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California State Sen. Tim McClintock thinks Sen. John McCain should choose his former primary opponent, Fred Thompson for his running mate. McClintock made that statement at the Newsmaker Conference on May 24, hosted by The American Spectator and Americans for Tax Reform. As a self-proclaiming, “real” conservative Republican, Sen. McClintock wishes for a return to Reagan conservatism in Congress and in the Oval Office. McClintock also expressed tepid enthusiasm for the GOP’s presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain. “I was Fred Thompson’s state-wide chairman,” said McClintock. “McCain was not my first choice. He was not my second. He was not my...

In a McCain administration, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson would play a dominant role in selecting Supreme Court nominees and other judicial appointments, sources close to the McCain campaign and to Thompson tell us. And why is Fred suddenly everywhere? These sources say that the agreement between McCain and Thompson is behind Thompson’s resurgence in the national media in recent weeks. In a McCain campaign conference call with reporters yesterday on last week’s Supreme Court decision on terrorist detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Thompson -- without claiming such status -- played the role of a prominent McCain adviser. Developing…

Did anyone see Fred on Hannity and Colmes tonight? He was eating Allen's lunch for sure. And when they went to commercial, he was LAUGHING!!!

Recent congressional losses, President George W. Bush's unpopularity, and bleak generic ballot poll numbers have conservatives fearing the "liberalization" of America – a move toward secularization, the growth of government, stagnation, mediocrity and loss of freedom. Yet there is still a way to revive the conservative cause. Doing so will require avoiding the traps of pessimism or election-year quick fixes. Conservatives need to stand back for a moment and think about our philosophical first principles. Conservatives value the lessons of history and respect faith and tradition. They are skeptical of mass movements, perfect solutions and what often passes for "progress."...

Spending some time on the campaign trail has confirmed a couple of thoughts I've had before I entered the Republican primary race. First, conservatism is alive and well in America; don't let anyone tell you differently. And by conservatism, I don't mean the warmed-over "raise your hand if you believe ..." kind of conservatism we see blooming every election cycle. No, I'm speaking of the conservatism grounded in principles based upon enduring truths: an understanding of the importance of human nature in the affairs of individuals and nations. Respect for the lessons of history, the importance of faith and tradition....

The Winston-Salem Journal reports that Fred Thompson, who for much of last year's presidential shadow campaign was the great conservative hope, will finally campaign in person with John McCain. Thompson, like most of the rest of McCain's former opponents for the Republican presidential nomination, has endorsed McCain but, unlike the others, had not appeared with him on the campaign trail. Thompson gave only a terse endorsement to McCain after dropping out of the race earlier this year, saying, "This is no longer about past preferences or differences. It is about what is best for our country, and for me that...

Former GOP presidential candidate and close McCain friend, Fred Thompson, is set to join the presumptive GOP nominee during his visit to North Carolina next week. Since losing the South Carolina primary on Jan. 18, Thompson has been absent from the limelight-even choosing to drop out of the race via written statement.

Fred's up on FOX

Former presidential candidates John Edwards and Fred Thompson will deliver keynote addresses on the final day of CTIA WIRELESS 2008®, Thursday, April 3 at 9:30 a.m. at the Las Vegas Hilton, Barron Room. CTIA WIRELESS 2008 takes place April 1 – 3 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. John Edwards was a candidate for the 2008 Democratic nomination for President. Edwards served as U.S. Senator from North Carolina from 1999-2005 and was John Kerry’s vice presidential running mate in 2004. Fred Thompson was a candidate for the 2008 Republican nomination for President. He served as U.S. Senator from Tennessee from...

Fred Thompson heads back to Hollywood 21 minutes ago LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson is returning to his career as an actor and signed a deal to be represented by the William Morris Agency, the talent group said on Monday. Thompson, a former U.S. senator from Tennessee, is best known in the entertainment world for portraying New York District Attorney Arthur Branch on the television crime drama "Law & Order," but has appeared in numerous films and TV shows over the years. The 65-year-old actor and politician was a candidate for the Republican nomination for...

