Bruce Willis' favorable comments about Fred Thompson

Bruce Willis commented at his Smithsonian appearance this week that although it is far too early to endorse anyone he did say fellow "DieHard 2" actor Fred Thompson would "make a wonderful candidate."

Fred Thompson is "Reaganesque" according to CNN's Crowley

Read::: the Media Matters blog
CNN's Crowley called Thompson's speech -- in which he decried illegal immigrants originally from Cuba -- "Reaganesque"


Fred Thompson:
You talk about national security, one of the biggest national security issues that we face is right here at home. We're having a big debate now with the immigration bill. They say it's dividing our party. I think to a certain extent, that's right, and I don't think it will always be that way. I think we have to have our honest disagreements and honest opinions and then move on. Some very good friends of mine is on the other - or, are on the other side from where I am. That's all right; we're adults. Let's air our views and decide what's best for this country.

Fred Thompson travels to New Hampshire

"I don't have any big announcements for you. But I plan to see a whole lot more of you. How ‘bout that?"

Various articles about Fred in New Hampshire -


Boston Globe: Thompson tests waters in N.H.

nhpols.com: Fred Thompson Comes to New Hampshire

Telegraph: Thompson say voters want honest president

America Needs Another Ronald Reagan: Is Fred Thompson The One?

Commentary
By Slater Bakhtavar


The closer we approach the 2008 elections, the more I realize America needs another Ronald Reagan. Someone everyone knows, someone everyone likes, someone who is conservative and someone who can both win the election and manage to hold the Presidency for eight years. The next President should be very expressive and persuasive in front of the camera. He should emanate confidence, and appeal to women voters. He should be someone in the public eye and yet he should not be involved in the Washington mess.

read::: The Post Chronicle

GOP Presidential Nominee Election Odds as of June 29, 2007

Intrade

Rasmussen: Fred Thompson Seen As Most Conservative GOP Candidate

Among the major candidates seeking the GOP Presidential nomination, former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson is viewed as politically conservative by more voters than anybody else. That’s true among all voters and also among Republican voters. It’s a key factor in why Thompson is currently doing so well in the race for the Republican Presidential nomination.

Thompson and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee are the only candidates seen as more conservative in this survey than before.

Perceptions of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani have changed little over the past month. Arizona Senator John McCain is less likely to be considered politically conservative than he was a month ago.

Among Republicans, 49% now see Thompson as conservative (up from 42% a month ago). Forty percent (40%) say the same about Romney (little changed from 39% a month ago).


Rasmussen

Fred Thompson: The Hunt for a Red November

Fred Thompson Wows GOP In South Carolina

Houston Chronicle | JIM MORRILL

COLUMBIA, S.C. — After watching from offstage and seeing his poll numbers soar, actor and former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson on Wednesday made his first public appearance in a state that could help him star in a new role, as a presidential candidate.

The former Tennessee senator, 64, and a star of TV's Law & Order, spoke to more than 300 South Carolina Republicans at a Columbia hotel. Invoking Ronald Reagan and what he called his party's "underlying principles," he gave many what they came for.

"He really galvanized the room," said David Woodard, a Clemson University political scientist who attended the event. "It was clear they were looking for somebody else" than the current crop of candidates "and they were attracted to him."

Interest in Fred Thompson high in S.C.

Yahoo News | JIM DAVENPORT

WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. - Latecomer Fred Thompson, who hasn't officially entered the 2008 presidential race, is setting Republican pulses racing in this early voting state.

Thompson, 64, an actor and former Tennessee senator, has no serious political organization in South Carolina and makes his first appearance in this campaign season in the state on Wednesday. So it's a sign of Republicans' deep unease with the current field of 10 GOP candidates that conservative voters are watching Thompson with interest.

"I'm much more impressed with Thompson than I am with any of the others," said Claude Sandidge, a 67-year-old retired produce broker. Thompson has the "conservative principles that correlate with Ronald Reagan," he added.

Betty Jackson, 73, who has run the Sunset Grill, a meeting place for GOP faithful, for 34 years, explained: "We're hunting a true conservative. That's what we're doing. That's why we're waiting."

