Peyton Manning, Trace Adkins and others contribute to Fred Thompson

As we now know, the Fred Thompson "Testing the Waters" committee collected, over $3 million in June in campaign contributions.

Among the notable names that added to the Fred Thompson presidential campaign pot are:

Georgette Mosbacher, (GOP fundraiser, once dated Thompson), contributed $2,300.

Former Sen. Howard H. Baker, gave $2,300.

Peyton W. Manning, (QB for the Super Bowl winning Indianapolis Colts), gave $2,300.

Katuria D'Amato, former New York Sen. Al D'Amato's wife, gave $2,300.

Trace Adkins, a country music singer, and his wife Rhonda, each contributed $2,300 maximum.

Richard A. Wolf, the producer of NBC's "Law and Order," contributed $2,300.

CNN: Thompson's 'virtual' campaign experiencing real bumps

CNN | Bill Schneider

[comment: a concerned CNN journalist and Clinton supporting writes about the emerging Fred Thompson campaign]

Have we been hearing good news or bad news about Fred Thompson's campaign? The answer is yes.

Or make that the "virtual campaign." Fred Thompson is not in the Republican race yet. He's still building an organization and raising money -- and hitting some bumps.

He keeps delaying his official announcement, now expected in September. Some staff members have quit.

Controversy has already arisen over the fact that Thompson once accepted a lobbying assignment for an abortion rights group. But his views and his Senate record are strongly anti-abortion, and has come out strongly against the "activist" judges that social conservatives rile against.

In June, Thompson called for "federal courts doing what they are suppose to do, not somebody else's job; not as social arbitrators of this nation."

The Politico is reporting that Thompson raised a little over $3 million in June, a figure that will disappoint his supporters.

Could Thompson be losing momentum before he even gets into the race? Maybe it's not him. Maybe it's us.

"We're paying so much more attention to these campaigns, so much earlier; to some degree, we may just never [have] really have followed [it like] this in prior years," said Republican strategist David Winston.

Fred Thompson on the "Fair Tax" Pledge: Yes!

By TEDDY DAVIS

July 30, 2007

He is not yet an official presidential candidate but former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson has already promised voters he'd sign a major overhaul of the American tax system if passed by Congress.

Asked last week on camera if he would sign the "Fair Tax" bill if it were passed by the House and Senate, the "Law & Order" actor said, "Yeah, absolutely."

Watch the video HERE.

Thompson's July 24 pledge in Houston makes him the sixth Republican presidential candidate committed to signing legislation that would replace all current federal taxes with a 23 percent retail sales tax. The federal taxes swept away include all federal personal and corporate income taxes, gift, estate, capital gains, alternative minimum, Social Security, Medicare, and self-employment taxes.

In order to offset the impact this new tax would have on American households languishing in poverty, the legislation offers a monthly "prebate."

The size of a household's "prebate" is calculated by multiplying 23 percent -- the size of the new tax -- against the government-established poverty level for a household of that size.

Based on the 2007 federal poverty level, an adult with no children would receive an annual prebate of $2,348 (which would come in monthly checks of $196). A married couple with two children would receive an annual prebate of $6,297 which would come in monthly checks of $525.

Six Republican '08ers Have Agreed to Sign 'Fair Tax' If Passed

Fair Tax supporters opted for the "prebate" system, which would flow even to the richest Americans, rather than exempting certain staples of life, hoping to protect the new sales tax from the kinds of lobbying-induced loopholes that pervade the current system.

The five other Republican presidential candidates who have pledged to sign the Fair Tax bill into law if passed by Congress are Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

So many Republican candidates have agreed to sign the Fair Tax bill because the group which is urging its passage, FairTax.org, has proven adept at using its supporters  which total a quarter of a million -- to bird-dog presidential candidates. Thompson made his pledge when a group of Fair Tax supporters showed up at an airport hangar in Houstonand the group's controller, Doug Ripley, asked him about the tax overhaul measure.