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- After a failed run for president, Fred Thompson is getting back to pretending to be commander in chief. Hollywood's high-powered William Morris Agency announced this week that it has signed the actor/politician, signaling a return to the screen for the former senator from Tennessee. Thompson most recently appeared as grizzled district attorney Arthur Branch on Law & Order and has played authority figures in the films "The Hunt For Red October," "Die Hard II" and "In the Line of Fire." Thompson dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination on Jan. 22.

Failed GOP presidential hopeful Fred Thompson says he will be going back to his old day job, playing pols on TV. William Morris announced that they've signed big Fred to do TV and movie roles. Before he tried to make it as an actual president (after being a real Senator from Tennessee), he spent years playing big-shot pols and most recently the District Attorney on "Law & Order." Of course, there's still buzz that could be cast in the role of Veep for John McCain.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - After a failed run for president, Fred Thompson is getting back to pretending to be commander in chief. Hollywood's high-powered William Morris Agency announced this week that it has signed the actor/politician, signaling a return to the screen for the former senator from Tennessee. Thompson most recently appeared as grizzled district attorney Arthur Branch on "Law & Order" and has played authority figures in the films "The Hunt For Red October," "Die Hard II" and "In the Line of Fire." Thompson dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination on Jan. 22.

As usual, Ralph Pontillo, the president of the Manufacturers' Association of Northwest Pennsylvania, has lined up an outstanding program for the 103rd Annual Event on June 18 at the Bayfront Convention Center. The event has been sold out every year. The Bayfront Center can seat 2,000 people. For this year, former White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, who seems to be doing quite well fighting cancer, will be the moderator. The two speakers will be Fred Thompson, the former Tennessee senator who ran for the Republican presidential nomination, and John Edwards, who ran a strong race for the Democratic presidential...

Any comments on the um, revised look of Fred Thompson's website? http://www.fred08.com/

I received a FR Mail:     From ---------------- | 03/04/2008 8:31:37 AM PST replied "I believe in Miracles too...." "The Huck got my vote this morning. My husband is voting for him this afternoon." Post Your Votes for Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter, or Fred Thompson Here! It's Conservative Delegate Time.   Decide for the Best Nominee at the GOP Convention!  Texas GOP Conservatives:   Do NOT waste your vote by voting for Democrats. -> (See article below: GOP Voters "Disgruntled in Texas" - Opps! )                            ...

There are conservatives who are describing this GOP Primary Election of 2008 as "the worst ever". Later we can talk about what went wrong.   But for the March 4th Primary states, they have a choice of: John McC  vs.  Mike Huckabee         (Hey, it rhymes!)                                           How many conservatives see it as   "Muckster  vs  Huckster" ? Texas GOP Conservatives:   Do NOT waste your vote by voting for Democrats.   ·And no one should be...

A few weeks ago, Fred Thompson exited the race for President. In the wake of that decision, the FredHeads and the members of DraftFredThompson.com engaged in a whole lot of soul-searching and vigorous discussion as to what to do next. Fred's candidacy may have come to an end, but our faith in the principles that originally drew us to Fred was as strong as ever. The product of that soul-searching and vigorous discussion is Conservatives for the Advancement of the Reagan Coalition, a new organization formed to advance the key conservative principles articulated by men like Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan...

A cure for your political hangover TRIBUNE-REVIEW Salena Zito Here is what happened the day after Super Tuesday. • Barack Obama scored $3 million in one day of online fundraising. How did he respond to that cash coup? He sent a fundraising e-mail asking for even more money. As they say in those very sublime Guinness commercials, "Brilliant." • Hillary Clinton loaned $5 million to her campaign while her top staff took a voluntary salary "vacation" for one month -- simultaneously pulling a "Mitt Romney" by self-funding and a "Rudy Giuliani" by cutting the “A” team’s salary. • While typically...

