A Dynamic Not Seen In Years

Fred Thompson in 2008

Editor's Note: Thomas's commentary is in blue, and Marcie's is in purple.

Conservatives, for the most part, are grumbling about the three front-runners right now for the GOP nomination in 2008. John McCain can't seem to figure out why the base hates him so much. Rudy Giuliani is condemned as being "too liberal." And Mitt Romney, despite his conservative credentials, comes across as "boring" or "mundane." The others in the race -- the also-rans, as we call them -- may do well for the GOP, but they're hardly nationally recognized names. So what's an electorate to do? Why, draft a man to fit the bill that conservatives want. Right now that man is former senator Fred Thompson, and he's creating a buzz louder than a beehive amongst the conservative base. "Will he run?" is the question on many minds, and it's looking more and more like he will.

What Does Fred Bring To The Table?

Senator Fred Thompson is an unabashed fiscal conservative, and a proponent of federalism -- the founding principle that states the federal government should abide by it's limited powers. He is a Visiting Fellow at The American Enterprise Institute, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and holds a seat on the US China Economic and Security Review Commission. With all three of the aforementioned groups, he has devoted his time to studying intelligence and national security. As one of the primary people establishing the Department of Homeland Security, Senator Thompson has a set of national security credentials that no contender now can match. He thoroughly understands that intelligence work is not an exact science, and that there are times where intelligence agencies may be prone to errors. But he also understands that a President must proceed with the information he has in hand. In a dangerous world such as our own, hesitation could be costly.

Fiscally Strong And Unafraid To Start Cutting Funds

As Marcie noted above, Senator Thompson is a strong fiscal conservative. He's not happy with how bloated the government has become, or how it mishandles the taxpayer's money. He has spoken out against the wasteful government pork, and the problems with earmarks in Congress. What seems to gall him more than anything on the pork issue though is that he believes the states could do better than the federal government could with a host of projects. In recent interviews he has pointed to things such as Alaska's "Bridge to Nowhere" which benefits few in Alaska (less than 70 people, at last count) and yet the American taxpayer is being handed the bill. To him, this is intolerable. Stephen Hayes wrote in a recent Weekly Standard piece that Senator Thompson was "frequently a lonely voice opposing the federalization" of issues that believed belonged in the purview of the States. Senator Thompson also admitted in that piece that there were certain programs he would cut from the federal budget, and hand them back to the States where they would likely be better run, and have tighter oversight. In short, he sees Congress as part of the problem this nation faces today because of how much power the federal government has seized over time.

Immigration Is A Key Issue For Him, As Well

It was supposed to be the "hot-button" issue of the 2006 midterms, and too many in the GOP running on the platform lost their jobs. They raised the rhetoric to the point where it turned off a decent amount of the voting public. Additionally, it did not sit well with those here legally watching their fellow countrymen be slandered. Yes, there are people here illegally, and Senator Thompson recognizes that. But in his eyes we cannot simply throw these people out. They are tied to our economy. He prefers regularizing these people, but before we even start to move in that direction he wants the border enforced. He has stated in interviews that he wants the triple-layer fencing proposed last year by the GOP in Congress, but he also wants a "virtual" fence -- electronic surveillance, motion sensors, etc. He wants the Border Patrol's ranks expanded, and he wants someone in charge of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) that will do their job as it is outlined by the law. (Right now, the current Border Patrol Chief, Daniel Aguilera, was handed a vote of "no confidence" by his Border Patrol agents; they believe he is an "amnesty-first" person.) Again, Senator Thompson realizes that national security should come first, and that includes keeping a vigilant watch on our borders.

National Security Is Tied To Foreign Policy

To protect this nation best, Senator Thompson realizes that we must strengthen ties to our allies, and quit trying to make nice with those that hate us. This is especially true when it comes to Iran. "He is equally blunt on Iran," writes Mr. Hayes, "harboring senior al Qaeda leaders, funding and training Iraqi insurgents, supplying terrorists in Iraq with devices that are killing American soldiers are acts of war." He has yet to call for military intervention in Iran, but in the interview with Mr. Hayes he states that the bottom line is simple: Iran needs regime change. But he cautions that the circumstances for such a move must be right. We can't simply rush headlong into another war zone, especially given what Iran has at it's disposal right now. Given his intelligence background, Senator Thompson knows what he's talking about in this realm. No other contender has detailed a plan for Iran, or will even call Iran out for it's meddlesome actions in Iraq. He has. He's not pulling punches when it comes to the mullahocracy over there, and doesn't play patty-cake with "nuanced" definitions of the regime. It's evil. It hates us. And we've been enemies since 1979. It's time to start remembering that, and acting accordingly. You can't make nice with the Islamofascists in Iran, or their willing proxies in Syria.