"We try to keep constant pressure on them," David Polyansky, FairTax.org's chief operating officer, told ABC News.

Polyansky identified Huckabee as the candidate who has gone furthest in his support of the initiative, not just agreeing to sign the "Fair Tax" bill if passed by Congress, but making it a core component of his 2008 campaign platform.

Giuliani and Romney Have Not Signed On

Despite FairTax.org's success within the GOP candidate pool, they have not been able to secure commitments from either the party's national front-runner or the candidate leading in the crucial states of Iowa and New Hampshire.

The Republican presidential candidate who has been most outspoken in expressing objections to the proposal is former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, the party's front-runner in national polls.

Asked if he would sign the Fair Tax bill, Giuliani said, "I don't think so. I don't think so. I'll have to study it some more. I don't think a fair tax is realistic change for America. Our economy is so dependent upon the way our tax system is operated the best thing to do is to simplify that tax system."

Watch the video HERE.

A second top Republican -- former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney -- has also refrained from pledging to sign the Fair Tax bill.

"That's too much of a hypothetical, since you'd have to know the specifics of the legislation," Romney spokesman Kevin Madden told ABC News. "The governor has said that the Fair Tax idea has attractive characteristics, but it is not part of his tax reform platform. Romney believes in a simpler, less burdensome tax system. He wants to reduce the tax burden placed on Americans, encourage economic growth and simplify the tax system."

Fair Tax supporters have also not been successful in making inroads among Democratic presidential candidates. Among the Democratic White House hopefuls, only the longest of long shots  former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel  has agreed to sign the Fair Tax bill if passed by Congress.

Questions Emerge About Fair Tax Feasibility

Even though the Fair Tax is marketed as "revenue neutral," liberal tax policy experts have substantial questions as to whether a 23 percent retail sales tax on its own would adequately cover the current cost of government.

"Even before looking at the distributional analysis, there is this big problem that it would leave the basic job of government undone because it would not raise the revenue," said Aviva Aron-Dine, a policy analyst with the liberal Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. "That said [if you did set the tax rate high enough to cover the current cost of government] you would be shifting the tax burden from people at the top of the income scale to people in the middle."

About that $3 million for Fred Thompson

Jim Geraghty

Team Fred offers a defense of their fundraising:

I’m sure you’ve seen the Politico story on Thompson raising more than $3 million in his first month - a sizable amount for someone who hasn't been running since 1999. Unfortunately, people are comparing this to active candidates, when the appropriate comparison is to equivalent exploratory periods. Here’s a little information you might find useful:

(1) In his first exploratory month, Thompson raised well over $3 million - more than 10x what Giuliani did in his first month and about 3x McCain. Here’s the initial exploratory month (from the time they started taking money) for GOP candidates...

· Giuliani - total raised in first month (Nov. 15-Dec. 15): $258,660

· McCain - total raised in first month (Nov. 14-Dec. 14): $1,130,351

· Romney - raised more money in his first month, but largely because he organized his big-dollar donors ahead of time to give himself a bit splash and he “loaned his committee at least $850,000 weeks before filing his statement of candidacy on Jan. 3”

(2) Under FEC rules, you are not allowed to raise funds “in excess of what could reasonably be expected to be used for exploratory activities”. Thompson has raised an appropriate amount for an exploratory phase. Note, however…

· One month ago, the DNC attacked Thompson (in the Politico) for potentially raising more money than he’d need for the exploratory period and said they’d “argue aggressively” against him. The DNC rolled out that hit piece at Daily Kos claiming that Thompson was “Raising Funds Beyond What You Need To "Explore"” and the liberal activist outlet CREW said Thompson “appears to have raised far more money than necessary…”

· After being attacked for raising “too much” money, Thompson is now being attacked for not spending his entire Exploratory focus on raising money.

(3) So far we’ve utilized no direct mail or telephone fundraising, and we have a burn rate below 20% - far below the other candidates.

It's a pugnacious defense, and almost convincing... until you figure that they probably would prefer to be in the situation where they have to defend raising $5 million or more.