FRed Thompson ***** Duncan Hunter

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee enjoys the first victory on Super Tuesday for the Republicans as he takes all 18 delegates in the state of West Virginia, winning 52% of the vote, although rumors abound regarding the McCain campaign's possible instruction to their delegates to switch to his side. Mitt Romney finished second with 47% of the vote, followed by McCain at 1%. Rumors are circulating that the McCain campaign instructed their delegates to defect over to Mike Huckabee's side as to avoid a Romney victory. Nationally, McCain is significantly ahead of Huckabee and can afford giving the state's 18...

Apparently, a handful of former Fred Thompson supporters are keeping the faith. They’ve been trying to organize grassroots supporters to vote for Thompson anyway, despite the fact that he’s dropped out of the race… There is a reason Fred Thompson hasn’t endorsed any other Republican candidate for President. If the FRED ARMY can come through on Super Tuesday and deliver a victory in Tennessee, he will re-enter the race and give us the conservative alternative we need! Mitt Romney is a phony conservative. John McCain is an honorable servant, but he is not the right man to represent our party....

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Sen. John McCain, riding a wave of primary victories and favorable polls, is seen by many Illinois Republican insiders as the front-runner in the state's presidential primary. ... Romney's Illinois highlight was a presidential straw poll at the state fair last August, when about 1,000 people cast votes and he won with 40 percent - twice as much as the second-place finisher, Fred Thompson, who now backs McCain. ...

Tennessee was Fred Thompson's turf until the Senator-turned actor abandoned his 2008 presidential hopes on January 22 with his name still on the ballot and early voting already underway. His departure has left the state's Republican primary race tightly split between John McCain, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee, while Hillary Clinton, who has long enjoyed the loyalty of state Democrats, is expected to easily carry the Democratic primary on Super Tuesday, thanks in part to party faithful who remember her husband carrying the state in the 1992 and 1996 presidential elections with favorite son Al Gore as his running mate.

Ain't Missing Fred At All

Editor's Note: Fred Thompson will appear as the second candidate on Connecticut's Republican primary ballot, even though he has withdrawn from the campaign. 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...

Many Freepers, including me, are disappointed that McCain will likely be the nominee. I'll vote for Romney on Super Tuesday. If McCain wins the nomination, I will vote for him on the *hope* he will be less bad than Clinton or Obama would be. I see no reason to actively support him by contributing to or volunteering for his campaign. I think we should focus on congressional and gubernatorial campaigns, trying to hold the seats of real conservatives and maybe pick off a few vulnerable Democrats in what will likely be a Democratic year. Any suggestions? I think McCain is...

With John McCain’s all-too-easy road to the nomination paved through Florida and now nearly complete one thing is clear: The Republican Party has been hijacked. Over the past month a new Axis of Evil has emerged -- not one based in Damascus, Tehran or Pyongyang -- but instead in Cedar Rapids, Charleston, South Carolina, Derry, New Hampshire and Boca Raton, Florida. It is the liberal and “independent” voters in these 4 states that have nearly completed a deed that makes Kim Jong Il envious -- the near crippling of the American Electoral System. These four states have combined their native...

There have been more than a few recent articles and editorials attempting to affix blame for the demise of the Republican Party. Peggy Noonan blames President Bush. Rush Limbaugh believes a McCain nomination will kill the party. However, even in a worse case scenario, the Republican Party will probably stagger along for several years much like the last decade of the Whigs. Conservative Republicans should probably be more concerned about the impending demise of the conservative movement within the party. Some individuals can be blamed more than others, but this folly has many fathers. The latest blow to conservatives has...

Let’s face it: the majority of those who supported Fred Thompson did so because they sincerely believed that he was the only reliable conservative in the race. Few questioned his commitment to conservative principles. Not even his opponents, who picked on his speaking style and campaign schedule rather than his policy proposals, questioned his principles. Upon Thompson’s withdrawal, Mitt Romney released the following statement: “Throughout this campaign, Fred Thompson brought a laudable focus to the challenges confronting our country and the solutions necessary to meet them. He stood for strong conservative ideas and believed strongly in the need to keep...

