Hey kids, it’s rich lobbyist and ‘jes folks’ character actor Fred Thompson! (He’s readin’ sumthin’, which proves he’s smart ‘n’ stuff, not matter what Nixon said about him). I wonder what he has to say!

Uh, okay. “Responsible” change is the essence of conservatism?!? Obama’s really, really liberal? Basically:

If you’re nostalgic for Reagan’s fake folksy bullshit, and you’re fond of Fred’s fake folksy bullshit, then you might be just the type who’s attracted by Sarah Palin’s fake folksy bullshit and McCain’s phony populist crap, especially all the fake folksy bullshit he’s shilling about his new BFF, Joe the Plumber, who, besides not being a licensed plumber, would - like the vast majority of the country (95% plus) - benefit more under Obama than McCain. But hey, vote the wrong way and those scary furriners might getcha. So vote for McCain.

That is, if you can forget eight years of fake folksy bullshit from George W. Bush.

(Cross-posted at Vagabond Scholar)

From Politifact:
“He was offered medical care for his injuries if he would give up military information in return. John McCain said, ‘No.’ ”
Fred Thompson on Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 in a speech at the Republican National Convention

McCain bargained with his vietnamese captors

In his speech Sept. 2, 2008, to the Republican National Convention, former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., recounted John McCain’s time as a prisoner-of-war in Vietnam after his Navy plane was shot down in October 1967.

“They took him to the Hanoi Hilton, where he lapsed in and out of consciousness for days,” Thompson said in St. Paul, Minn. “He was offered medical care for his injuries if he would give up military information in return. John McCain said, ‘No.’ “

Thompson compresses details of McCain’s biography to offer the most positive picture of the Republicans’ 2008 standard bearer. But in doing so he contradicts statements McCain made in his best-selling autobiography, Faith of My Fathers.

In the book, co-written with Mark Salter, McCain recounts the grievous wounds he suffered when shot down and afterward at the hands of angry Vietnamese.

He was taken to the Maison Centrale, known to POWs as the Hanoi Hilton, where he did lapse in and out of consciousness for four days and refuse his interrogators’ demands for information. But then, McCain recounts, he tried a different approach with a prison officer nicknamed “Bug.”

“Desperate, I tried to bargain with him. ‘Take me to the hospital and I’ll give you the information you want.’ I didn’t intend to keep my word, reasoning that after my injuries had been treated, I would be strong enough to deal with the consequences of not holding up my end of the bargain,” McCain wrote.

As for never cooperating with Vietnamese, McCain also admits he eventually gave up information about his ship and Navy squadron. “I regret very much having done so,” he wrote.

Thompson needs to get his story straight. This claim is False.

Fred Thompson’s speech at the Republican National Convention

The bullshit in it

The right’s white knight just kinda fizzled out all over the place.

Fred Thompson Quits Presidential Race

NAPLES, Fla. — Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson quit the Republican presidential race on Tuesday, after a string of poor finishes in early primary and caucus states.

“Today, I have withdrawn my candidacy for president of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort,” Thompson said in a statement.

Thompson’s fate was sealed last Saturday in the South Carolina primary, when he finished third in a state that he had said he needed to win.

In the statement, Thompson did not say whether he would endorse any of his former rivals. He was one of a handful of members of Congress who supported Arizona Sen. John McCain in 2000 in his unsuccessful race against George W. Bush for the party nomination.

This is really turning out to be one hell of an election cycle, folks! Not one presidential contender, republican or democrat, worth holding the position, if you ask me. (Sorry if that offends)

Was just reading an article on the MSNBC site, “Romney attacks Huckabee on immigration“, and am still feeling a bit nauseous from being subjected to all the s-curve, flip-flopping, gut-wrenching hypocrisy permeating nearly every paragraph.

For example, Mitt is about to fire up a new television ad in Iowa in an attempt to deflate Huckabee’s recent gains in the polls:

Excuse me? Mitt can say this in light of his past stand on the abortion issue?

This one speaks for itself:

And, of course, dead-head Fred has to rise to the occasion:

Kind of ironic, isn’t it? Down and dirty mud’slinging hypocrisy, for a job that should require someone of the highest morals and ethics. Someone above reproach.

During the GOP debate Sunday night held in Miami, presidential hopefuls denounced Chavez and Castro; “a guaranteed applause getter in this predominantly Cuban American city where many loathe Castro and his ally Chavez.”

Fred Thompson went one better. When asked what he would do with Castro, who has reigned through nine different U.S. presidents, Fred said, grinning: “I’m going to make sure that he didn’t survive 10 U.S. presidents.”

