Thompson in the bag for McCain?

Does Thompson have ANY chance of being a President? No.

A Vice President or cabinet officer of high rank? Yes, with McCain's help. Thompson is the sort of lackluster person who will not outshine McCain. Face it, people go to sleep listening to him talk. Thompson makes Gerald Ford look exciting!

Thompson can be a hero to McCain if he can take enough financial and electoral support from Huckabee to put Huckabee in second place all the time.

Fred Thomson the "Fix" is on! Why did he, all of a sudden, get energized in South Carolina? He had no chance of getting the 1st, 2nd or 3rd slot, but was able to peel off enough votes that McCain, one of the many liberals on the Republican side, was able to barely beat Huckabee (who is a true conservative, by the way).

The question I have for McCain is this: Do you intend to offer Fred Thompson a job should you become the party's nominee? No other explaination is plausible. Now that Thompson has flown home to Mother, maybe he can sit back and wait for his reward should McCain become the nominee.

I guess Fred is done!

Well, stick a fork in him! Fred has done everything but bow out of the presidential race. Are we surprised? Not really, for Fred Thompson has not approached this campaign as anything but a walk on a path in a lovely Southern Plantation - he's not worked for the role of being President. Here is the article about what he said today:

Thompson says he's interested in serving, not running for president

WILLIAM THEOBALD • GANNETT NEWS SERVICE • December 29, 2007

Burlington, Ia. -- Fred Thompson said today he does not much like the modern form of presidential campaigning and that he "will not be devastated" if he doesn't win the election.

"I'm not particularly interested in running for president," Thompson said, but rather he feels called to serve his country.

"I don't know if you have a desire to be president," Burlington attorney Todd Chelf told Thompson during a question-and-answer session raising an issue that has dogged his campaign.

"I am not consumed by personal ambition," Thompson responded. "I'm offering myself up."

Given the volatile state of the world, the actor and former Tennessee senator said he was not "sure it is a good thing if a president has too much fire in his belly."

"I'm only consumed by a few things and politics is not one of them," he said.

Chelf said after the event that it was "almost refreshing to hear that approach."

"I think there is a passion there," he said. "I think its sort of a Southern gentleman passion."

Thompson also had stops scheduled today in Washington, Williamsburg, Montezuma, and Newton.

I have no doubts that Fred is a nice guy with good traditional southern values who got lucky enough to get name recognition from being a TV star. But I also have no doubt that he is not presidential material. Maybe he will get an acting role as a president some day, and he'll do a great job of that!


12-30-07 UPDATE

I'm being bashed by Fred Heads. They've linked me to one of their blog sites (which I won't show here) Whatever! Their candidate, nice guy that he is, is being denigrated by the actions of his followers. I wish Thompson had been more aggressive as a campaigner, for I once was a Thompson supporter and turned away from him because of his 'walk in the park' method of campaigning. I really don't think he has the energy or drive to hold the highest public office in our nation.

Will Conservatives return to Thompson????

Will Conservatives return to Thompson? The author of Land of Da Free
seems to think so. I have my doubts, though.

Fred Thompson has campaigned like a man who assumed the Republican nomination was his. Now he realizes that his nearly arrogant, sloth-like trot onto the Republican campaign field was a mistake and is only now realizing that his campaign is in danger.

I do not fault Fred on the issues. He is reasonably solid as a 'social conservative'. I just don't believe he has governing experience, and I don't believe he would have the physical stamina to tolerate the demands of the Presidency. Sadly, he comes across as Gerald Ford or Bob Dole on barbiturates - lackluster and boring. (no insult intended to these fine men...just imagine them on the barbies) When Republicans tried Dole, a man much like Thompson, WE LOST. BADLY.

Fumbling his way through the political montage, Thompson seems to be a candidate whose ambition has kicked in too late. He doesn't meet with the public, he only talks to a select few, and the press has little access to him. That attitude shows in his dropping poll numbers, and is also one reason why I am supporting Mike Huckabee. Ultimately we have to select the candidate whom we feel will compete best against Obama or Hillary...... and that ain't Thompson.