Thompson, she said, may be that candidate. "If our country needed defending, I think he would do it. But I also think that he would do something about the border situation," Jackson said.

Fred Thompson Homecoming

Fred Thompson returns to Nashville, TN from England on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 to greet supporters and get some of "momma's home cooking.

Georgia Poll Strategic Vision: Thompson 25% Giuliani 20%

Strategic Vision

Below are the results of a three-day poll in the state of Georgia. Results are based on telephone interviews with 800 likely voters in Georgia, aged 18+, and conducted June 22-24, 2007. The margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points.

For the 2008 Republican Presidential Nomination whom would you support? (Republicans Only)

Fred Thompson 25% (+13)
Rudy Giuliani 20% (-3)
John McCain 11% (-6)
Newt Gingrich 7% (-3)
Mitt Romney 6% (+1)

Rasmussen (National Poll): Thompson 27% Giuliani 23%

Rasmussen Reports

The biggest question in the race for the Republican Presidential nomination is whether or not former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson can sustain his warm-up act once he becomes an actual candidate. The actor once did what many politicians could never imagine by walking away from a career in the Senate. Now he is on the verge of doing what few politicians can even dream of by entering a race for the White House on top of the polls for his party’s nomination.

Hire puts run closer for Fred Thompson

The Altoona Herald (Iowa) | THOMAS BEAUMONT

Former Sen. Fred Thompson has taken his first step toward organizing a campaign for Iowa's leadoff presidential nominating caucuses by hiring a top Iowa Republican campaign staff member, aides to Thompson confirmed Monday.

Thompson has signed Andrew Dorr to serve as his Midwest political director should the actor and Tennessee Republican run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008.

"This is the kind of stellar team Senator Thompson is attracting as he continues to move forward in his determinations," Thompson spokesman Mark Corallo said. "It means Senator Thompson will be ready, should he decide to run, and will have the right team in place to be successful when it's time to go to the caucuses."

The Queen and Free Speech

ABC Radio Networks | Sen. Fred Dalton Thompson


Last week, I was fortunate enough to spend some time in London. Being there, I couldn't help but think how much America owes to British culture and traditions. Even our past disagreements, like that “taxation without representation” thing, had their roots in British thought. The American Revolution can, in fact, be traced directly back to ideas set forth by the great British thinkers such as John Locke and Adam Smith.

Oh yes, Fred Thompson is now on the radar

Opposition research (defined): the aspect of an election campaign designed to investigate the life and record of the opposing candidate.

All campaigns and candidates do it.

It is just starting to heat up for Fred Thompson.

So far, what has Fred Thompson experienced as a presidential candidate?

Well first, of course, he is not an official candidate (yet). That comes shortly. Fred has not experienced the (non-debate) debates. The scrutiny of the press. The criticism from his fellow Republicans. Fred has avoided the early 2007 Presidential Season on purpose to launch a grass-roots campaign directly to the people and via the internet.

This intelligent campaign strategy has worked so far as evidenced by the strong poll numbers Fred Thompson has achieved.

The only mud that his detractors have thrown at Fred include: comments about his wife, comments that he is lazy and comments about his lack of overall experience. Pretty mild stuff, to be sure.

Well, that is about to change very quickly with Fred Thompson's upcoming presidential announcement. "That" meaning the mud, the inaccuracies, the character assassination. Fred has said that he is ready for it. We certainly hope so.

What is interesting to us at the Fred Thompson 2008 blog is our guess that his detractors and opponents will not be able to find much "bad stuff" to use against him.

His opponents will then have to invent things. Get ready for the upcoming season of creative opposition research on and about Fred Thompson.

We will be interested readers and bloggers. Enjoy!



Oh, btw, some examples of today's stuff:

Democrats tear into Fred Thompson
The Politico

Can Fred Thompson Win in 2008?
The New Republic

Fred Thompson: Not So Conservative
Newsweek

WSMV-TV: Thompson Announcement Set For Nashville

Fred Thompson is set to announce that Nashville will be the home of his national campaign headquarters, WSMV is reporting.

Fred Thompson Loves Bloggers

It is no secret to those following the Fred Thompson campaign to date that he loves bloggers and the communications advantages afforded by the Web. One of his strategies is to effectively leverage the web, online media and various efficiencies that technology provides candidates today.

