Posted on 08/22/2007 2:08:31 PM PDT by SmithL
Los Angeles (AP) -- If Fred Thompson is auditioning for the role of a lifetime, he could hardly be any better prepared.
For millions, Thompson is simply Arthur Branch, the gruff, hard-nosed district attorney on NBC's "Law & Order." Many others may recognize him from strong, take-charge movie roles including an admiral in "The Hunt for Red October."
As Thompson prepares for a likely run for the presidency — he said Wednesday "it will not be long" until he makes an announcement on the subject — his image has been cultivated as much by Hollywood as by his time as a real-life Republican senator in Washington.
"When Fred, as Arthur Branch, walks into a room, people feel like they should stand up and salute. Fred is the living definition of command presence," Dick Wolf, series creator and executive producer of "Law & Order," told the AP. "If you look back at his previous roles, you can see I'm not the only producer who has felt this way."
Thompson's acting career has long been intertwined with his political one. He was first cast by Hollywood in 1985's "Marie" as himself — an attorney in the true story of a woman who is working at the State Board of Pardons of Tennessee and discovers that the state government is riddled with graft, corruption and even murder.
His next film outing in 1987 saw him cast in his first character role as a CIA director opposite Kevin Costner in "No Way Out," paving the way for two decades of roles as either an attorney, a military officer, a politician and even a president.
"There is a strong sense in which Thompson's popularity as an actor, I think, came in part because he seemed to be able to play the role . . .
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
That isn't really a ringing endorsement, you know. Arnold is a trojan horse phony.
And germane.
Well, duh....
He was governor for two terms not several.
You mean you would not vote for anyone who dated a country western singer?
Just damn. We’re not worthy.
What did he accomplish?
...and two term Senator.
During which most of his energies went towards pushing for McCain/Feingold campaign finance reform. The only reason his name wasn't on the legislation is because three names would be a mouthful. He now says that the thing for which he dedicated his senatorial career was a mistake. That is the closest any politician has come to admit that their political career was a mistake.
what is your major malfunction?
FINALLY they are calling him an actor and not just “that republican”.
I know he is, I was just using him as an exampe of how “star power” can give a candidate an edge.
I’m not voting for him but I always get a kick out of seeing Thompson in any movie because he always plays the “generic hardass” role, and he plays it well.
Who is this woman. She looks like Lorrie Morgan. And what does she have to do with Fred Thompson?
“You mean you would not vote for anyone who dated a country western singer?”
I had no idea she’s a country singer. Well no, I wouldn’t vote for a man who dated a country singer or worked in modern Hollywood. I wouldn’t vote for a guy who’s so superficial he’d divorce his wife to get with a plastic woman who’s 30 years younger than him and who goes about showing a high percentage of her boobs in public.
Sorry, I have standards.
well here is one such accomplishment:
Corruption case against Tennessee Governor
In 1977, Thompson represented Marie Ragghianti who was a former Tennessee Parole Board chair. Ragghianti had refused to release felons who had bribed aides to Democratic Governor Ray Blanton in order to obtain clemency.[19] With Thompson’s assistance, Ragghianti filed a wrongful termination suit against the office of Governor Blanton.
Thompson previously considered legal action on behalf of other state employees who were allegedly dismissed for political reasons. In the Ragghianti case, Thompson helped to expose the cash-for-clemency scheme which eventually led to the removal of Blanton from the Governor’s office.[13] In July 1978, a jury awarded Ragghianti $38,000 in back pay, and ordered her reinstatement.[19] Ragghianti’s case would garner national attention, leading to the publication of a book titled, Marie, and a film of the same name.
another would be the watergate hearings:
Thompson was appointed minority counsel for the hearings surrounding the Watergate scandal.[15] According to Fox News, Thompson was responsible for Sen. Baker asking one of the questions that is said to have led directly to the downfall of President Richard Nixon—”What did the President know, and when did he know it?”[16] Also, Thompson himself asked former White House aide Alexander Butterfield at the public committee hearing about listening devices in the White House, although he already knew the answer to that question because Butterfield had earlier been interviewed by Senate investigators in closed session.[15][13]
Nixon was reportedly angry that Thompson had been selected as minority counsel to the Senate Watergate committee; Nixon believed the young Thompson was not skilled enough to interrogate unfriendly witnesses, and was apt to be outfoxed by committee Democrats.[17] According to historian Stanley Kutler, Fred Thompson and Howard Baker “carried water for the White House, but I have to give them credit — they were watching out for their interests, too....They weren’t going to mindlessly go down the tubes” for Nixon.[17]
In response to renewed interest in this matter, Thompson says “I’m glad all of this has finally caused someone to read my Watergate book, even though it’s taken them over thirty years.”[18]
and here is some general info while he was an attorney:
Thompson was admitted to the State Bar of Tennessee in 1967 and worked as an assistant U.S. attorney from 1969 to 1972.[10] He was the campaign manager for Republican U.S. Senator Howard Baker’s successful re-election campaign in 1972, which led to a close personal friendship with Baker. He later served as co-chief counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee in its investigation of the Watergate scandal, (1973–1974), and afterwards wrote a book about it.[11] Among the cases Thompson has handled in his private law practice are personal injury claims and the defense of individuals accused of white collar crimes.[12]
Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Thompson worked primarily as an attorney, with law offices in Nashville and Washington, DC. His work included serving as special counsel to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1980 and the Senate Intelligence Committee in 1982, and a wide variety of other legal work.[9] Some of his clients have been foreign corporations, such as a German mining group and Japan’s Toyota Motors Corporation.[13] Thompson has also served on various corporate boards; for example, in the 1990s, he did legal work for the engineering firm Stone & Webster, while serving on its board of directors.[14]
as for Senator:
While in the Senate, Thompson served as the chairman of the Committee on Governmental Affairs from 1997 to 2001. The committee investigated alleged Chinese attempts to influence American politics prior to the 1996 elections. During 1997, Thompson was “largely stymied” during his U.S. Senate investigations of both Clinton-Gore and GOP campaign fund-raising activities, with witnesses declining to testify, claiming the right not to incriminate themselves, or simply leaving the United States’ jurisdiction.[34] Thompson’s final report on the matter also pointed to another problem: “Our work was affected tremendously by the fact that Congress is a much more partisan institution than it used to be.”[35]
I wonder when Thompson believes it turned partisan in Washington. When you see quotes like that it's got to make you wonder if he thinks he can bring bipartisanship to Washington. Any Republican who thinks he can do that after watching eight years of the most embarrassing, and failed, pandering attempt in history should be pointed at and mocked into oblivion.
She is Lorrie Morgan, they dated for a while, I think people see the picture and think because she is blond and small that it is Jeri, his wife.
“Heck...I’d vote for Osama Bin Laden before I voted for ANY democrat. At least you know where he stands.”
You just highlighted the absurdity of the lesser-of-two-evils argument. I can imagine a hypothetical match-up between Satan and Hitler for presidency: “I didn’t want Hitler to win, so I voted for Satan, and he won!” Well, I’m glad Hitler lost, but do you realize: You just got Satan elected President of the USA?
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