What is that, Fred? A threat? Are you saying, as president, you plan on invading Cuba and pulling a “Saddam” on Castro’s ass?

That just great, Fred! America could do with another four years of Bush’s brand of cowboy idiocy. And you’re just the ticket!

Note to any and all republicans that happen to read this post: Can you people not find a viable presidential contender - one that happens to believe in true conservatism, while lacking the desire to make us look like a nation of thugs and idiots? Haven’t we friggin’ suffered enough already?!

Fred Thompson, Republican. Lying his ass off so that he can be our next president.

Thompson warns of welfare state

LAGUNA WOODS, Calif. - Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson said Saturday that election of a Democrat to the White House in 2008 would open the way for a welfare state where bigger government, higher taxes and defense cutbacks sap the country’s economic and military strength.

“Our country is at a crossroads,” Thompson told several hundred people at a rally at a community clubhouse.

“We know that the most liberal element of the Democratic Party has taken control of the Democratic Party, and if they win this next election we’re going to go down the road of a welfare state,” he said.

After warning of a government that gets “bigger and bigger,” he said “I don’t think the American people are going to turn the keys to this country over to the most left-wing part of a left-wing party next year.”

“We’ve got to make sure that doesn’t happen,” he said.

Oh, where to begin…

Democrats are “tax and spend”? Well, Republicans “borrow and spend”. How’s that working out for you, America?

Democrats want bigger government? The government, in it’s present state, is the largest it’s ever been… under REPUBLICAN control.

The liberal fringe has taken over the democratic party? Really? With pro-war Hillary and Obama, and an “impeachment is off the table” Pelosi, I beg to differ. No, Mr. Thompson. If liberals were in charge, there would have been no Iraqi war, thousands of our troops would still be alive, hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens would still be alive, and Osama bin Laden might very well be in Prison.

Hell! It’s quite possible that the people lost on 9/11 could be alive today, busy working in their offices high up in the still’standing twin towers… because reports that Osama was about to attack would not have went ignored as it did on your REPUBLICAN watch!

Welfare state, my ass, Fred! If helping make sure poor, sick children get the medical attention they need and deserve, then, yes - call it a welfare state. Ignoring these children’s needs, leaving them to suffer in silence and quite possible die, well, that’s something we liberals won’t do.

And, Mr. Thompson, in case you’re wondering, this is precisely how you and your pro-life, party-of-family-values, REPUBLICAN party have earned the title “HYPOCRITES“.

“Typical conservative” sounds more like it.

Notice in the following quote; “Helping to expose the truth during Watergate and sending a crooked Democratic governor to prison.” Had to throw in the “Democratic” identifier, huh, Fred? How about that REPUBLICAN president/crook, Nixon?

Let’s see…

* 100 percent Pro-life / anti-women’s rights (check)
* voted for three major tax cuts / very pro-rich, anti-poor (check)
* fighting for conservative judges / anti’science, pro-flat earth (check)

Yep, typical conservative.

Adwatch: Thompson touts legal record

Announcer: “Called to public service in challenging times. A young federal prosecutor, tough on crime. Fred Thompson. A courageous reformer - fighting corruption in both parties. Helping to expose the truth during Watergate and sending a crooked Democratic governor to prison. (emphasis mine) Fred Thompson. A consistent conservative in the U.S. Senate, a 100 percent pro-life record, voting for three major tax cuts and fighting for conservative judges. Fred Thompson - true conservative for president.”

Fred Thompson: “I’m Fred Thompson and I approved this message.”

WOW! So it’s not just progressives who can see the FOX News slant. So much for “Fair and Balanced”.

Former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) suggested on Sunday that Fox News is biased against his campaign, charging that the network highlights commentators who have been critical of his run for the presidency.

In an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” host Chris Wallace pressed Thompson on how some conservatives have lambasted Thompson’s campaign and showed clips of Fox conservative commentators Charles Krauthammer and Fred Barnes criticizing the former senator.
[...]

Thompson, in a firm, but measured tone, scolded Wallace: “…for you to highlight nothing but the negatives in terms of the polls and then put on your own guys who have been predicting for four months, really, that I couldn’t do it, kind of skew things a little bit. There’s a lot of other opinion out there.”

Thompson should be pissed. Everyone knows FOX News favors Rudy.

I don’t think Fred really wants to throw them under the bus, but I bet many feel that way after reading this! Telling people you plan on tinkering with their retirement is not the best strategy for taking the White House in ‘08, Fred.

Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson on Friday proposed reducing benefits promised to future retirees and establishing a system of voluntary personal retirement accounts under Social Security to help shore up the program’s finances.