Today, we have yet another example of this with a Washington Post article entitled "Republican Fred Thompson aims for blogger-in-chief." Blogger-in-chief --- cool title. Fred will probably take that title this year prior to a better title next year.

One of the money quotes from the WP article is when Fred talks to Pajamas Media and says: "By empowering individuals and building communities, the Internet provides a way of going around the inside-the-beltway crowd to reach people in numbers unheard of not that long ago."

Talking directly to voters will be beneficial to Fred Thompson. It will demonstrate his authenticity and avoid the main stream media. An unfiltered message has been beneficial so far. Why tamper with success?

Fred Thompson has built one of the best candidate websites of all possible candidates with his I'mWithFred site. You can visit it at - http://www.imwithfred.com.

Handicapping the Republican Nomination at this stage

Essentially the race is a three way tie between Rudolph Giuliani, Fred Thompson and John McCain with Fred Thompson slightly in the lead. Mitt Romney and other are trailing far behind at the moment.

read>>> The Political Tipster blog

All Agog Over Thompson

U.S.News & World Report | Kenneth T. Walsh

He has a resonant baritone voice and an imposing physical presence. He has strong conservative credentials and a background in both government and the private sector. He has proven communication skills honed by his work on television and in the movies.

Thompson, Clinton lead Nevada voters, poll shows

Fort Wayne.com | Ron Hutcheson

WASHINGTON - Actor and former Sen. Fred Thompson leads the Republican presidential field in Nevada even though he has not declared his candidacy, according to a new poll made available to McClatchy Newspapers and NBC News.

Illinois Group wants actor, (former) Sen. Thompson to run for president

The Bloomington Pantagraph | Blackwell Thomas

SPRINGFIELD — He hasn’t announced if he’s running for the presidency yet but that isn’t stopping a group of Illinois Republicans from backing former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson for the job.

Members of Illinois Citizens to Draft Fred Thompson gathered in the Capitol on Friday said they expect the deep-voiced Tennessean to announce for the presidency soon and when he does they want the campaign off to a quick start.

Old girlfriends cast their vote for Thompson

IN the battle for the women’s vote, Fred Thompson has a secret weapon against Hillary Clinton - the legions of former girlfriends who still adore him and who want him to be president.

The Hollywood actor and former Tennessee senator racked up an impressive list of conquests during his swinging bachelor days in the 1990s, but he appears to have achieved the impossible and kept their friendship and respect.

Lorrie Morgan, a country singer who dated Thompson and considered marrying him in the mid1990s, told The Sunday Times: “I couldn’t think of a bad word to say about Fred if somebody put a gun to my head.

read>>> Times Online

the blog, Betsy's Page agrees

Surprise Republican front-runner is finally ready to show his hand

The Times | Gerard Baker and Robert Thomson

Fred Thompson has played many roles in a long and successful Hollywood career. He was a White House chief of staff alongside Clint Eastwood in In the Line of Fire, director of the Central Intelligence Agency in the Kevin Costner hit No Way Out and, for the past five years, has been the gruff New York district attorney in Law & Order, the long-running tele-vision crime drama.

The Hill: Thompson hitting early-voting states

The Hill | Sam Youngman

The Hill has learned that former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) will make trips to South Carolina and New Hampshire next week.

Thompson has been flirting with a presidential run and in most circles, his entrance into the race is already a foregone conclusion.

Thompson tied with Giuliani in Delaware

Delaware poll results>>> Delaware Conservative blog

CNN: Fred Thompson in England

Hundreds Of Boxes. Thousands Of Revealing Documents And Still Nothing

The Gaggle @ Newsweek | Holly Bailey

Fred Thompson once joked with reporters that he's an "open book," and he wasn't kidding. Unlike many prominent former senators--Al Gore, John Edwards, Bill Frist--Thompson put his eight years of Senate records up for public review two years ago. The collection, on file at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, includes more than 400 boxes of personal letters, campaign memos, photographs and internal-strategy files on everything from his investigation into Bill Clinton's 1996 fund-raising to dealings with reporters. As NEWSWEEK reported this week, there are plenty of documents about politics and policy, some that GOP voters might not like.

