007 11:09:16 PM PST by RockinRight (My wish for Islam - The Glass Parking Lot Formerly Known As The Middle East.)
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To: RockinRight

Can't argue with that. But, trashing the Bill of Rights is still a damned big hit to me.

Nevertheless, Thompson, should he enter, is going to destroy Giuliani and Romney. Stick a fork in 'em.


357 posted on 03/08/2007 11:12:04 PM PST by EternalVigilance (With "Republicans" like these, who needs Democrats?)
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To: EternalVigilance

Oh, believe me, I'm no fan of McCain-Feingold, either.

If I could combine Newt's brain, Romney's personal life, and Hunter's politics, we'd have the perfect candidate...but, we can't.

Thompson in my book still ranks better overall than the others.

As far as the abortion thing...let's hear what HE has to say if he does in fact run...THEN we can argue. :)


358 posted on 03/08/2007 11:14:00 PM PST by RockinRight (My wish for Islam - The Glass Parking Lot Formerly Known As The Middle East.)
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To: EternalVigilance
"You posted a claim by a columnist that runs 180 degrees counter to the facts. Fred Thompson was known by everyone in politics as a pro-choice politician. If he's changed, I would say that you and his supporters need to provide the proof of that."

There have were very few senate votes regarding abortion while Thompson was in the Senate. On all of them, he voted the pro-life side...

It would be best if he said NOTHING about abortion at this point. Let it alone. The only way someone can be pro-choice is to be stupid. He doesn't strike me as stupid.
359 posted on 03/08/2007 11:14:45 PM PST by babygene (Never look into the laser with your last good eye...)
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To: notaliberal

Well...I can give him a pass, and here's why:

Neither of them were married at the time. She was attractive, and, let's face it, probably about as easy as a first grade math test. I don't think marriage was on his mind with her, quite honestly.

And so what. He was single at the time.


360 posted on 03/08/2007 11:17:24 PM PST by RockinRight (My wish for Islam - The Glass Parking Lot Formerly Known As The Middle East.)
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