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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,...

Honey, the Bible says ‘Vote Thompson’ … sort of By Ben Smith David Shafer says there’s been some discord in his marriage of late. The spat’s over the Republican presidential primary. For a state senator and his wife, that might not be a small dispute. Shafer supports Fred Thompson for president. He’s backed the government-lawyer-turned-actor-turned-politician-turned-actor-again-turned-politician-again from the start. However, Shafer’s wife, Lee, is a recent convert to Mike Huckabee. “She was impressed, among other things, with how he is able to communicate his conservatism in an optimistic and nonjudgmental tone,� the Duluth Republican wrote in his blog last week....

Fred Thompson's Christmas 'ad' to savor ---snip--- But Thompson's effort stands out in its simple eloquence and contrast from the other candidates' obvious Christmas ad wars that desperately -- but, oh, so politely -- want to plug the candidates and their families (except in Hillary Clinton's case she's all alone packaging the numerous government programs she's putting under the tree to give away) without really seeming to do so at a holiday time usually reserved for family focus. Watch Thompson's short Thompson-free video about other families, and judge for yourself. --Andrew Malcolm Thompson's 'Christmas Message to the Troops' a...

Bias? More Doubts Raised About The Politico's Thompson Article In this long election cycle, we may be learning as much about media bias as about the candidates. PJM’s Bob Owens has more on the questionable characterization of Fred Thompson by The Politico’s Roger Simon. by Bob Owens Fire Chief Dan McKenzie cast more doubts on The Politico’s chief political correspondent Roger Simon’s version of events at McKenzie’s Waverly, Iowa fire station in Simon’s article “Fred Thompson: Lazy as charged.� Questions had been raised about Simon’s article based on a video of Thompson’s appearance, which seemed to show the candidate...

Tancredo's Iowa director backs Thompson By BILL THEOBALD Link only allowed due to copyright complaints. Thompson picks up Iowa endorsement By Charlotte Eby DES MOINES — Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson earned the endorsement of Iowa conservative Bill Salier today. Salier, a farmer from Nora Springs who ran for the U.S. Senate in 2002, had been serving as the state chairman for Tom Tancredo’s campaign. Tancredo dropped out of the presidential race Thursday. “I am honored to endorse Sen. Fred Thompson for president,� Salier said in a statement. “Sen. Thompson has been a consistently strong advocate in securing our...

Two very long pieces today. I hope you'll take time to read them both. The Impending Thompson Surge By JB Williams Seven major pollsters issued new national numbers for mid-December, after the last Republican debate in Iowa, which was hosted by the hostile Des Moines Register which is for the record, endorsing the Hillary Clinton campaign. An overall average of these seven polls Giuliani – 23% Huckabee – 19.1% Romney – 16% McCain – 13.3% Thompson – 11.3% Undecided – 10.4% Paul – 4.6% Hunter – 1.3% Tancredo - .6% Keyes - .4% Running 5th with only 11.3% support...

Jeri Thompson: Media Criticism has been “Stunningly Unfair� David Brody Jeri Thompson gave it to me straight Tuesday night when I interviewed her at a hotel on the campaign trail in Waterloo, Iowa. There’s been a lot of criticism of her husband since he’s gotten in the race. As you might imagine, she believes it is unfounded. Watch her explain it above. (Video at link) Read the transcription below: David Brody: Has the criticism been unfair and if so why? Jeri Thompson: It has been stunningly unfair. The one thing that anyone that’s been close to Fred, again over...

Fred Thompson gets down to business on Iowa blitz By BILL THEOBALD Tennessean Washington Bureau Link only allowed due to copyright complaints. Fred Thompson Interview with Laura Ingraham 12-18-07 Click on the link. The Envelope Please . . . Posted by Pejman Yousefzadeh (Red State) [I'm going to skip his comments on the other candidates (you can read them at the link) and jump right to what he says about Fred.]---snip--- So I have taken my time in deciding which candidate I will endorse for President of the United States, but with the Iowa Caucuses coming up, it is...

