I've noticed a tendency of some on the left to engage in "I know you are but what am I" type of rhetoric and this article is no exception:
When Newt Gingrich wanted to dismiss Barack Obama, he did it in a phrase. Obama would make a great president, said the former House speaker, "if the country wants therapy." Like the claim that John Kerry "looks French" from the 2004 election, this quip works on many levels for GOP voters. It refuses to treat Obama seriously and paints his supporters as frail, emotional, and needy. It also reasserts a broader claim about the difference between the two parties: Republicans are adults focused on serious issues; Democrats engage in sentimental swooning that will get us all killed at night in our beds.Sorry but emotionalism is a decidedly liberal trait. I have never been so analytical in my approach to a candidate than I have been with Thompson. Since there are so many candidates to choose from, you are forced to be analytical because you have to determine who would make the best candidate. And when you do that you have to analysis what the country and the conservative party need now after all these years of Bush, Clinton, Bush.
Given the self-image of conservatives, it's a little surprising, then, that so many are excited about Fred Thompson, a candidate whose chief qualification seems to be that he makes them feel good. The former Tennessee senator has less experience than all the other top GOP contenders and yet he is being talked about as the savior for a party that is unhappy with its current crop of candidates and its chances in 2008. Thompson has not entered the race, but in television appearances two weeks ago, he hinted that he might.
I did that and determined that we need a strong, articulate leader who is not afraid to stand up to Congress and tell them to stop the pork, stop the spending, it's not your money. We need a strong leader who will say to the world, we are not afraid to protect our interest by engaging in battle wherever it may occur. Who will say to the people of America, we are at war, get used to it. We need a strong leader to say to Mexico, pay your people more and improve the conditions there so that they won't need to come here to have better life. And to say to the Mexican people, if you want to come here, do it legally or you'll be deported. It's clear that Thompson has the ability to do this. He's conservative, he's clearly articulate and he isn't afraid to express his opinion.
It's really not that complicated. After two terms of an inarticulate president who doesn't appear to be able rally his party or the country around his cause, we need someone who is able to do it. I think that out of the current crop of candidates, Thompson would be the candidate who comes closest to that job description.
BTW, this is funny given the current crop of Democrat candidates:
Authenticity and star power conjure visions of Ronald Reagan. But Reagan had genuine experience running something—namely the state of California. Thompson's résumé is thin—an undistinguished eight years in the Senate, an acting career, and a youthful turn as co-counsel in the Watergate hearings. Supporters try to pump up his résumé by boasting that he shepherded John Roberts through his confirmation hearings—but that was the legal equivalent of walking Michael Jordan onto the court.If there is any year we could win a presidential campaign with a Senator with eight years of experience, this would be the year.
In other Thompson news:
The Washington Post writes what appears to be the standard "Fred Thompson may run" article. It contains: worries that he isn't conservative enough, the other candidates are ahead of him in putting together their funding and campaign organizations, mention of Wamp and Frist encouraging him to run, that he is on "Law and Order," that the base is unhappy with the current crop of candidates and assurances from Wamp and Lamar Alexander that he is seriously considering a race.
Over at CBS, they're saddened that if Thompson runs there won't be anymore Law and Order reruns (I thought it was on NBC):
And in sad news for those of us who are home at 2:00 PM on a Tuesday, Fred Thompson's possible run for the White House might mean that we'll be deprived of Law & Order reruns, thanks to equal time laws.We've been given a name: Fredheads.
And they can laugh about the fact that we have gone back to Hollywood for our candidate but the last one kicked their tushie twice and brought down the Berlin wall. Not too shabby.
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