Fred Thompson's Remarks to Policy Exchange in London

Town Hall

Thank you very much. Charles Moore, Anthony Browne, Dean Godson, distinguished guests: I appreciate the cordial welcome to London. I always look forward to visiting the United Kingdom, and this time around I couldn’t ask for a better host than the Policy Exchange.

We have a few policies back home that we’d like to exchange, and think tanks like this are the place to come. After just five years, the Policy Exchange ranks among the best, and the fine reputation of your work has reached Washington as well. I congratulate all of you, and I thank you for the hospitality.

Rasmussen Poll: Thompson 28% Giuliani 27%

Rasmussen Reports

There’s change at the top in the race for the Republican Presidential nomination.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson earning support from 28% of Likely Republican Primary Voters. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani attracts support from 27%.

Fred Thompson video

check out>>> Fred Thompson video

Fred Thompson seeks Thatcher's blessing

The Politico | Mike Allen

Fred Thompson, the actor and former Tennessee senator who is expected to announce next month he is running for president, flew to London on Monday to meet Margaret Thatcher and deliver a foreign policy speech, his advisers tell The Politico.

Thompson's advisers aim to use the London events to bolster his foreign policy credentials and elevate him above the increasingly contentious fray of the GOP race.

Media fear of Fred Thompson

By Melanie Morgan

Can you see it? Can you feel it? The excitement over Fred Thompson’s potential candidacy for president is capturing the imagination of conservatives across the nation.

The “Run Fred Run” phenomenon is important to talk about not because of Thompson himself, but more because of what it says concerning the mood of this nation and the public’s frustration with a lack of leadership in both the conservative movement and the Republican Party.

read>>> the Publius' Forum

Fred Thompson Solidly in Second Place in Republican Preference for President Rudy Giuliani's Once Commanding Lead Beginning to Shrink

ROCHESTER, N.Y., June 14 /PRNewswire/ -- While Rudy Giuliani is still in first place in the race for the Republican preference for President, he has dropped by eight points from last month and former Senator and television star Fred Thompson is catching up. Three in ten adults who say they will vote in a Republican primary or caucus say they would vote for the former mayor while 22 percent say they would vote for Fred Thompson. Not all of Giuliani's losses are Thompson's gains. Mitt Romney also sees a small rise this month - up from eight percent last month to 11 percent this month. Even with all the discussion of his "2.0 version" of his campaign, Senator John McCain's showing has not changed from last month and is still at 18 percent.

Fred Thompson popular poll choice

If you were running for president, whose shoes would you rather be in today: Mitt Romney's or Fred Thompson's?

the Politico

Fred Thompson and Plain Speaking

American Thinker | Ray Robison

Fred Thompson has that rare and invaluable quality of speaking directly to ordinary Americans, saying what needs to be said.

He has ties to Hollywood but is not of Hollywood, which adds legitimacy to his insider knowledge of our media based culture. He is giving voice to that which vexes many of us, that liberal politicians and media elitists increase the risk to this country by downplaying the tyrannical and terrorist enemy in order to win political power. Pointing this out is a talent that has long failed President Bush...

Harris Survey: Tennessee's Thompson Ranks Second in Poll of GOP Voters

The Wall Street Journal | Matt Phillips

Though he has not yet declared himself a candidate, actor and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson has risen to second place in the ranks of potential Republican presidential nominees, the latest survey from Harris Interactive shows.

Hoover Institution interview: Fred Thompson

Hoover Institution fellow, Peter Robinson, speaks with Fred Thompson about his candidacy for President of the United States. Robinson delves into the key issues facing America today, the politics of running for president, and the source of Thompson's conservative views.

Fred Thompson: "I Want the Job of President"

Former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson of Tennessee continues to act like he's going to run for president. Last night he was on Jay Leno's "The Tonight Show" and said he'd like to be president.