Fred Thompson quiet, 'in touch with the real people' Link only allowed due to copyright complaints Surprise for Romney, Congressman Steve King Endorses Fred Thompson Looks like MSNBC jumped the gun when they announced that Rep. Steve King was endorsing Mitt Romney, then as an update showed that the endorsement went to Fred Thompson. *** UPDATE *** King just announced that he's supporting Thompson. Team Romney is in the back of the room looking bewildered. They were all here, leading all the press to conclude that it was an endorsement for Romney. Stand by for more. From Blogs for...

The Experts vs. The Voters By JB Williams on Dec 16, 07 A Different Analysis of the 2008 Campaign - Modern political analysts are a breed all their own, a mixed cross between statistician, newshound, political junky and covert campaign operative. There is no such thing as an “unbiased� political analyst or political reporter. They all have personal views and personal preferences and none of them can separate those personal thoughts from how they perceive or report political events. In recent years, the news room has become more about shaping public perceptions than about reporting current events in a...

Look Out Mike -- Fred's Finally Awake By John Brummett THE MORNING NEWS Fred Thompson woke up the other day, and it turns out he's feisty and funny. If this had happened a few weeks ago, Fred would be where Mike Huckabee is now and Huckabee would be looking to open that bait shop he talks about. In fact, the book on Huckabee's surge ought to be entitled "While Fred Was Sleeping." You see, there always was a giant gaping opening for a Southern conservative in this odd, flawed Republican field. Rudy Giuliani was too liberal. John McCain was...

Fred Thompson: The Comeback Kid? I mentioned below the commentary from David Brody, but I’m finding several others coming to similar conclusions. I thought I would do a little roundup. [1] David Brody I think it’s pretty clear by now that Thompson is running his campaign the way he said he would. He’s not worried about the media, pundits or the traditional political game as we know it. He’s going to do things his way and talk about substantive issues. Look, he’s a serious guy and these are serious times. Thompson seems to be hitting his stride pretty well...

Fred Thompson: The Stand-Up Guy Who Stood Up Too Late? In Iowa, the former senator gives us a highlight of the campaign. By Byron York Johnston, Iowa — Fred Thompson’s performance at the Des Moines Register Republican debate here in Iowa Wednesday left some supporters — the kind who were enthusiastic early on but who have grown skeptical as his campaign has stumbled — wondering to themselves: Could he still be the best guy, after all that’s happened? As the debate unfolded, there were moments when some of those loyalists began to think the answer might be yes —...

RCP debate primer I have a good feeling about tonight's debate. Fred knows he needs to do well, and he's been on his A-game lately. I think tonight could be brutal for Huckabee. This will be the first debate since his ascension to the top of the polls, and he's going to pay. The truth is going to come out about his liberal record, his lack of national security credentials, and his all-around flip-floppiness! Here's an excerpt from RealClearPolitics debate primer: Keep an eye on Fred Thompson. Thompson has said he needs to finish at least third in Iowa,...

Flat Chance Garry Kasparov's struggle against Putin and the GOP candidates' tax plans. ---snip--- Gigot: Well, Fred Thompson has his flat tax, and Mike Huckabee has his fair tax. But who's got the better idea, and what are the other GOP presidential hopefuls proposing? Here with a closer look at the candidates' tax plans, Wall Street Journal columnist and deputy editor Dan Henninger, assistant editor James Freeman, Washington columnist Kim Strassel and senior economics writer Steve Moore. So, Steve, Fred Thompson has embraced this so-called voluntary flat tax plan. You like it, I kind of like it. Tell our...

Thompson Goes to Church From CBS News' John Bentley: MIAMI – Fred Thompson will be speaking at the Iglesia El Rey Jesus Sunday service tomorrow morning at 10 a.m., the campaign recently announced. This is Thompson's first public campaign stop at a church since he jumped into the race in September. One of the largest Hispanic churches in Florida, making the stop serves three purposes for Thompson: reaching out to a Spanish-speaking audience, shoring up his religious credentials (which had been called into question after he said he didn’t regularly attend church), and appealing to religious conservatives who might...