I never thought I would be picky in choosing a Republican presidential nominee. After all, the gap between Republicans and Democrats has become so very wide on issues such as taxes, free trade, abortion, education and foreign policy that it didn’t seem to matter which Republican was nominated. In spite of tiny divergences with conservative principles, I thought, any Republican nominee would be a Godsend against a liberal Democrat. How wrong I was. My assumption was that no candidate would even make the cut to the Republican shortlist without adherence to the principles of the Reagan coalition. But who thought...

The most-recent poll on the presidential race in Tennessee, conducted by the market research firm Crawford Johnson & Northcott Inc. for WSMV TV in Nashville, found that 26 percent of likely Republican voters are still undecided. Of those stating a preference, Thompson had 25 percent, Huckabee 24 percent, McCain 12 percent and Romney 7 percent. The poll of 500 Republicans and 503 Democrats was taken Jan. 19-21. Thompson came in third in the South Carolina primary Jan. 19 and announced his withdrawal Jan. 22.

WASHINGTON -- You would never realize how big the stakes are in Tuesday's winner-take-all Florida Republican primary if you judged only the behavior of the leading presidential candidates these last few days. Their final pre-primary debate was bland to the point of apathy. Mitt Romney, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee and even iconoclastic Ron Paul were on their best behavior -- as if oblivious to what the 57 delegates available in Florida could mean to anyone who pulls out a plurality victory. A win could establish either McCain or Romney as the man to beat in the massive round...

As I write this, it is about 15 degrees outside my Virginia farm. Nonetheless, my llamas and sheep, deep in snow, seem perfectly cozy in their winter woolens; the peacocks are in their feathered wintered invulnerability to cold; the horses are in their winter hair and indomitable spirit; my cats, all curled up and sleepy; the dogs, slumbering by the fading embers of the fireplace. The Lord provides for his children. But we Republicans shiver in the cold and brace ourselves for the hard winds yet to come. In the aftermath of Sen. McCain's South Carolina victory, it can only...

Fred's Finished. That's $50 and the prospects for a near-term revival of American conservatism right down the tubes. I'm not sure where I go from here, politically. We'll know more after the results from the January 29th Florida primary roll in. I may still vote for Thompson to send a "message" that conservatism is important. If it's a close race in California between acceptable and unacceptable GOP options, I'll likely vote for the acceptable candidate in an attempt to actually make a difference. In the mean time I need to go back to the drawing board and look at the...

When GOP presidential hopeful Fred Thompson dropped out of the race this week, the former Tennessee senator gave no sign that he intends to endorse one of his rivals any time soon. But a sizable segment of Thompson's team of legal advisers quickly signed on with Mitt Romney.

Fox News' Special Report noted that "in recent days, Thompson's aides promoted him as a vice presidential pick." Romney was the first to weigh in." Asked if Thompson would be on his "shortlist," Romney answered, "Anybody who ran for office in this field is a very strong individual and should be considered as a VP nominee for me or somebody else. He is a terrific and highly capable guy."

If any recent day typifies life in this crazy modern world, it was probably this past Tuesday. World financial markets were in a meltdown and the Federal Reserve held an emergency meeting to cut the interest rate a massive three quarters of a point in an attempt to stave off a precipitous stock market drop. President Bush was working with congressional leaders on an economic stimulus package to reduce the likelihood of a recession. Meanwhile the U.S. presidential campaign was in full swing with Hillary and Obama having just ripped each other to shreds at a debate, and Fred Thompson...

John McCain, in addition to being a complete Republican sellout, is also a moron. This is who 'conservatives' want representing our side?!

In his recent memoir, Alan Greenspan says he's been pushing a constitutional amendment of his own devising. It reads: "Anyone willing to do what is required to become president of the United States is thereby barred from taking that office." If the Greenspan amendment is ever enacted, it will at last clear the field for Fred Thompson, who might then become president. But not until then. Thompson withdrew from the presidential race last week. He ended his campaign as he had conducted it, with a minimum of fuss and no wasted words. He released a withdrawal statement over the Internet....