CBS News

USAToday

Why 'THEY' fear Fred

Townhall.com | Kevin McCullogh

"'They've' been hearing his footsteps for weeks. With each massive rumble the quake of the earth was echoed in their hearts growing more distinct with each stride."[snip]

"If you want the toughness of Giuliani but can't take the baggage of cross-dressing, three marriages, anti-marriage, pro-abortion, and highly questionable on judges; if you want clear-headed straight talk of McCain - but without the frantic sometimes pathological mood swings, and someone who doesn't think political speech should be stifled - but encouraged; if you want the radiant intelligence, and clearly socially conservative positions of Romney - but are afraid to be called bigot for not feeling comfortable in voting for him, then for these reason's and a dozen more - Fred's your man!"

Fred on TV: Tonight Show with Jay Leno

FRED THOMPSON will be on the TONIGHT SHOW with Jay Leno TONIGHT.

Jay Leno: Do you realize that if Fred Thompson runs against Hillary Clinton, it will be "Law & Order" versus "Cold Case." Do you know that?

Hawks for Thompson

The Weekly Standard | Stephen F. Hayes

FRED THOMPSON IS adding more big-name policy talent as his testing-the-waters committee continues to grow into a real presidential campaign. Among the new additions: Mark Esper, national security adviser to former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist; Joel Shin, a top policy staffer on Bush-Cheney 2000; and Elizabeth Cheney, a former top official in the State Department's Near East and South Asia department.

Drudge: Liz Cheney Joins Thompson Team

Drudge Report

Liz Cheney Joins Thompson Team, THE WEEKLY STANDARD is set to report... Developing..

DNC Closes Blog Comments After Discovering Members Agree With Thompson

read>>> Virginia Virtucon

USA Today: Fred Thompson now tied with Giuliani at top of GOP field

Rasmussen:

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has to share his spot atop the field of Republican presidential hopefuls this week. The newest face in the race, former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson, is now tied with Giuliani.

New Florida Poll (Giuliani 32%, Fred Thompson 21%)

An image from the city of Miami. creative commons attribution: tomalu; via flickr.com

Insider Advantage has released a new poll for Florida. For Republicans, Fred Thompson is in second place, nine points behind Rudy Giuliani:

Republicans
Giuliani 32
Thompson 21
Romney 17
McCain 12

Poll puts Fred Thompson just behind Giuliani in GOP race

By Michael Finnegan, Times Staff Writer

WASHINGTON -- Republicans antsy for a conservative standard-bearer in the presidential race have begun to rally behind Fred Thompson, propelling the former Tennessee senator to within hailing distance of the lead for the party's nomination, a new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg Poll has found.

Former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani holds first place in the survey, with support from 27% of the Republicans and independents who said they planned to vote in the party's 2008 primaries.

But Thompson, an actor who plays a prosecutor on NBC's "Law and Order," polled 21%. Indications are he will join the race within the next month.

read>>>the full LA Times article

From Hollywood to the White House?

Times Online | Gerard Baker

Life imitates art, they say, but for Fred Thompson the two have long been barely distinguishable. His career has played out like a tightly woven thread, crisscrossing the seam between real-life political dramas and the make-believe variety concocted in Hollywood.

read>>>the full Times Online article

Book review: "The Fred Factor"

Book Description

In less than 2 months time Fred Thompson exploded onto the scene of the 2008 Presidential Race. THE FRED FACTOR ...How Fred Thompson May Change The Face of The '08 Campaign tracks this amazing political phenomenon in real time and lays out "what happens next" in dramatic political fashion. Fred Thompson spends time in millions of American homes each week as a star of television's Law & Order. The Fred Factor...How Fred Thompson May Change The Face of The '08 Campaign reveals the man behind the role, a man who could very well be the next President of the United States.

Reviews:

Wamp, Talk Show Host Gill Tout "The Fred Factor"

Thompson Teeters on Presidential Edge

Kirby and Steve Gill on Fred



The Fred Factor

Thompson a ‘good fit’

TheState.com | Lee Bandy

Former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee is gaining support among S.C. Republican conservatives who are not pleased with their current choice of White House hopefuls.

Surely, there must be somebody else, they say, as they and other party activists scramble to find a favorite in the 2008 presidential sweepstakes.

Who might it be?

Some have fingered Thompson.

He’s a “good fit” on the issues, says U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett, a Westminster Republican who recently endorsed Thompson.