An Interview With Fred Thompson's Campaign Manager, Bill Lacy John HawkinsOn Tuesday of this week, I got together with Fred Thompson's campaign manager, Bill Lacy, for a phone interview. What follows is the transcript of our conversation, which has been edited for grammar, clarity, and brevity.Fred has been accused, fairly or unfairly, of being lazy. With that in mind, how does the level of activity in Fred's campaign match up to that of his opponents? In other words, is he working as hard as Mitt, Rudy, McCain and company? I think that characterization of Fred is probably one of...

CNN Tries a Gotcha: 'Thompson Has No Hunting License'...So What? By Warner Todd Huston | December 6, 2007 - 04:39 ET CNN has posted a Political Ticker entry trying to create a "gotcha" on 2nd Amendment supporter, Fred Thompson. CNN's South Carolina Producer Peter Hamby has breathlessly announced that "Thompson does not have hunting license," but the question is... so what? Do you HAVE to own a hunting license to be for/i> the 2nd Amendment? Does Fred not owning a hunting license disqualify him as a gun rights advocate? Well, it appears that CNN imagines that you are illegitimate...

What Is Right About Fred Thompson, The Series As I noted here, Fred Thompson’s supporters and campaign are missing golden opportunity after golden opportunity while they focus on tearing down other candidates instead of building Fred up. Fred continues to put forth a very conservative agenda and no one is hearing about it because Fredheads aren’t telling them. I’ll try to help them again, gratis. Take, for instance, Fred’s skepticism of the latest National Intelligence Estimate, the one that contradicts the idea that Iran is working on nuclear weapons. Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson said Tuesday he’s skeptical of...

Fred is Dead? Reports are Premature by Martha Zoller Posted: 12/04/2007 It seems that we are still waiting for the central casting candidate. Republicans are unsure and Democrats are beginning to disbelieve the “inevitability� argument around Hillary Clinton. We are a society that loves to build them up to tear them down. First, Fred Thompson was a buzz, and then we were waiting and waiting and waiting for him to get into the race. When he got in, we started thinking that he looked tired or was slow. We said he had a great website, but where was the...

Thompson tours 'conservative hot spots' By Jason Spencer Published: Monday, December 3, 2007 Two words you're likely to hear Tuesday: "consistent conservative" - the mantra of Republican Fred Thompson's campaign. But you might also hear these two words: "Mitt Romney." Or maybe "Rudy Giuliani." Or "Mike Huckabee." Looking at Thompson's schedule for South Carolina this week, you could call it a tour of the state's socially conservative hot spots: Tuesday, he's stopping at Wade's in Spartanburg, a gun shop in Greer and a deli in Greenville. Wednesday, he starts the day in Pickens, has two stops in Anderson and...

Thompson touts bedrock conservatism in Southland visit Addressing O.C. retirement community, the Republican presidential candidate vows 'adult leadership' to cut taxes and secure the borders. By Phil Willon Los Angeles Times Staff Writer December 2, 2007 Campaigning as the only true conservative running for president, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson came to one of the most Republican towns in Republican-dominated Orange County on Saturday to deliver crowd-pleasing talk of slashing taxes and securing U.S. borders. The event was kicked off by state Sen. Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks), a favorite among the party's conservative activists. He introduced Thompson as the...

Nashville Thompson Headquarters: Volunteer to Help Fred Volunteers needed for Fred YOUR HELP IS NEEDED to make sure that FRED THOMPSON is the Republican nominee for President of the United States of America Call Betsy Vandam at 250-8180 Raise Your Hand!! Volunteer!! There are several ways you can help!! 1. Volunteers are needed to write letters to Iowa voters telling them why Fred Thompson was a wonderful Senator and why he will make a GREAT President. 2. Help is needed to address and stuff envelopes 3. There is also an urgent need for volunteers to work the phone bank....

