John Fund writes that the conservatives are unhappy with their choices and want someone like Reagan to unite the party:
This weekend's 34th annual meeting of the Conservative Political Action Conference was the largest ever, with 6,300 people registered. But attendees also couldn't remember a time when conservatives were so unsettled about their political future.And everyone was talking about Fred Thompson entering the race:
Former governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, one of eight announced or prospective presidential candidates to speak at CPAC, summed it up best when he said that perhaps for this year it should be renamed the "Conservative Presidential Anxiety Conference." He added, "The theme could be 'Dude, where is my candidate?' "
The desire for a candidate who unites the conservative movement the way Ronald Reagan did was palpable. Almost every presidential candidate invoked Reagan's name, and among participants in the CPAC straw poll, 79% described themselves as Reagan Republicans, whereas only 3% called themselves George W. Bush Republicans. Several speakers noted that Reagan had addressed CPAC a dozen times while Mr. Bush never has, sending Vice President Dick Cheney to speak in his place.
Right now, the message of CPAC is that that job description hasn't been filled yet by anyone running or planning to run. That's why many CPAC attendees were eager to believe rumors that Jeb Bush or former senator Fred Thompson was about to enter the race. If conservatives were united on a 2008 candidate, such rumors would yield shrugs rather than excitement.No to Jeb Bush! I don't want to see a Bush or Clinton in the Whitehouse, I'm tired of them. I want someone new. Like, Fred Thompson.
Here's a little background on Fred Thompson for all the googlers out there. It's a very positive piece on a Fred Thompson run:
Since leaving the senate, Thompson has remained active in government. Last year, for example, President Bush asked him to help guide the Supreme Court nomination of Chief Justice John Roberts, proving once more Thompson’s acumen in both public policy and public relations.(via)
Fred Thompson is said to be considering a run for the presidency. Conservatives starved for another Reagan could do much worse. He is disarming and down to earth. His experience in the limelight has given him a perfect sense of timing. But most of all, he is experienced in public policy and brings to it a conservative worldview. He is pro-life, pro-family, pro-traditional marriage, pro-Second Amendment and pro-free enterprise.
And on the the Mark Levin show last night:
Amid rumors that Senator Fred Thompson might make a run for the Presidency, he was on Mark Levin's radio show this evening discussing the Libby matter and Levin ended the call by asking him about the rumors.
He played it rather coy, simply saying, I'll have more to say about that a little bit down the road.
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