The Zero-to-60 Thompson Run

Weekly Standard | Stephen Hayes

In early March, only a handful of Fred Thompson's good friends knew that he was even thinking about a bid for president. Three months later, according to several polls, Thompson is in second place nationally, trailing frontrunner Rudy Giuliani. He spends his days raising money and assembling an increasingly sophisticated campaign operation. His advisers hold daily conference calls to discuss issues and to craft a schedule that includes visits to states with early caucuses and primaries. Rival campaigns are adjusting their strategies to account for his inevitable entry into the race.

Ask people closest to Thompson how this happened and they often give you the same story: The former senator was simply minding his business when out of nowhere there arose a powerful Draft Fred movement, the likes of which have rarely been seen in American politics. "The groundswell for Fred is the closest thing to a real, genuine draft that I've seen in my 40 years of politics," Senator Lamar Alexander said recently in Chattanooga.

(Excerpt) Read more at weeklystandard.com ...

The Thompson Momentum Builds

read>>>the Let Freedom Ring blog

Fred Thompson The Jack Bauer of The GOP?

read>>>The American Conservative Daily blog

AP poll: Fred Thompson shaking up GOP presidential race

WASHINGTON — Fred Thompson's expected entry into the tight Republican presidential race is drawing crucial strength from conservatives and older men, vaulting him into the thick of the nomination fight, an Associated Press-Ipsos poll says.

Thompson tops straw vote at Gillmor-hosted banquet

The Toledo Blade | JOSHUA BOAK

BOWLING GREEN - Fresh from starring as Ulysses Grant in the HBO film Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, Fred Thompson won an early audition for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination yesterday.

At the annual Lincoln-Hayes Banquet hosted by Ohio Congressman Paul Gillmor, the former Tennessee senator captured 32.5 percent of the 166 votes cast in a straw poll. Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney tied for second in the poll with 18.1 percent. Arizona Sen. John McCain received 11.4 percent.

(Excerpt) Read more at toledoblade.com ..

Fred Thompson: Lights, Camera, Ass-Kicking Time

Fred Thompson has the best chance to beat everyone in the current Presidential field for 2008. In part this is because of America's secret obsessions and sordid history as well as old ladies who vote and watch television dramas with the same religiosity.

read the Simon Magazine article

Fred Thompson plans late June trip to NH

Union Leader.com | JOHN DISTASO

Manchester – Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson will make his first visit to New Hampshire as a potential presidential candidate later this month, a high-ranking Republican says.

State Senate Minority Leader Ted Gatsas, R-Manchester, told UnionLeader.com this morning that Thompson has agreed to appear at a June 28 fund-raiser for the Senate Republican PAC.

Gatsas said the event will be held at the Wayfarer Inn in Bedford.

Fred Thompson On CNBC: Tort Reform

WP: Defections to Fred Thompson Pose a Major Threat to McCain

By Matthew Mosk
Washington Post Staff Writer

John Dowd represented Sen. John McCain in his darkest hour, the "Keating Five" scandal. He supported McCain the first time he ran for president in 2000 and signed up to be a major fundraiser for him in this year's presidential race. But when former senator Fred D. Thompson began thinking about running, the Washington lawyer changed his mind.

full Washington Post article

read also>>>Hugh Hewitt

Fred Thompson takes the lead in NC Primary Poll

Public Policy Polling (press release) | Dean Debnam

Raliegh, N.C. - According to the latest Public Policy Polling (PPP) survey released today, prospective Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson has moved into the lead in the North Carolina Republican Primary. Thompson's support jumped from 25% of likely Republican voters in May to 37% in this month's poll, ousting Rudy Giuliani from the lead.

Guiliani's support fell to 25%, with John McCain and Mitt Romney both with 14%. Nine percent of Republicans said they supported a candidate other than the four mentioned, and and 1% said they were undecided...

(Excerpt) Read more at worklifeexpress.com ...

Super Fred!

"He's Got The Presidency On His Mind"

Fred Thompson: A Very Good Day Online

www.HughHewitt.com | Patrick Ruffini

Sources close to the Thompson campaign have passed along the following first-day results for ImWithFred.com:

Averaged close to 1,500 people per hour signing up as friends

Averaged $12,000 per hour in contributions

Raised more than $220,000 dollars via the website

Seen just under half of the Friends send a message to others asking them to sign up or give.