Having said that, I wonder how many potential donors are holding off, because they want to donate to an actual, hat-in-the-ring candidate, not a dipping-my-toe-in-the-water potential candidate.

article: Team Fred Offers a Defense of Their Fundraising

NewsBusters: Media Misreporting the Addition of Spencer Abraham to Campaign?

NewsBusters article

Essay on Eminent Domain by Fred Thompson

by Fred Thompson

Last week, California officials in National City voted unanimously to use eminent domain to take over more than 600 properties—including a nonprofit youth center dedicated to keeping local kids out of gangs and off the street. They plan to give this land to local private developers for a group of condominiums.

It’s said that a man’s home is his castle, but across America some property owners are being rooked by local bureaucrats and politicians and having their private property confiscated by local governments for the supposed public good.

Most people probably think that if they buy a home or a small business that they will get to keep what they purchased. After all, the Fifth Amendment guarantees that “private property [shall not] be taken for public use, without just compensation.”

But in 2005, the Supreme Court, in Kelo v. New London, held that the government could take private property – even a person’s home – and give that property to a large private corporation for that business’s private use. As Justice O’Connor wrote in her scathing dissent, “Under the banner of economic development, all private property is now vulnerable to being taken and transferred to another private owner, so long as it might be upgraded – i.e., given to an owner who will use it in a way that the legislature deems more beneficial to the public – in the process.”

Not surprisingly, the public responded to Kelo with outrage. Since then, numerous states passed legislation aimed at curbing an abuse of eminent domain powers. In the 2006 election cycle, 12 states held referendums proposing to limit state governments’ abilities to confiscate property a la Kelo. Ten states approved the proposals, each with strong majorities.

Read more>>> at imwithfred.com

Fred Thompson Wins South Carolina (Georgetown County) Straw Poll

USA Election Polls article

Nebraska Congressman Lee Terry: I’m with Fred

Leavenworth Street - Lee Terry: I’m with Fred:


The Leavenworth Street blog reports that Nebraska Congressman Lee Terry says: "I’m with Fred"

Matalin Sticking With Fred Thompson

Rumors are flying about more senior level departures from the unofficial presidential campaign of former Sen. Fred Thompson.

But The Fix can knock down one of the major ones: Mary Matalin, a former adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney and longtime Republican political operative, is staying put.

WashingtonPost article

The Ron Paul nuts are chasing Fred around the country!

Funny story. The Paulestinians heckle Fred at a Houston airport. They don't like his Council on Foreign Relations membership and they don't think he is a conservative. Imagine that!

At a quick campaign stop at a Texas airport this morning, candidate-in-waiting Fred Thompson faced harassment from a young woman who was vocally displeased with the senator's conservative credentials. Her beef? Thompson's membership in the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonpartisan think-tank known as an influential heavyweight on US policy making.

The disgruntled woman worked her way into a reporter scrum and peppered Thompson with questions about his membership in CFR, which she derided as "the same group that's forming the North American Union with Canada and Mexico." Thompson, chuckling, replied: "Don't fuss at me, now," and went on to describe his participation in CFR and the American Enterprise Institute -- a conservative think-tank based in DC -- as sources for his "intellectual exercise."

read::: MSNBC article

The Hazleton Immigration Decision

by Fred Thompson

Most Americans want something to be done about the illegal immigration problem we have in this country. They’ve been expecting the federal government to enforce the immigration laws already on the books. The federal government hasn’t done that, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the governments closest to the people – municipal and state – are looking to take action. This is an entirely proper role for these governments.

Back in 2006, the citizens of Hazleton, Penn., were noticing some troubling signs from an increase in illegal immigration in their community. This former coal-mining town was seeing an uptick in the number of murders, an increase in drug-related crimes and a school district bursting at its seams. In fact the tax-payer-funded English as a Second Language program there went from $500 a year in costs in 2001 to more than $1 million a year today.

