Authenticity and Anti-’Gotcha’ Politics Looks Good to Many Democrats

Far be it for me to say anything nice about former Republican Tennessee Sen. Fred Dalton Thompson.

Read ... the full Lanny Davis article from The Hill

RUN FRED RUN

For Immediate Release Contact: Jerry Patterson

“RUN FRED RUN” Texas Statewide Elected Officials Urge Fred Thompson to Enter Presidential Race

Today, two prominent Texas statewide elected officials announced their support of the growing national movement to encourage former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN) to seek the Republican nomination for president.

While we agree there are several good candidates currently in the race, we believe Fred Thompson would add an exciting option for Republican primary voters.

A recent Rasmussen poll indicated that in a general election match-up, Fred Thompson leads Senator Hillary Clinton by a margin of 44% to 43%, notwithstanding the fact Thompson is not yet a candidate.

In our opinion, unlike the current front runner, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson is right on virtually all issues important to Republican primary voters.

“I believe Mayor Giuliani was an outstanding mayor, and would be a credible commander in chief in the War on Terror. However, I cannot support him in the Republican primary because of his position on the 2nd Amendment’s enumerated right to keep and bear arms”, stated Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, who authored the Texas concealed handgun law while a state senator.

“I’m impressed by what I see and hear about Senator Thompson--he’s consistently pro life, pro traditional marriage, a supporter of the right to keep and bear arms, and strong on national defense,” said commissioner Victor Carrillo, a statewide elected official responsible for regulation of the oil, gas, and mining sectors in Texas.

We believe Fred Thompson should run. His ability to communicate is reminiscent of Ronald Reagan. His record as a U.S. Senator makes him a known quantity to voters, and his entry into the race will add excitement and motivate the conservative Republican base.

“We’ve won statewide primaries and general elections in Texas. We know what it takes to win in Texas. Fred Thompson has what it takes”, stated Commissioner Patterson, who has a record of winning elections in spite of being dramatically outspent by his opponents.

For these and other reasons we say: RUN FRED RUN!

Jerry Patterson Texas Land Commissioner

Victor Carrillo Texas Railroad Commissioner

NRO: Suing for Silence

By Fred Thompson

You might have heard about the lawsuit brought by a radical Islamic advocacy group against passengers on a U.S. Airways flight. Their offense was reporting suspicious behavior to the flight crew. According to reports, six Muslim men took up positions inside the plane similar to those taken by the 9/11 hijackers and vocally condemned America.

NRO article

Fred Thompson leads at Free Republic

CQPolitics Examines Thompson’s ‘Key Votes’ in Senate

Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, who recently said he might seek the Republican presidential nomination, amassed a mostly conservative voting record during his eight full years in the Senate.

CQPolitics

Poll: Thompson's star rises with GOP

NEW YORK (CNN) -- He's not even officially running for president, but Fred Thompson, star of NBC's "Law and Order" and a former Tennessee senator, is gaining in the polls among Republican White House hopefuls.

CNN

Fred on the radio

on Paul Harvey

50% Just Say No to Clinton

By Kelly McCormack

Half of voting-age Americans say they would not vote for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) if she became the Democratic nominee for president in 2008, according to a Harris Interactive poll released Tuesday.

The Hill

Fred Thompson 3rd in Latest Gallup Presidential Poll

Rudy Giuliani, at 31% (44%)
John McCain, at 22% (20%)
Fred Thompson 12% (n/a)


GOP3

Jeri says "Run Fred, Run"

Close friends of Fred Thompson say his wife Jeri is urging him to take the plunge later this year and run for the Republican presidential nomination.

NRO article

The Daily News Journal: Tennessee Republican Congressmen announce launch of "Draft Fred Thompson 2008" committee

Two prominent members of the Tennessee Congressional delegation today announced the formation of a committee designed to encourage former Senator Fred D. Thompson to seek the Republican presidential nomination.


The Daily News Journal

RealClearPolitics: Thompson Could Fill the Missing Slot

By Peter Brown

In most presidential campaigns, after the party nominations are settled, voters experience buyer's remorse: a sense that other candidates might have been a better choice.

What's fascinating about the 2008 Republican race is the widespread buyer's remorse a year before the primaries, almost a conventional wisdom that there must be a better choice for conservatives who dominate the GOP nomination process.

Largely because of that belief, a quiet effort has been underway to convince Fred Thompson, the former movie actor, turned U.S. senator, turned back into television star, to run.

