A Good Day!

Especially with regard to the hopefully-never-to-be- resuscitated immigration bill:

This has been a good day for America.

For a while, it didn’t look like Washington was going to listen to us regarding real immigration reform. Thankfully, we’ve been spared a serious mistake, but I wonder if things would have turned out the way they did without the work done by the bloggers, talk radio and the American people. Rush, Hannity, Laura Ingraham, RedState, Powerline, Pajamas Media and a lot of others have done a great job. Take that, Fairness Doctrine.

Make sure to read the rest of Fred's post. And note what Fred says... "For a while it didn't look like Washington was going to listen to us..." and, "Take that, Fairness Doctrine."

Fred knows that grassroots America has found its voice on the internet and on talk radio, and Fred understands its value!

In the post, also note Fred's stance on Cuba:

While the communist dictatorship has been a tragedy for Cuba, America has been in some ways, at least, the beneficiary.

One of those benefits is the presence of the great Cuban-American artist, Gloria Estefan. She co-wrote a song called “No hay mal que por bien no venga” which I understand translates something like — there’s no bad that doesn’t bring some good. The bad that is Castro’s tyranny has given America one of the greatest communities in the Western Hemisphere.

And no one knows better than that community that the Castro regime remains dedicated to infiltrating American institutions to spread his ideology of tyranny. Castro admitted it himself in an interview with CNN in 1998.

This is why the Cuban government rightfully remains on the State Department’s terrorist list for its continued support of terrorism. It’s also why we must oppose the illegal immigration of Castro’s agents into the United States while welcoming the vast majority who immigrate legally and with legal intentions.

It seems to me that few Americans understand the threat that the illegal entry by Cuban spies represents to our country, though Cuban-Americans have never forgotten or stopped pointing it out. Ambassador Otto Reich, the former Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere has called Castro’s efforts to penetrate U.S. intelligence networks “relentless.”

The best-known incident involving Cuban espionage, which many believe may have provided U.S. secrets to hostile Middle Eastern regimes, is probably that of former Defense Intelligence Agency analyst Ana Belen Montes — convicted of espionage in 2002.

and...

Our national security is too important an issue to let folks twist words around for a one-day headline. Cuban-Americans are among the staunchest opponents of illegal immigration, and especially so when it’s sponsored by the Castro regime. We know we have a porous southern border in which they can currently slip through easily. Our enemies know it too.

All of us should be rightfully concerned about Castro and his ideological pal Chavez sending agents and provocateurs into the United States through Mexico. I’m sure that Cuban-Americans share this concern as well.

Why the Fred Thompson appeal? Is it because he's an actor? I doubt it. Sean Penn is an actor, and I sure as hell wouldn't want him for President.

It's much larger than that. Fred understands and speaks with the heart of America, pure and simple. No putting on airs, no gobbledygook. What you see and hear is what you get. As Christopher Adamo at Chron Watch put it:

Meanwhile, the greatest challenge Thompson faces (and it may not be a difficult one for him) is simply to remain true to the conservative principles which he has consistently presented as sincere and heartfelt. He is not prone to backtracking or apologizing, and need not do so now.

As the other candidates bob and weave, attempting to capture the allegiance of one constituency group without alienating another, Fred Thompson only needs to keep being Fred Thompson.

It is my sincere belief that Fred will be just that.

You can take that to the bank.

Fred Thompson Strikes Back!!

From Captain's Quarters
(Click to play)


One thing is for sure, Fred is no wallflower. When Fred is attacked, he will respond!

Good on you, Fred!

Should the MSM figure into "Campaign Finance Reform"?

Why not, since they act as an unpaid political arm of the democrat party, and in effect create millions of dollars in free advertising of their talking points.

Newsbusters notes:

Such was identified by Steve Hill of Target Rich Environment who brilliantly outlined the similarities between an e-mail message he received Friday from the Democratic National Committee chairman (complete text with timestamp and e-mail address to follow) with an Associated Press article published Tuesday at CNN.com (emphasis added throughout):

1. DNC talking point: “In his most recent stint in Washington, Thompson worked for a London company lobbying Congress to limit liability claims for asbestos-related illnesses. Over the past three years he’s made $760,000 fighting for the interests of his corporate clients.