Joe Scarborough Update: “I wonder if she exercises this way.”

The Palmetto Scoop updates us on how Joe Scarborough continues to dig himself a hole with this article:

VIDEO: Scarborough spins “pole” controversy.

In the article it quotes Joe saying: “I wonder if she exercises this way.” Read the full article. Words fail us. Unbelievable.

Fred! on Election '08 [video]

The new I'mWithFred website: imwithfred.com

The new I'mWithFred website: http://www.imwithfred.com/

Fred, the Elephant in the Room

New York Sun | Ryan Sager

When the lightning crackled in New Hampshire and knocked out the microphones, Mayor Giuliani, once a parochial-school kid, cracked that God must be angry with him. But the real invisible presence shaking up the Republican primary debate on CNN last night was not the Almighty. It was Fred Thompson.

One might call him the 6'5" elephant in the room — but he wasn't in the room at all. He was in Fox News's Washington, D.C., studio, waiting to go on "Hannity & Colmes" for a softball interview that would serve as his own personal post-game show, free of such petty distractions as a moderator or, say, his opponents.

Sean Hannity tried to get the former Tennessee senator to weigh in on the just-concluded melee, but Mr. Thompson was having none of it. "I don't want to talk about other candidates," he said. "I'm sure that they're good guys."

(Excerpt) Read more at nysun.com ...

Jeri Kehn is Fred Thompson’s Wife

This is becoming the event of the week, politically, so far. Yes, Jeri Kehn is Fred Thompson’s Wife! Headline news! Entertainment Tonight plus Presidential politics!

RightCelebrity says, "Jeri Kehn is suddenly making the news because she might become “first lady” in the United States." And the blog supplies several photos.

Recently, MSNBC host Joe Scarborough "discussed" Jeri Kehn on air with CQ’s Craig Crawford during the June 1, 2007 broadcast of his Morning Joe show with an unbelievably awful comment.

Ian Schwartz asks: "Why is the left drooling over the fact Fred has a younger wife?"

Does anyone know why???

Fred Thompson bloggers

The DullardMush blog examines the presidential candidate web trends.

Last week's numbers are in parentheses.

Republican Presidential Results

1. Fred Thompson 8,584 (2,904)
2. Ron Paul 6,659 (8,939)
3. John McCain 6,590 (7,377)
4. Mitt Romney 6,138 (6,157)
5. Rudy Giuliani 5,246 (5,512)

AP: Sam Waterston negotiating for 'Law & Order' promotion to replace departing Fred Thompson

LOS ANGELES: Sam Waterston may be a getting a "Law & Order" promotion.

The actor is negotiating to step in as the show's New York district attorney, replacing co-star Fred Thompson, a source close to the production said Monday. Thompson, a former U.S. senator, is weighing a presidential run and asked to be released from the NBC drama.

read:::the full AP article

2008 Republican Presidential Primary Poll [Rudy 23, Fred 17, Mitt 15, McCain 14]

Rasmussen

With former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson taking his first formal steps towards a Presidential run and the immigration debate creating challenges for Arizona Senator John McCain, the race for the Republican Presidential nomination has an entirely different look this week.

Mary Matalin to Advise Fred Thompson

Mary Matalin, former counselor to Vice President Dick Cheney, is joining presidential candidate Fred Thompson’s team. She will serve as an unpaid adviser.

Matalin is a friend of Thompson and his wife Jeri, Politico.com reports.