The citizen of Hazleton demanded that something be done, and the Illegal Immigration Relief Act was introduced by the mayor and supported by the city by a vote of 4 to 1.

The ordinance was designed to reduce crime, the increasingly overcrowded schools, rising hospital costs, and escalating demand for city services that Hazleton was seeing due to an influx of illegal immigrants. The law would

* Deny licenses to businesses that knowingly employ illegal immigrants;
* Fine landlords $1,000 for each illegal immigrant discovered renting their properties;
* Require city documents to be in English only.

Let’s be clear about what’s going on here. No matter what some groups may be trying to do to muddy the water and portray Hazleton’s law as something playing to an uglier agenda, this law is not about legal immigration. This law is about dealing with the illegal immigration problem. The town’s mayor and city officials made this clear from the beginning, and it seems like they took a common sense approach.

But not to the American Civil Liberties Union which filed a lawsuit to block the law, or a federal judge in Pennsylvania, who overturned the law today.

The Hazleton ruling is an interesting one. The court made two basic conclusions. It found that the ordinance violated the due process clause of the Constitution and that the city lacked the authority to enact the law because Congress had “preempted” the field. Under the Constitution, when federal and state laws conflict, the federal law takes precedence, so long as it was within the power of Congress to enact the federal law in the first place.

So what the court said in this decision is that Congress has passed laws that preempt the field of immigration. As a result, state and local governments cannot enact laws to control illegal immigration or even the effects of illegal immigration.

Think about what this ruling means. Congress has preempted the field, so state and local governments are powerless to act. Then, Congress and the federal authorities do next-to-nothing to prevent illegal immigration, burdening the states and local communities around the country. But those communities cannot act because Congress said they couldn’t. What sense does that make?

None. Congress could not have meant to prevent state and local governments from exercising their traditional police and regulatory powers over businesses and landlords to address the problems caused by uncontrolled illegal immigration.

No doubt, this ruling will be appealed. And it should be.

Our constitutional system allows our citizens to take reasonable steps to protect their communities. This is exactly what Hazleton is trying to do. And it’s what other communities across the country are doing. According to news reports, measures similar to Hazleton’s are being considered elsewhere around the country.

When the federal government is unwilling to enforce immigration laws effectively, then cities need to be able to act, and to take reasonable steps to secure their citizens from the social, financial, and criminal costs of illegal immigration.

Debbie Schlussel's warning about Spencer Abraham

He hasn't yet entered the Presidential race, and yet Fred Thompson, yesterday, showed us why he's the scariest Republican Presidential candidate. And maybe the scariest of both parties.

read the Debbie Schlussel blog


[update] related - CAII

Update from Fred: "Where we are, and where we're going."

In the past few months, I've traveled the country talking and listening to folks. I've been discussing where I see America going, about what we need to do to keep our nation secure, what we must do to keep this remarkable economy growing, and the challenges we must address together for the next generation of Americans.

I believe the United States is at a crossroads, and what I'm hearing on the road is that a lot of people agree with me. They're ready to move forward together to meet our challenges here at home and abroad. They aren't buying into the defeatist talk about our security, our economy, and our future.

During this "testing the waters" effort we've undertaken, I've been saying the political waters feel pretty warm. It's allowed us to start laying the foundation of a good team across the country and to keep up this national conversation we've been having. Now we're going to take that conversation to a different level.

On Tuesday, August 7th, we're inaugurating a new weekly "I'm With Fred" email, complete with news, updates, and photos from the road. We're also working on the ImWithFred website 2.0, in order to keep in touch on a daily basis and to give you more opportunities to join us at events, help us organize, and spread the word about our efforts.

I'm excited about what I'm seeing out on the road. I appreciate everything you're doing for our effort.

Sincerely,

Fred Thompson

Washington Times: Thompson keeps climbing

Former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson continues to edge away from Rudy Giuliani among GOP primary voters, according to a new Rasmussen Poll of potential presidential candidates.