“AP/CNN talking point: ”More recently, while Frist led the Senate, Thompson earned more than $750,000 lobbying for a British reinsurance company that wanted to limit its liability from asbestos lawsuits.

2. DNC Talking Point: “And just this month, as part of his role as the ultimate Washington insider, Thompson offered to host yet another fundraising event for Scooter Libby’s legal defense fund. Thompson has been vocal in his support of Libby, saying that he would “absolutely” pardon him.”

AP/CNN Talking Point: “Thompson also helped run the Scooter Libby Legal Defense Fund Trust, an organization that set out to raise more than $5 million to help finance the legal defense of Vice President Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff, who was convicted in March of lying and obstructing Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald’s investigation into the leak of a CIA operative’s identity.”

3. DNC Talking Point: “For years, acting wasn’t the Law & Order star’s profession — it was a hobby. In the real world, Thompson has made a fortune in a decades-long career as a Washington lobbyist.”

AP/CNN Talking Point: “Republican Fred Thompson, who likes to cast himself in the role of Washington outsider, has a long history as a political insider who earned more than $1 million lobbying the federal government.”

4. DNC Talking Point: “Although the folksy-sounding Tennessean recently told USA TODAY that he would run an outsider, just as he did while campaigning as a “country lawyer” in a red pickup during his 1994 U.S. Senate race, his résumé is that of a longtime Washington operative who has crossed ideological lines to represent corporate and foreign clients.”

AP/CNN Talking Point: “That history as a Washington insider is at odds with the image Thompson has sought to convey to voters. When he first ran for the Senate in 1993, Thompson cast himself in the part of the gruff, plainspoken everyman, leased a red pickup truck and drove around Tennessee in his shirt sleeves.”

Now, go to Newsbusters and check out the accompanying DNC email correspondences.

The democrats and the MSM seem to be expending a lot of effort to pre-emptively smear a yet-to-be announced candidate.

Why is it, you suppose, that this is the case?

Could it be because they know that Fred can win?

Fred Thompson--Media savvy? You bet!

An interesting, and spot-on-take:

Potential Republican Presidential candidate Fred Thompson has a website that should be a model for anyone aspiring to political office.

Well over a year remains before the 2008 Presidential election takes place. Candidates like Hillary Clinton, Mitt Romney, Barack Obama, and John McCain have been staking out spots online, with the aid of their campaign machines, in the hopes of engaging voters.

At this early date, money remains the first, second, third, and probably twenty-fourth most significant concern for White House aspirants. The Thompson website, I'm With Fred, features links to donate and raise funds should the actor/Senator pursue a bid for the Presidency, just as the other candidates do.

His organization has opted for a slightly different approach to the Web. Thompson's website doesn't have the dizzying array of content blocks the other candidates we mentioned have posted. His main content section is a blog, kept up to date by an administrator at times when the candidate himself isn't posting.

The important concept Thompson's people seem to get is the need to have their supporters engage traditional media. His site features specific links to encourage people to write to newspaper editors or call talk radio.

Those two sections allow the visitor to pick a state followed by a media market. A results page shows the options available for contacting the media outlet of choice.

Make no mistake, folks. Fred Thompson does know how to win.

h/t: Gary Gross.

No skeletons in this closet....

When looking for mud to sling, democrats can often count on ex-lovers and wives to dredge up dirt on their opponents.

When it comes to Fred Thompson, however, the democrats will have to look in another closet:

Republican Thompson endorsed by ex-girlfriends

By Steve Holland

Reuters
Monday, June 25, 2007; 6:46 PM

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Things must be going well for prospective presidential candidate Fred Thompson because even his ex-wife and former girlfriends are endorsing him.

One-by-one they've said the Tennessee Republican is their man -- at least for president, according to London's Sunday Times newspaper.

Will he or won't he...

I guess tomorrow we'll find out for sure (whether he announces or not).

We'll definitely be there when he does!

The Big Announcement set for next week!

The long awaited announcement of Fred's candidacy may finally take place:


A source close to the campaign planning tells WSMV that that Thompson planned to announce his candidacy on the steps of the historic Fall School Building Tuesday, but Thompson campaign officials deny that Tuesday's announcement is an official run for the White House.

The source tells WSMV report says that the Thompson campaign has obtained the lease for that building to turn it into a national campaign office.

