I love this quote from the article: "You got the sense from those commentaries that he just gets it. He cares about his country and he cares about common sense. The good conservative sense Thompson articulated certainly resonated — the blogosphere got enthused for a possible presidential run. They could get into this guy. "
That's what I saw in Fred Thompson, and so did my parents and friends who moved to Kentucky from my area. We saw a man who GOT IT and cared about his country enough to tell the truth, in spite of the usual trend to sugarcoat it on the campaign trail. That's why he won't win the nomination and will probably never be president---because he's straightforward and tells you the truth--not something to make you feel all cuddly and warm.
Here's some of Fred's best:
“the fundamental, conservative principles that have unified us for over two centuries.”
-First, the role of the federal government is limited to the powers given to it in the Constitution
-Second, a dollar belongs in the pocket of the person who earns it, unless the government has a compelling reason why it can use it better
-Third, we don't spend money we don't have, or borrow money that our children and grandchildren will have to pay back
-And the best way to avoid war is to be stronger than our enemies. But if we’re caught in a fight, we need to win it because not doing so makes us much more likely to be attacked in the future
-Also the federal judiciary is supposed to decide cases, not set social policy — and bad social policy at that
-And the bigger the government gets, the less competent it is to run our lives.
Reread that comment about how to avoid war. Doesn't that remind you of General Patton's words: "No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country."
I don't want some touchy-feely (eek, reminds me of Bill Clinton) kind of president. I want one who makes the other guy die for his country--that means we'll still be around.
So Fred, I'm sorry to see you leave the campaign. Thanks for the memories, and I'll be watching you on Law & Order, but maybe you could stop in every now and then and remind of us of what real leaders are like. Unfortunately there aren't too many examples in the campaigns today.