Rasmussen has Thompson, with 26 percent of likely voters, leading Giuliani by four percentage points.

read>>> Washington Times

Newt Gingrich: Less likely to run because of Thompson

Gingrich: Thompson Presidential Bid Could Keep Him Out of Race

By BEN EVANS | Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Friday that a White House bid by fellow Southerner Fred Thompson would make him less likely to join the race.

"If Fred Thompson runs and he does well, then I think that makes it easier for me to not run," Gingrich said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "On the other hand, just given what you've seen with (John) McCain the last few months, how can you predict?"

Rasmussen Presidential Poll: Thompson 26%, Giuliani 21%, Romney 13%

Rasmussen Reports | Scott Rasmussen

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll shows former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson leading the race for the Republican Presidential nomination with support from 26% of Likely Republican Primary Voters. Thompson remains five percentage points ahead of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani who remains in second at 21%. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is in third place with 13% support while Arizona Senator John McCain is fourth at 10%. (see history). Mike Huckabee is favored by 4%, five other candidates split 4%, and 23% are undecided. The five other candidates, mentioned by name in the survey, are Ron Paul, Tom Tancredo, Duncan Hunter, Tommy Thompson, and Sam Brownback.

Key Evangelical Leader Tells Brody File: 'It's Fred Thompson's Race to Lose'

Christian Broadcasting Network | David Brody

Fred Thompson just got some encouraging news. Dr. Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission tells The Brody File the following:

"My assessment is that at this moment in time it is Fred Thompson's race to lose. It may be a convergence of the right man, in the right place and at the right time. I have never seen anything like this grassroots swell for Thompson. I'm not speaking for Southern Baptists but I do believe I have my hand on the pulse of Southern Baptists and I think I know where the consensus is."

CNN: Thompson eyes August Kick-off

cnn.com | Candy Crowley

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson is now likely to announce his presidential campaign in August, not mid-July as previously envisioned and will skip the Republican straw poll in Ames, Iowa, people familiar with Thompson’s thinking tell CNN.

Thompson supporters say they want to have “100 percent” of the staff in place by the time of the announcement.

CNN: Thompson eyes August Kick-off

cnn.com | Candy Crowley

Posted on 07/12/2007 7:50:05 PM PDT by no dems

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson is now likely to announce his presidential campaign in August, not mid-July as previously envisioned and will skip the Republican straw poll in Ames, Iowa, people familiar with Thompson’s thinking tell CNN.

Thompson supporters say they want to have “100 percent” of the staff in place by the time of the announcement.

Fred Thompson Watch Update

Institute for Southern Studies

With the McCain campaign circling the drain, there is speculation that Thompson's announcement, which earlier rumors said would happen on the 4th of July, may have been delayed to coincide with McCain's withdrawal.

In related news, Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Bob Davis stepped down last week, presumably to join the Thompson campaign.

The Thompson campaign is also said to be looking to hire some former McCain campaign workers who were laid off last week.

Bloomberg says that both Thompson and Giuliani could benefit from picking up some of McCain's financial backers.

The Los Angeles Times: Wait 5 minutes and the story will change

Jim Geraghty posted this more than two hours ago. How on earth is it not already all over the right-wing blogosphere?

As luck would have it, I myself blockquoted that story at length and can confirm that Jim’s right. The original paragraph:

At one of the meals, she recalled, Thompson re-enacted a cowboy death scene from one of his movies. She also remembered him telling her that Sununu had just given him tickets for a VIP tour of the White House for one of Thompson’s sons and his wife.

And how it reads now, at the same URL that I linked to Friday night when the story first broke:

Thompson kept her updated on his progress in telephone conversations and over meals at Washington restaurants, including dinner at Galileo and lunch at the Monocle, she said. At one of the meals, she recalled, Thompson told her that Sununu had just given him tickets for a VIP tour of the White House for a Thompson son and his wife.


read more!>>> HotAir

CNN: Thompson thanks Clinton, New York Times for support

CNN | Jamie Crawford

Former Senator Fred Thompson thanked the New York Times and Hillary Clinton campaign Saturday for some publicity in the “Scooter” Libby case.