“If somebody’s got a better idea let them put it on the table,” said the former Tennessee senator in a challenge to fellow Republicans as well as Democrats vying for the White House in 2008.

Given their track record in economics, would you feel secure in the knowledge that a republican is about to ‘fix’ your future? Not smart, Fred. Good luck with it though.

Fred Thompson, while being asked about the Terri Schiavo case, stated today that he was uncomfortable discussing it because of his own daughter’s death.

For bringing up this personal info, Fred will surely find himself up shit creek without a paddle now! (or will he?)

Fred, you state it should be something decided by families and that you’re against making a political football out of it. Then you turn around and say you don’t mind the federal and state governments sticking their noses in. Which is it?

Maybe the point you were trying to get across is that you want government to stay out of YOUR business, but you have no qualms about them sticking their noses into everyone else’s. Is that it?

Yahoo! News

If these voters have these values, you can keep them!

Romney narrowly wins A-values voters- straw poll

Mitt Romney

Despite efforts to woo religious conservatives, Giuliani finishes distant 8th

WASHINGTON - Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney narrowly won a Republican presidential straw poll of Christian conservatives on Saturday, while Rudy Giuliani persuaded few to look past his support of abortion rights.

The poll at a summit of self’styled values voters was largely symbolic but highlighted the continuing failure of ardent anti-abortion social conservatives to rally behind a single Republican candidate in the 2008 White House race.

Romney took 27.6 percent of almost 6,000 votes cast, just ahead of Mike Huckabee, the folksy former governor of Arkansas, who gained 27.1 percent at the conference organized by the Family Research Council.

Maverick Texas Congressman Ron Paul was third with almost 15 percent while former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson got under 10 percent, a major disappointment for his campaign.

Giuliani was eighth with 107 votes — under 2 percent.

Reuters

MSNBC.com

By: Steve Benen
Cross posted from Crooks and Liars

From what I hear, Fred Thompson, the actor-lobbyist-presidential candidate, has been having a little trouble raising money for his campaign. Perhaps, out of the goodness of our hearts, we could chip in and buy him a newspaper subscription.

Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson said Thursday he was unaware that a federal judge had ruled last week that lethal injection procedures in his home state were unconstitutional.

Thompson also told reporters he was unaware that the U.S. Supreme Court agreed this week to consider a Kentucky case about whether lethal injection violates the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

Thompson’s support for the death penalty was a major part of his campaign platform when he first ran for the U.S. Senate in Tennessee in 1994. Asked for his response to the recent Tennessee and Kentucky cases, Thompson responded, “I hadn-t heard that. I didn-t know.”

Unfortunately, Thompson says that all the time, about a lot of issues.

Mayor Daley ridiculed Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson on Thursday for strutting his stuff — and showing off his “machoism” — by campaigning at gun shows.

Daley said there should be a national debate about gun violence. It should be at the forefront of the presidential debate among Daley’s fellow Democrats and among Republicans now consumed by the war in Iraq, he said.

But it’s not happening — not even after five police officers in Odessa, Texas, Miami and Phoenix have been gunned down in recent days.

“The sad comment is when you see some of the candidates going into a gun show and they think that’s machoism. Someone walks into a gun show and says, ‘Oh boy. I’m here watching people buy all types of guns and see all types of guns and ammunition,’ ” Daley said.
“The first thing you think is, ‘How about a police officer just driving through a community. Why don’t you go visit them and talk to them about gun violence. Why don’t you talk to some families of gun violence [victims].’ It’s like machoism: ‘I’m gonna go to a gun show, walk around and show you how macho I am.’ That’s not machoism. That’s strictly a political stunt.”

More at the Chicago Sun Times

I can just picture the people in the audience…..with that expression of HUH? on their faces. Keep talking Sparky….. you’ll sink your own ship. And we thought Bush was stupid…….

Freshly minted GOP White House hopeful Fred Thompson puzzled Iowans yesterday by insisting an Al Qaeda smoking ban was one reason freedom-loving Iraqis bolted to the U.S. side.

“They said, ‘You gotta quit smoking,’” Thompson explained to a questioner asking about progress in Iraq during a town hall’style meeting.

Thompson said the smoking ban and terror tactics Al Qaeda used to oppress women and intimidate local leaders pushed tribes in western Anbar Province to support U.S. troops.

But Thompson’s tale of a smokers’ revolt baffled some in the audience of about 150 who came to decide whether the former Tennessee senator is ready for prime time.

“I don’t know what that was about,” said Jim Moran, 72, who had driven from nearby McCook Lake, S.D.

More at the NY Daily News