This Has Become An Issue Of Late, And An Important One

In 2002 and 2004 President Bush told his supporters he needed a majority in the Senate to help him pass his judicial nominees to the federal bench. The Democrats were obstructing them with an unconstitutional filibuster. The electorate delivered his request, and since then the issue of judges has become a mainstay in politics. Activist jurists are rewriting the laws of the land -- the Constitution itself, at times (Kelo, Roe, Atkins, McConnell, etc.) -- and they are doing so with a power not granted to them. In 2005, Senator Thompson served as the chaperone for Chief Justice John Roberts around Washington, DC, during the confirmation hearings. During that time, Senator Thompson spoke highly of then-Judge Roberts, graciously describing him as a "constructionist," a "textualist," and a "highly qualified individual" that understands the Constitution. With such praise we can assume that Senator Thompson, if elected president, would follow up the appointments of John Roberts and Samuel Alito with equally qualified jurists in the same mold. If President Bush does not get at least one more appointment to the Supreme Court before his term expires in January of 2009, then his successor could likely have two, and quite possibly three appointments to the high court. "President" Thompson could succeed where Ronald Reagan failed in changing the court back to where it should be rather than where the justices believe it should be.

What Happens If He Jumps In?

Prognosticators are having a hard time nailing down what exactly would happen if Senator Thompson jumps into this three-ring circus. One thing will happen for sure: the also-rans will depart the race in a prompt manner. Too many of their supporters are salivating at the possibility of his entry into the foray. Zack Wamp, a fellow Tennesseean working the "Draft Fred" movement confimrs he will be meeting with as many as sixty House Republicans in coming weeks. A number of them have quietly confided that if he does join the fray, they're switching sides and working for him. So Sam Brownback, Tommy Thompson, Tom Tancredo, and Duncan Hunter could be left twisting in the wind in short order. John McCain will also suffer even more than he already has if Senator Thompson announces his intention to run. Senator Thompson holds a lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union of 86 -- two points higher than John McCain -- but unlike McCain, he hasn't honked off the base. The other person who's likely to feel the pinch of a Thompson run will be Rudy Giuliani. Because the base views him as "too liberal" on certain issues (not us, mind you, as observed with our first staff column here) Senator Thompson could be the antidote for the base that is grudgingly accepting Rudy due to his reputation as "America's Mayor" in the wake of the attacks on 11 September. If Senator Thompson jumps in, he will bleed Rudy in the months leading up to the primary fight beginning in January of 2008. In the end, we predict that the primary decision will ultimately come down to Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani, and Mitt Romney, and in the end the odds favor Thompson over the other two.

The biggest question on voters' minds is "will he run?" His revelation of having non-Hodgekin's lymphoma sent the message in both directions. There are those that believe the annoncement was signaling that he would not run, or that it was a mistake to announce it. Then there are those of us who believe he will, and this was more along the lines of damage control; to get out in front of the issue before the press and Democrats make it into something it is not. He knows that there is a large movement across the country in his favor. He knows that he has a great deal of support from the conservative base. Even better, he knows that the Democrats really do not have a plan to deal with him should he be the nominee. But what scares the Democrats even more is the way the base has reacted to him -- comparing him, at times, to Ronald Reagan -- and remembering the force of will that Reagan had. The base believes that he, like Reagan, could hand the Democrats an electoral defeat that would leave them reeling. He is the dynamic that could virtually change the face of the race, and possibly ensure a Republican victory in 2008.

He is a scholar of history, especially American history, and the United States Constitution. She is finishing her undergrad studies before moving onto law school where she will specialize in Constitutional Law. Together, Thomas and Marcie form the vanguard of conservative opinion at The Asylum--a blogging site devoted to advancing the conservative cause by challenging the liberal lies and deceit spread by the media, and espoused by the Left in general. Both are expert debaters, and have beaten many liberals into submission with their collective wit, and unmatched knowledge. The pair is married, and resides in Arizona.

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