Thompson, speaking before the Young Republican National Convention Saturday in Hollywood, Florida, told the crowd how he had been an early supporter of Lewis “Scooter” Libby’s legal defense. “I didn’t know Scooter, but I knew an injustice when I saw one,” the former actor told the crowd.

He went on to offer some word of thanks for the publicity about his support of Libby. “The New York Times and the Hillary Clinton campaign have got us number one on their target list, so I want to report that and say I appreciate all their help,” Thompson said. “If nothing else, we’ve apparently convinced the Clinton’s that it really is a bad thing to lie under oath,” he said as his line was greeted with laughter from the audience.

Fred Thompson hit piece on abortion by LA Times proven incorrect

Washington Prowler
Left Coast Times Targets Fred
By The Prowler


The Washington Prowler column has learned that the Los Angeles Times intends to publish a story that would attempt to link former Sen. Fred Thompson to a Washington-based, pro-abortion organization. Thompson, through a spokesman, is said to go on the record in the story as having no recollection of ever doing work for the organization in question during a period in 1991 when the first Bush administration was in power.

read>>> American Spectator

Fred Thompson fundraising

Fred Thompson raised over $400,000 on Friday at a fundraiser in Atlanta, according to sources who were present.

This is all the more amazing as it was recently reported that all other Republican presidential candidates combined had only raised $650,000 in the state through the end of the first quarter.

Romney v. Thompson: The Battle for the Christian Right?

The Christian Broadcasting Network | David Brody

So who's going to win the bulk of the "Christian Right" support? Mitt Romney is going after them.

Fred Thompson will too. Rudy Giuliani is not specifically targeting them yet look at the polls. He's doing surprisingly well among Evangelical Christians.

Conservative blogger and GOP activist Soren Dayton has a very interesting take below: "So, I read three things today that made a thunderclap in my head about the support of the Christian right in the 2008 GOP presidential nomination fight.

Bloomberg News: Thompson Hit Piece Disguised as Bio

NewsBusters.org | Warner Todd Huston

Is it just me, or did the Bloomberg "news" service just release a hit piece on Senator Fred Thompson disguised as a bio on the Senator just in time for a Michael Bloomberg entrance into the race as an independent presidential candidate? On June 28th Bloomberg writers Kim Chapman and Julianna Goldman brought us "Thompson's Backers Check His 'Fire in the Belly' for 2008 Race", a piece that reads more like a long series of snide undercuts of Thompson than any serious report on his status as a candidate. The duo exploits every single detraction thrown at the Senator since his days in the Senate leaving the speculation that he is left wanting standing like the elephant in the room.

Robert Novak Evaluates Fred Thompson

IS THOMPSON THE ONE?
Evans-Novak Political Report for 7/5

"Far more troubling are the fears among Republicans that there is less to Thompson than meets the eye. He could still seize the nomination and prove a disappointing candidate in the general election. In appearances across the country, from New Hampshire to South Carolina, his speeches have ranged from "pretty decent" to "quite underwhelming." He has not yet had the knock-out performance he will need in order to prove that he is worthy of frontrunner status."

Fred Thompson & Hillary Clinton Tied in Latest Rasmussen Poll

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds New York Senator Hillary Clinton (D) tied with former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson (R) in an Election 2008 match-up. Both candidates attract support from 45% of voters. Given a Clinton-Thompson match-up, 5% of voters say they’d pull the lever for some other candidate and 4% are not sure.

Rasmussen Reports

about (Vice President) Colin Powell

The following was posted as a comment by us on Blogs for Fred Thompson in reaction to a story on Huntington News about Colin Powell as a possible selection for the GOP vice presidential nominee in 2008 with Fred Thompson.

Let's cut to the chase. Conservatives, in general, do not like Colin Powell. They very much respect his service to his country but they do not respect his politics.