"Everything's in place for Tuesday," the source told WSMV. "There are three major events built around his announcement." But Bob Davis, the Tennessee Republican Party Chairman, and Thompson's former Chief of Staff says "There will not be an annoucement Tuesday."

CAIR: Fred Gets it!

From the Fred Thompson Report:

I've talked before about the Council on American-Islamic Relations -- most recently because it filed that lawsuit against Americans who reported suspicious behavior by Muslims on a U.S. Airways flight. Better known just as CAIR, the lobbying group has come under a lot of scrutiny lately for its connections to terror-supporting groups.

This time, though, The Washington Times has uncovered some very good news about the group.

For years, CAIR has claimed to represent millions of American Muslims. In fact, they claim to represent more Muslim in American than ... there are in America. This has alarmed Americans in general as the group often seems to be more aligned with our enemies than us -- which isn't surprising as it spun off from a group funded by Hamas. As you know, Hamas has been waging a terrorist war against Israel and calls for its total destruction. It also promises to see America destroyed. Nowadays, Hamas is busy murdering its Palestinian political rivals.

Even with this history, and CAIR's conspicuous failure to condemn Hamas by name, it has been treated as if represents Muslim Americans by our own government. The good news is that the financial support CAIR claims to have among American Muslims is a myth. We know this because The Washington Times got hold of the group's IRS tax records.CAIR's dues-paying membership has shrunk 90 percent since 9/11 -- from 29,000 in 2000 to only 1,700 last year. CAIR's annual income from dues plunged from $733,000 to $59,000. Clearly, America's Muslims are not supporting this group -- and I'm happy to hear about it.

Of course, every silver lining seems to have a cloud; and this cloud is that CAIR's spending is running about $3 million a year. They’ve opened 25 new chapters in major cities across the country even as their dues shrank to a pittance. The question is; who’s funding CAIR?CAIR's not saying. The New York Times earlier this year reported that the backing is from "wealthy Persian Gulf governments" including the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Obviously, we have a bigger problem here than the one with CAIR.

(h/t Not Ready for My Burqqa)

D'Amato endorses Fred!

From Newsday:

In his presidential campaign, Giuliani is trying to make Republicans forget his many liberal policies and proclamations while mayor of New York City, and convince them he's really a true believer. Last week, his announced 12 commitments for the American people had a certain conservative flair. But about half - those on immigration, government spending, taxes, abortion, judicial appointments and the global economy - required policy shifts from Giuliani's past.

Yet D'Amato, the Long Islander and former senator who often was loose on political principles, apparently does not appreciate Giuliani's political flexibility. Instead, D'Amato last week broke with many of his fellow New York Republicans who are backing Giuliani and endorsed Fred Thompson for president. D'Amato said, "Voters are tired of the rhetoric and are thirsting for leadership. Fred Thompson is the kind of candidate our party can unify behind and support wholeheartedly." Amazingly, D'Amato could be right.

And right D'Amato is:

Thompson, who served for eight years as a senator from Tennessee, possesses a far more principled record than any of the top Republicans vying for the party's nomination, including Giuliani, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Arizona Sen. John McCain. Even though he is not yet officially in the race, Thompson vaulted ahead of McCain and Romney in a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll of GOP primary voters. Thompson is within striking distance of Giuliani.

Giuliani presents a challenge for some Republican voters: Do they abandon their principles and go for his celebrity? Thompson, though, counters with his own star power as an actor in many films since 1985, and as a regular on television's "Law & Order."

Since he's a Tennessean, the South is home territory for Thompson. The liberal Giuliani from the Northeast could have difficulty keeping together the Southern bloc of states that has been a key for Republican success in presidential elections.

But the big plus for Thompson is on substance, namely his conservative track record. He's been solidly pro-growth on economic issues, for example, including tax relief and reform, deregulation and free trade.

Read the rest of Keating's piece to see his well-laid out reasoning on why Fred Thompson is no fluke.

He is the real thing, folks!

Thompson on top!

The heretofore undeclared candidate has now topped the field.

There’s change at the top in the race for the Republican Presidential nomination.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson earning support from 28% of Likely Republican Primary Voters. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani attracts support from 27%. While Thompson’s one-point edge is statistically insignificant, it is the first time all year that anybody but Giuliani has been on top in Rasmussen Reports polling. A week ago, Thompson and Giuliani were tied at 24%.