What more can I say about Fred Thompson???? He's a good actor and should go where we can like him as rising Hollywood star instead of a falling political meteorite.

It claims to be energized

The Thompson campaign started with much hope and anticipation. Despite Fred Thompson's late entry into the presidential fray, many saw him as a candidate who would uphold a conservative platform for the Republican party. True, he holds a reasonably authentic conservative position, but many potential supporters are disappointed by the lack of energy and ambition shown by the campaign. They have taken a 'wait and see' attitude, thinking Thompson will fail in the primaries.

Here is the article from CQ.com entitled Some House Backers of Thompson are Starting to Lose the Faith

Several House Republicans who endorsed Fred Thompson for president now say that they are frustrated with what they view as an apathetic campaign, and at least one regrets having committed to the former Tennessee senator.

“I think he’s kind of done a belly flop,” said an estranged Thompson backer who indicated he will not pull his public support before the “Super Tuesday” primaries. “We’ll just wait till after Feb. 5 because I think he’s going to get beat.”

The disaffected members of team Thompson say he has failed to put to rest whispers that he is unwilling to campaign hard enough to win the presidency.

“He seems to be perpetuating it instead of defeating it,” another dissatisfied Thompson backer said. “I can’t see me bailing on him, but there’s some frustration.”

Political endorsements mean little in and of themselves. But actively engaged elected officials can use their own networks to help boost a presidential candidate’s chances in their district or state, according to political experts.

“It often times gives entrée to that person’s own fundraising network and to be able to tap into that person’s knowledge of how to win that particular geography,” said Susan A. MacManus, a political science professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

Some of Thompson’s endorsers say they aren’t lifting a finger.

“I’ve kind of pulled back. I’m not not supporting him, but I’m not doing anything,” said a third lawmaker.

What could be even more troubling for Thompson is what that lawmaker said GOP activists outside the capital Beltway are saying: “Now they’re calling me and saying ‘What’s he doing?’ It’s almost like he doesn’t want it.”

Despite the NRLC endorsement (which really should have gone to Huckabee) Fred Thompson is campaigning like a tired old man whose ambition has awakened too late. Potential supporters see this clearly and the poll numbers are showing it.

Presidential Quiz

This was a fun way to waste a little time. Try this quiz and let me know what your results were.

Here are my results:

1.		Theoretical Ideal Candidate (100%)
		2.	Fred Thompson (63%) Information link
		3.	Mitt Romney (62%) Information link
		4.	Tom Tancredo (62%) Information link
		5.	Duncan Hunter (61%) Information link
		6.	John McCain (61%) Information link
		7.	Jim Gilmore (61%) Information link
		8.	Chuck Hagel (58%) Information link
		9.	Newt Gingrich (58%) Information link
		10.	Sam Brownback (57%) Information link
		11.	Tommy Thompson (55%) Information link
		12.	Mike Huckabee (52%) Information link
		13.	Ron Paul (50%) Information link
		14.	Rudolph Giuliani (48%) Information link
		15.	Kent McManigal (36%) Information link
		16.	Christopher Dodd (35%) Information link
		17.	Al Gore (34%) Information link
		18.	Michael Bloomberg (34%) Information link
		19.	John Edwards (31%) Information link
		20.	Bill Richardson (31%) Information link
		21.	Hillary Clinton (28%) Information link
		22.	Wesley Clark (24%) Information link
		23.	Joseph Biden (23%) Information link
		24.	Barack Obama (20%) Information link
		25.	Dennis Kucinich (18%) Information link
		26.	Alan Augustson (18%) Information link
		27.	Mike Gravel (17%) Information link
		28.	Elaine Brown (10%) Information link

GOP Straw Poll

This is an interesting site. Not only does it ask who your first choice of GOP candidate is, but it also asks about which of the GOP candidates would be acceptable to you.

The results are quite interesting, although most of the bloggers are ga ga about Fred Thompson, who is not even running. I'm semi-committed to Giuliani, and only because I think he will keep the country safe and not be a wuss like the democratic candidates.

Here is the Poll:

GOP Straw Polls

While you are at it, cast a vote at the Pajamas Media Poll in the right side column of my blog.