Fred Thompson Ain't a Half Bad Fellow Written by Al Barger I'm not entirely thrilled with anybody who's running for president at this point, although some of them have their good points. Right today, I'm just thinking broadly on some of Fred Thompson's good points. That's because he had an interesting confrontation on Fox News earlier today with reporter Chris Wallace, to whom he gave on air criticism of FNC for their coverage of his campaign. He didn't try to intimidate the host with a wagging finger and threatening gestures like Bill Clinton, or send out third party threats...

Thompson schedule belies 'lazy' chargeHis campaign activity is on pace with rivals' By BILL THEOBALD Tennessean Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — Fred Thompson's presidential campaign has faced claims from the start that the former senator is lazy. But the lazy charge against Thompson, who has a decades-long public and political career, began only this year, and recent evidence suggests that he campaigns as rigorously as his chief opponents for the Republican nomination. A review of the two-week period from Nov. 4-17 by Gannett News Service shows Thompson held 28 campaign events, making him No. 2 among the four major GOP...

Thompson stands up for gun rights By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Telegraph Staff BRISTOL – Republican presidential candidate and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson talked tough for a bigger, stronger military and a robust defense of the rights of citizens to bear arms during two campaign stops Friday. And Thompson took a swipe at former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's bona fides on the Second Amendment during remarks he gave at Skip's Gun & Sport Shop here. "(Giuliani) simply supported every gun control legislation that came down the pike,'' Thompson charged. "I saw he was at bill-signing ceremonies with (New York...

Thompson Using One-On-One Strategy to Win Iowans Fred Thompson was campaigning at the Martin Tower building in Sioux City Tuesday night. The republican presidential candidate is trailing Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and Rudy Giuliani in recent Iowa polls, but Thompson has a plan to come from behind in the Iowa caucus. Fred Thompson plans to regain a once solid standing in the Hawkeye state by simply talking to Iowans, preferably one-on-one or in small groups. He practiced that strategy throughout the day, first at a coffee shop in Orange City and then over lunch in Le Mars. Despite the...

Good Days Ahead for Fred Thompson Some might say this is just wishful thinking on my part, but I really have a sense that there are good days ahead for Fred Thompson. Watching Fred stand up to Democratic hack George Stephanopoulos yesterday makes it clear that he can handle questions from even the most partisan, jaded "reporter". George S. tried every way he could to put Fred in bad positions on questions related to abortion and "end of life issues", but Fred calmly and firmly stood his ground and expressed himself clearly and effectively. This bodes well for Fred...

Kudlow (hearts) Fred Thompson Larry Kudlow is still talking about how impressed he was with Fred Thompson during their interview last week: But that’s the revitalized Fred Thompson. The more I challenged him, the more animated he became. He simply refused to stand down. Some people say Thompson doesn’t have the fire in his belly to go the distance. I don’t think that’s true. And I’m not picking or endorsing any candidates here. But Thompson has an honest, clear, straightforward message of economic freedom and problem solving. Then I brought up the CNBC/Wall Street Journal debate of a few...

Shaking up the Republican primary abortion-style By David Sanders Make no mistake about it - when the nation's largest pro-life group endorsed Fred Thompson on Tuesday its goal was to shake up the Republican contest for the presidency. The National Right to Life's endorsement is the gold standard coveted by those Republicans seeking the White House because it bestows a legitimacy and authenticity on the candidate who receives it as the standard-bearer for those who want to end abortion on demand. The Thompson endorsement not only signals how the organization representing 3,000 pro-life groups has grown up, but it...

Coming Up on This Week with George Stephanopoulos George Goes "On The Trail" With Former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn. This Sunday, George goes "On the Trail" with former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn. This week, the former "Law and Order" star received a major endorsement from National Right to Life. How will the endorsement help Thompson's campaign? George joins Thompson in Florida to hear about his race for the White House as we close in on the first contests of 2008. Two Cheers for Mr. Thompson His Social Security plan isn't perfect, but it confronts reality. FRED THOMPSON may have...