|
|
|||
|
|||
|
|
Fred Thompson: Stalking for McCain? John Mercurio Is Fred Thompson the GOP's next Hollywood hero who, like Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger, will ride a white horse to rescue a party discouraged by its current field of candidates? Or is Thompson a stalking horse for his close friend John McCain, quietly helping the maverick Arizonan mend fences with the party's conservative base? More importantly, could the former U.S. Senator and star of TV's "Law & Order" really run for president? And if so, could he win? Thompson, 64, one of the few Republicans who comfortably straddles the diverse worlds of Washington, Hollywood and middle America, has been embraced by Republicans who are increasingly nervous about their prospects in 2008.
He's being described by supporters, including former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, as a would-be frontrunner who could join the White House race later this year after the current top tier of candidates – Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney – fades or self-implodes. "If the current Republican candidates destroy themselves in some sort of demolition derby, then Thompson is one of a small group of top Republicans who could ride the horse over the hill to save the damsel in distress," Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, said recently in a NewsMax interview. "Of course, he'll have to fight the other Republicans who are also riding other horses," such as Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter, Tommy Thompson and, possibly, Newt Gingrich.
Story Continues Below
Possibilities The buzz over Thompson had been building quietly before he showed some leg to "Fox News Sunday" on March 11, acknowledging that he's "giving some thought to" a 2008 presidential campaign and is "going to leave the door open" as he listens to advisers over the next few months. An aide said Thompson will make a decision by late June. But his comments have unleashed a flurry of speculation, and intrigue, at a time when Republicans are increasingly concerned about their prospects of holding the White House. A CBS News/New York Times poll conducted in early March says 60 percent of Republicans are unhappy with their current choice of '08 candidates. (The same percentage of Democrats approve of that party's '08 field.) Also, far more Republicans than Democrats fear their party will lose next year, according to the poll. Many conservative Republicans are particularly distressed over the prospect of Giuliani or McCain gaining the GOP nod. But there is no questioning Thompson's conservative credentials on a number of hot-button issues.
The Thompson Record As a Senator, he voted to ban partial birth abortions and human cloning, voted against background checks for weapons purchasers at gun shows, opposed same-sex marriage and voted to prohibit flag-burning. He also voted in favor of a balanced-budget constitutional amendment, schools vouchers, limiting death-penalty appeals, funding for abstinence education, strengthening the trade embargo against Cuba, and limiting welfare for immigrants. It's difficult to assess how serious Thompson is about mounting a White House bid. "It's impossible to test sincerity for anyone, much less someone who works in Hollywood," quipped Sabato. But, Sabato added, Thompson has many admirers – inside the Beltway and around the country – some of whom view the folksy Republican as the second coming of Reagan. "He might be able to rekindle the views people had of him back in 1994 as another Ronald Reagan, someone coming out of Hollywood, on a white horse to rescue us," he said. "He's got some strong plusses. He's smart and certainly has a good television presence, and of course that matters quite a lot." To be sure, the candidacies of Romney, John Edwards and Barack Obama, all of whom have served less time in elected office than Thompson, have lowered the threshold for presidential candidates' public service. While the growing number of big states moving up their primaries to Feb. 5 has dealt a serious setback to late-starting candidates, Thompson could be uniquely qualified to join this summer, if he's willing to raise money this fall and winter at a feverish pace – something some skeptics describe as a big "if" for Thompson. Indeed, Sabato emphasized, Thompson has many critics in Washington, who remember few concrete achievements from his time in the Senate. "He never made much of a splash in Washington," he said. "Everyone I ever talked to said he was lazy. This is a guy who does seem to get bored frequently. He moves from one place to another." When Thompson retired from the Senate in 2002 after serving out Al Gore's unexpired term and one full term of his own, he said: "I'm not 30 years old anymore. I don't want to spend the rest of my life up here. I don't like spending 14- and 16-hour days voting." In repeated attempts, Thompson could not be reached to comment for this article. McCain Strategy There is, however, another theory circulating about Thompson, one being floated by critics of the Tennessean. Some Republican insiders suspect that Thompson, who makes no effort to hide his close friendship with McCain, instead might be working a behind-the-scenes, McCain-orchestrated strategy to build support among conservatives for the Arizonan. According to this theory, Thompson – who backed McCain in the 2000 presidential primary race – would build support and anticipation among conservatives for his own campaign, and then abruptly direct them instead to McCain's camp. Sources note that Thompson and McCain had an extensive telephone conversation on March 9, just two days before Thompson discussed his presidential ambitions on "Fox News Sunday." And both camps have worked hard to keep the substance of that conversation private. Whether or not he runs, Thompson might benefit McCain, if only because he appears to be slowing the momentum enjoyed recently by McCain's two main rivals, Giuliani and Romney, among conservatives. Assuming he does run, would Thompson really appeal to conservatives? He strongly supports President Bush and his troop surge in Iraq, and he has established himself as a vocal hawk on Iran. He has a record of cutting taxes in the Senate and, most recently, was a visible supporter of Lewis "Scooter" Libby during his perjury trial. Earlier this month he held a fundraiser for Libby's legal defense fund. But on Capitol Hill, Thompson – while a strong supporter of conservatives on social issues – distanced himself from Southern conservative colleagues such as Jesse Helms and Strom Thurmond. He said he fit more comfortably in the mold of Southern moderates like fellow Tennessean Howard Baker, who gave attorney Thompson his first break in politics by appointing him chief Republican counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee in 1973. As chairman of the Senate Government Affairs Committee, Thompson supported the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill and, most galling to some conservatives, he led lukewarm investigations of some major scandals during the Clinton administration. Much like any good actor, it seems, he's able to play many roles. Which one will he play in 2008? Stay tuned. © NewsMax 2007. All rights reserved.
Editor's note:
Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Print Page 
Forward Page 
|
| All Rights Reserved © 2008 NewsMax.Com |