RealClearPolitics

"Draft Fred" PAC being announced today

the Knox News blog reports

The Fox News Sunday Interview

The March 11, 2007 interview on Fox

Thompson Run Could Change GOP Calculus

Yes, you bet he could. Conservatives are more than ready for Fred.

Back in 2005, a very interesting dynamic occurred whenever one of the many highly-traversed sites on the conservative blogosphere hosted a presidential straw poll of potential Republican presidential contenders for 2008. In almost every case, Sen. George Allen bested nearly every other contender, with Rudy Giuliani usually either statistically tied with the former Virginia senator or a very close second. This led many pundits in the days before Allen’s Senate loss to conclude that Sen. Allen was the major sleeper candidate in the race and possibly even the most likely of the candidates to garner the nomination. Such a view shouldn’t have been surprising; if there was a candidate in the race who matched Ronald Reagan on the issues, it was George Allen, with his belief in economic freedom, his foreign policy hawkishness, and a social conservatism tempered by the Gipper’s leave-me-alone libertarian streak that many Republicans have seemingly abandoned.

race42008.com blog article

Gandhi's Way Isn't the American Way

By Fred Thompson

I feel bad for Nancy Pelosi, AND her neighbors. Anti-war activists from the group Code Pink have been giving her the same treatment the president gets at his Crawford, Texas, ranch. Camping on her San Francisco lawn, they’re demanding she cut off funds to the troops in Iraq.


NRO

NY Post: Fun With Fred

JOHN PODHORETZ


SO now we have a Republican boomlet in the race for president, in the
person of lawyer-actor and ex-Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee and "Law
and Order." He's considering a run, he said on Sunday.


NYPost article

GOP3: What Fred did to Newt

The Gingrich Strategy, if you could call it that, for 2008 was pretty simple:

Wait until September 2007… if Rudy has faltered, McCain has failed to excite the conservative base, or Romney has failed to gain traction, through your hat in the ring. Wait and see if a void developed, and if so, fill it.



What Fred did to Newt

The Hill: The Fred Thompson Surge

The Hill says: "The major media is missing the full magnitude of the grassroots Republican surge that will soon transform the 2008 field."

In other words, enter: Fred Dalton Thompson.

The field is wide open and the GOP base is very, very restless.


The full article - The Hill

The Politico: Insiders Map Plan for '08 Thompson Bid

Fred Dalton Thompson was bored in the U.S. Senate and has had more fun playing District Attorney Arthur Branch on NBC’s “Law and Order.” Now, he’s a step closer to the ultimate audition: running for president of the United States.

The Politico

American Spectator: The Real Deal

"Anyone who doubts that [former Sen.] Fred [Thompson] isn't the real deal needs to look at his performance on Sunday and rethink things," says a senior Republican National Committee official. "You can't watch him or read the transcript and wonder what the dynamic would be like with him in the race."

American Spectator

Transcript: Former Sen. Fred Thompson on 'FOX News Sunday'

WALLACE: There's been a lot of buzz, as we said, in Republican circles that there's no true conservative in the GOP presidential field. Now some top Republicans, including your friend former Tennessee senator Howard Baker, are putting out trial balloons about you possibly entering the race.

Question: Are you considering running for president in 2008?

THOMPSON: I'm giving some thought to it. Going to leave the door open.

the full Fox interview

AP: Fred Thompson says he's considering 2008 presidential run

San Francisco Chronicle: Fred Thompson Urged to Make '08 Run

Fred Thompson, the character Arthur Branch on NBC's drama "Law & Order," is being urged to pursue the GOP nomination by several Tennessee Republicans who also have been trying to drum up support for a candidacy.


SFGate.com

KnoxNews: Baker confirms push for Thompson run

By RICHARD POWELSON, powelsonr@shns.com

WASHINGTON — Former Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker Jr. said today he is urging his friend Fred Thompson to run for president and encouraging others to convince him.

KnoxNews article

also, from The Hill: Thompson has told allies in recent days that he is exploring seriously a bid for president in 2008 in response to what he has described as strong encouragement from Republicans dissatisfied with the current slate of candidates.

FOXNEWS.COM HOME > TV Star, Former Republican Senator Fred Thompson Mulls '08 Presidential Bid

WASHINGTON — 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.

full article

Drafting Fred Thompson

The Stump

Breaking- FNC - FRED THOMPSON IS CONSIDERING PRES. RUN - nothing follows