In his recent memoir, Alan Greenspan says he's been pushing a constitutional amendment of his own devising. It reads: "Anyone willing to do what is required to become president of the United States is thereby barred from taking that office." If the Greenspan amendment is ever enacted, it will at last clear the field for Fred Thompson, who might then become president. But not until then.

"I'm encouraging folks who believe in the principles Thompson espoused to vote for Fred and vote for his delegates," said Senate Republican Leader Mark Norris. "I still think that's the clearest choice." If Thompson garners more than about 20 percent of the Republican vote in the primary, his delegates will be sent to the GOP convention and could play an important role.

America is in the midst of an all-important electoral campaign. But, talking to Europeans, I've discovered that there is puzzlement and misinformation on your continent about what's happening on ours. Europeans feel an understandable confusion when faced with a political system consisting of two houses of Congress and a White House, and nobody is home in any of them. Also, America's political parties are indistinguishable to the European eye. A British journalist once described the situation thus: "America is a one-party state, but just like Americans they've got two of them." (I forget which British journalist said that. But there...

That's the name of a new anti-Huckabee web site started by former Thompson staffer Darrel Ng. Jonathan Martin has more on the site: Now that his candidate is out of the race, one Thompson staffer has gone the next stop and is actively working against Huck. Sorta. Darrel Ng, perhaps the heartiest and most dogged of Thompson's aides and somebody who logged many a mile on the Fred bus, has launched a website called "Boycott Chuck Norris." Yup, Ng now wants people to show their disregard for Huck by not patronizing any companies that use Norris as a pitchman. The...

Gannett publication, link only. http://www.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080125/NEWS01/801250311/1002

Fred Thompson is having greater influence on the Republican presidential race now that he’s out of it than he had when he was in it. In just the few days after he withdrew his candidacy, the tall Tennessean stands out more clearly than ever above the ranks of GOP contenders. By its very silence, the absence of Thompson’s steady baritone is heard above the cacophony he left behind. Nothing else in this campaign is making so obvious the lack of an authentic, consistent, common-sense conservative among the surviving candidates. It calls to mind the tale of the couple tending a...

As soon as Fred Thompson announced he was dropping out of the GOP race, friends, acquaintances and total strangers started trying to win Thompson supporter Rick Moran over to McCain, Huck, Romney or Rudy. Who will he and his fellow depressed Fredheads turn to for their second choice? Less than 10 minutes after Fred Thompson’s announcement that he was dropping out of the Republican presidential race hit the wires, one of my good internet friends IM’d me. FRIEND: Sorry to hear about Fred. Gd mn. (Good man) ME: SUCKS THE BIG ONE FRIEND: He wll b missed. ME: IT REALLY,...

An e-mail, for what it's worth: K-Lo: The Mason Dixon numbers make sense based on what I am hearing anecdotally down here from other conservatives in Florida. Fred was the consensus first choice, followed by Romney, and then distantly Rudy, McCain, and then Huckabee. With Fred out, virtually everyone I've spoken to is shifting their support down to Mitt. A lot of wishful sentiments for a Romney/Thompson ticket as well. Thanks for all that you guys do.

Steven Stark lays out a scenario whereby all the other candidates, none of whom have wholehearted Republican support, cancel each other out, paving the way for Fred Thompson to receive the nomination at the convention. "When conventions deadlock, history teaches us that yesterday's disappointments become tomorrow's stars. If McCain can't stampede to the nomination and Super Tuesday doesn't produce another clear front-runner, we may not have heard the last of Fred..." I find the idea highly unlikely, though appealing...but stranger things have happened. Whoever would have thought the 2000 election wouldn't be decided for 36 days?

This is a weird article. I was never one who believed that politicians were - on the whole - smart enough to pull off something like this. I never thought the Democrats would pull Hillary in as the Party's savior in 2004. And I'm skeptical of what Steven Stark writes in the above-linked piece. What do you guys think? Is this author on to something, or is he certifiable? If McCain loses in Florida, the Republicans may well be headed to a deadlocked race and convention. And history teaches us that the likeliest candidate to emerge in that scenario is...