SurveyUSA Election Poll

In CA GOP Gold Rush, Fred Thompson leaps into 2nd-Place Tie with McCain, 7 Points Behind Giuliani: Eight months to the newly accelerated and suddenly critical California Republican Primary, the contest destabilizes and further tightens, according to a SurveyUSA poll of likely GOP Primary voters, conducted exclusively for KABC-TV Los Angeles, KPIX-TV San Francisco, and KGTV-TV San Diego. Rudolph Giuliani leads today, but by 7 points, down from a 13-point lead 4 weeks ago, on 5/7/07, and down from a 19-point lead 8 weeks ago, on 4/2/07. Half-In-Half-Out Fred Thompson has doubled his support in the past month, from 11% on 5/7/07 to 21% today. That puts Thompson into a 2nd-place tie with John McCain, whose support is flat month on month, 21% then, 21% now. Mitt Romney runs 4th today, at 11%, largely unchanged from 12% last month. Undeclared candidate Newt Gingrich is 5th, at 8%. Among Conservatives, Thompson is up 12 points month-on month, and has gone from 4th place to 1st. There is volatility among Hispanics, who make up 17% of likely Republican Primary voters in SurveyUSA's turnout model: Giuliani has lost 23 points month-on-month, down from 46% to today 23%. Thompson's support among Hispanics is up 5 fold, from 5% to 24%. Margin of Sampling Error is high for this small subgroup, but the movement is striking nonetheless. SurveyUSA tracking polls from 4/2/07 and 3/6/07 did not explicitly name Fred Thompson, so those results are not shown on the tracking graphs released today.

Obama, Thompson lead in South Carolina

Political wire ^

According to the latest Public Policy Polling survey of likely South Carolina primary voters, Sen. Barack Obama leads the Democratic presidential race with the support of 34%, trailed by Sen. Hillary Clinton with 31% and John Edwards with 15%.

On the GOP side, Fred Thompson leads his rivals with 27%, followed by Mitt Romney at 16%, Sen. John McCain at 15%, Rudy Giuliani at 14% and Newt Gingrich at 11%.

The FredHeads

The Jawa Report | Ragnar Sanchez-Danneskjold

You may be hearing here and there about the 'FredHeads.' It looks like you're going to be hearing a lot more about them in the coming days and weeks. Mary Matalin has started to take notice:

Tim Russert : "Mary Matalin, has Fred Thompson waited too long?"

Mary Matalin : "No, he's not waited too long, and this organization is just building around him. Last night at that event, just in passing, a young person came up to him and said, well, 'We have captains in every county in the state for you. We have volunteers all over the state.' Everywhere we go there are 'FredHeads.'"

Joe Scarborough Insults Fred Thompson's Wife

Captain's Quarters | Ed Morrissey

Joe Scarborough offers his keen insight and classy analysis into today's political scene in an interview this morning with Congressional Quarterly's Craig Crawford. During the Morning Joe program on MS-NBC, Scarborough suggested that Fred Thompson's wife is a whore.

SCARBOROUGH: Have you seen Fred Thompson’s wife?

CRAWFORD: Oh, yeah.

SCARBOROUGH: You think she thinks she works the pole?

George Will: Conservatives still searching for Reagan

Osilla: Why is Fred Thompson so appealing?

The Osilla blog asks the question: Why is Fred Thompson so appealing?

Fred Thompson ~Richmond VA.~

The RightsideVA blog comments about the Fred Thompson speech on Saturday in Richmond Virginia.

ABC: Fred Thompson Offers 'Comeback Trail'

By LIZ MARLANTES and TOM GIUSTO

In a speech to Republican activists Saturday, actor and former senator Fred Thompson cast himself as a shot in the arm for a beleaguered party.

"Folks, we're a bit down, politically, right now," he said. "But I think we're on the comeback trail, and it's going to start right here."

read the ABC News article

Fred Thompson forms presidential committee

Yahoo News | LIZ SIDOTI

Republican Fred Thompson took the first formal step toward a widely expected bid for the presidency, establishing a preliminary campaign committee on Friday.

The "testing the waters" committee allows Thompson — a former Tennessee senator and actor best known for his film and television roles, including as a prosecutor on NBC's "Law & Order" — to raise money, hire staff and gauge support without officially committing to a White House bid and without having to publicly disclose donations or expenditures.

The "Friends of Fred Thompson" committee was incorporated in papers filed with the state in Nashville, Tenn.

Thompson, 64, a Southern conservative with a right-leaning Senate record, would shake up an already unsettled race for the GOP nomination led by Rudy Giuliani, John McCain (news, bio, voting record) and Mitt Romney. Many conservatives have expressed dissatisfaction with the current field of 10 candidates.