When (hopefully) Fred Thompson is chosen as the GOP nominee in 2008 conservatives will have won a major victory.

However, two important realities will then happen.

First, conservatives will have little or no influence over the choice of a vice president nominee.

Next, in truth, conservatives will gladly give in to Colin Powell on the ticket for a victory in November 2008. That would be an easy choice and compromise.

Ronald Reagan added George Bush to the ticket and rode to victory crushing Jimmy Carter.

If Fred Thompson adds Colin Powell to the ticket in 2008 another conservative victory party will take place.

9 Quotes About Fred Thompson

California Conservative: “Fred Thompson is a Barry Goldwater movement conservative.”

Bill Kirkland, a university friend who studied law with Thompson: “He was a very conservative Republican even then. He was a huge supporter of Barry Goldwater in the 1964 presidential election.”

CATO’s Michael D. Tanner: “During his eight years in the Senate, Thompson had a solid record as a fiscal conservative... Given the fact that McCain, Romney, and Giuliani are clearly big-government conservatives, Thompson has an opportunity to seize the small-government mantle.”

Mike Allen, in the Politico: “In 2000, Thompson got a 92 percent favorable rating from the American Conservative Union and a zero from the liberal Americans for Democratic Action.”

Dave Hinz: “Like President Reagan in 1980, Fred Thompson is the true conservative leader that can take the Party forward in the 21st Century.”

Michael R. Bednarz: “Fred Thompson vs. the current crop of Republican candidates is like the children’s story where the three little bears find one bed too soft, one too hard, (and) unlike the current front runners Fred is ‘Just Right’ to most conservatives on the issues.”

Mason Conservative: “He seems just enough to the right to bring in the right wing, and just enough to the center to bring in centrists, especially as the Democrat Party continues to be bullied and drag left by the MoveOn crowd.”

J.B. Williams: “Reagan commanded respect across the political aisle at home and abroad and remains one of the most loved US Presidents in US history even today. But he was somewhat liberal on social issues. Or, like Thompson, he was at least an anti-federalist who sought to return private assets and personal liberty to the states and the people at every chance.”

Human Events’ John Gizzi: “Thompson’s record in the Senate, with few exceptions, was rather solidly conservative.”

Thompson runs past GOP rivals as a noncandidate

Dallas Examiner | Bill Sammon

Fred Thompson, who was once expected to announce his presidential candidacy on the Fourth of July, has decided not to rush into the contest, since he is already passing rivals as a noncandidate.

The former Tennessee senator is outpolling Republican rival John McCain, whose cash-strapped presidential campaign fired some staffers Monday and asked others to work for free. As a noncandidate, Thompson doesn't have to worry about the mechanics of running a campaign.

2008 Republican Presidential Primary [Thompson 27% Giuliani 24%]

Rasmussen Polls

After weeks of turmoil and change, the race for the Republican Presidential nomination has stabilized.

Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson remains on top in Rasmussen Reports national polling with 27% support. That’s unchanged from a week ago. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is three points behind at 24%.

GOP state chair leaving to work for Thompson

Knoxville News Sentinel | Tom Humphrey

NASHVILLE — Bob Davis is preparing to resign as chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party, apparently to take a position with Fred Thompson’s pending presidential campaign, and a state senator hopes to succeed him.

Members of the Republican State Executive Committee were to meet via telephone conference call with Davis today to hear his announcement, according to a party official. The committee is tentatively scheduled to meet Aug. 4 to choose a successor, a member of the committee said.

Davis, who managed Thompson’s 1996 U.S. Senate campaign and served as the senator’s chief of staff, has been party chairman since December 2004.

Fred Thompson comments on Scooter Libby

(Future) presidential candidate Fred Thompson released this statement regarding Scooter Libby:

"I am very happy for Scooter Libby. I know that this is a great relief to him, his wife and children. While for a long time I have urged a pardon for Scooter, I respect the President's decision. This will allow a good American, who has done a lot for his country, to resume his life."

Fred Thompson is Running for President