Add to that he's a damn sharp lawyer and worked on the Watergate Impeachment affair....forget just what but I think it was he who discovered the tapes existed. Acting is a second career and, IMHO, he's pretty good at that too.

"Son, the Russians don't take a dump without a plan".

- Admiral Josh Painter

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070531/ap_on_el_pr/fred_thompson

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070531/ap_en_ce/people_thompson

So, is this guy going to run or not?

He'd better run or I may have to sit this one out.

Enough with actors in politics. That's getting old. What we really need are stand-up comedians, or maybe American Idols. The entertainment value should be our number one criteria for choosing a President.

Which candidate do you think is NOT an actor? Ironically, Thompson seems to be the most "real" person out there. Any BTW, I rank lawyers and career politicians FAR below ANY actors.

One group of entertainers I cannot see in the White House are dancers. How can you pin someone down on the issues if they're alway flittering about?

Interesting guy.

His career:
- Lawyer 1967-1974
- Washington lobbyist 1975-1992
- Senator 1994-2002
- TV/movie actor 1985-1994, 2002-present

So, Rick, not sure where you rank lawyers and lobbyists relative to politicians and actors, but you've got it all in Mr. T.

He has cancer, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, supposedly dormant. He'd be the second-oldest Republican candidate (65 y/o, oldest being McCain at 71 y/o). May be an issue to some.

On a cursory look, I probably like him about the same as Guiliani, less than Romney and McCain. I dislike G and R for their shameless flip-flopping. I think R is damn smart and business-savvy, think he'd run a very competent government especially on the economic side. I respect M for his gutsiness, outspokeness, and service.

My main issue with T is trying to figure out what he really brings to the table, besides a familiar face and voice via his character acting roles. Forget his acting career, which I consider irrelevant. If T were simply a former Washington lawyer and lobbyist who did a term and a half in the Senate, would you be all excited about him?

On the practical side, I'd think his acting background will be an even bigger asset given the accelerated primary schedule, which reduces the opportunity for face-to-face campaigning.

Interested, I'd need to know more about where he stands on issues, of course, the illegial alien issues will be (mostly) settled before a new president is in office.

The fact that Thompson is a real conservative, and plain talking, well spoken one at that, overrides his past as a lawyer, though he only practiced for a few yrs. I have no problems at all with lobbyists and place them way above career lawyers and politicians. And at least Thompson didn't catch Potomac Fever and decide to be a lifelong senator. My only problem with him is that he supported McCain-Feingold, which I view as an EGREGIOUS and unforgiveable assault on the Constitution.

http://www.ontheissues.org/Fred_Thompson.htm

The big question is whether this amnesty-for-illegals bill gets rammed through before the election. If it does, I think a good argument could be made that that it makes no difference who gets elected.

Thompson is on-target with immigration, civil rights, balanced budget and many other things. He has his head firmly up his butt on energy and the environment. I would favorably consider him only if the amnesty-for-illegals bill is still on the table at election time, and then only if he maintains his firm stand on securing our borders and deporting the illegals.

I don't think the amnesty bill will pass and if it does AND Thompson is the next president, it would be incredibly easy for him to throw a lot of monkey wrenches into the mix. Since the president has to certify that the border is secure before anyone starts the whole Y and Z visa stuff, as long as Bush doesn't completely pull the wool over everyone's eyes and do this on the way out the WH door, Thompson can drag this thing out for his term. Does anyone think there's a realistic chance of the border being really secured anytime soon? The only danger here is that Bush could make it so with the stroke of a pen, totally independent of reality on the ground.

...and there's no way he paid $400 for that haircut.

Vote for him? I'll campaign for the guy. :)

Wow Speeder, I never thought we'd be in agreement on anything.

I'm eagerly awaiting writing a check to his campaign the second he declares...and I've never given money to a political candidate. What is the individual limit?

+1

The “damn sharp lawyer” angle should be a big negative but, sadly, it is not. The fact that he doesn’t practice makes him, in my opinion, maybe worth a look if he ever shows himself.