It remains an open question as to how Thompson will hold up once he actually enters the campaign and has to compete directly with other candidates. To date, he retains the allure of the new kid in town while GOP voters already know the things they don’t like about the others. Still, Thompson’s rise to the top provides a telling measure of how the other GOP hopefuls have failed to capture the imagination of the party they hope to lead.

Thompson's genius is inherent in the fact that he has chosen to sit out the formal process enough to get his message out in a clear manner, that stood out from the din of the current field of 10 candidates. Thompson's solo appearance on Hannity & Colmes on a night when 10 other Republican hopefuls were duking it out for their literal 15 seconds of fame, when you come to think of it, was a sheer stroke of genius.

Of course, Fred will sooner or later need to declare. But you can bet that he'll remain head and shoulders above the rest, literally and figuratively, when he does.

Fred Thompson solidly in 2nd place...

From here...

REPUBLICAN LEADERS ADULTS "WOULD CONSIDER VOTING FOR" FOR
PRESIDENT

"Although the U.S. presidential election is not until
November, 2008, there are a number of people who may run
for president. If you were to vote and had
to select from the following candidates, for which of
the following people would you consider voting?"

Base: All adults

Base: All adults


              Feb   Mar  Apr  May  June  Republican
                %     %    %    %     %           %    
Rudy Giuliani  29    35   32   30    30          55    
Colin Powell   32    30   29   29    28          45   
John McCain    26    26   24   23    21          38     
Fred Thompson N/A   N/A   15   17    19          38       
Condoleezza
   Rice        19    18   17   16    15          33     
Mitt Romney     7     9   14   12    14          32    
Newt Gingrich  11    11   12   10    11          27    
Mike Huckabee   3     4    3    3     5          12     
Tommy Thompson  4   N/A    4    5     4          10    
Tom Tancredo    3     3    3    3     4           9   
Ron Paul      N/A   N/A    2    2     4           4    
Duncan Hunter   2     2    2    3     3           7   
Sam Brownback   2     2    2    2     3           8     
Chuck Hagel     3     3    3    2     2           4    
Jim Gilmore   N/A   N/A    1    1     2           4   

Note: Multiple-response question
*Less than 0.5%
N/A not applicable

REPUBLICAN VOTERS FIRST CHOICE FOR PRESIDENT
"There are many different people who are, or who may
become, candidates for president in the Republican
primaries starting in January, 2008. Based on all that
you know or have heard up to now about the people listed
below, for which one person would you be most likely to
vote?

Base: Those who would vote in Republican primary or
caucus


                          April        May         June

                            %           %           %
Rudy Giuliani              39          38          30
Fred Thompson              13          18          22
John McCain                18          18          18
Mitt Romney                14           8          11
Newt Gingrich               9           9           8
Tom Tancredo                1           2           3
Sam Brownback               2           1           2
Ron Paul                    1           1           2
Mike Huckabee               1           1           2
Duncan Hunter               1           1           1
Jim Gilmore                 *           1           1
Tommy Thompson              1           2           1
Chuck Hagel                 *           1           1

As you can see, with the voters, at the grass-roots level,
Thompson's showing is strong, and is gaining momentum.

To say that Fred Thompson would be a viable candidate at
the top of the GOP '08 ticket would be an understatement
of gargantuan proportions!

Frontrunner Fred?

From Rolling Stone:

6/12/07, 12:45 pm EST

Fred Thompson, Frontrunner?

The latest Rasmussen poll has Hollywood Fred in a first-place tie with Mr. 9/11 at 24 percent. That’s pretty stunning — and Thompson deserves credit. His quietly confident above-the-fray campaign has left the actor as a clean receptacle for much of the strong-brewed, none-of-the-above sentiment that’s fueling the GOP base right now.

But clearly the “Thompson epiphany” as some top conservatives are calling it, springs less of love for the Law & Order Republican, and more out of a sense of desperation among base voters who see the former Tennessee senator as the lesser of four evils....

If only it were that simple to explain away.

Thompson is:

1. A communicator.
2. Pro-border security.
3. Anti illegal immigration
4. Pro Life
5. Pro-War-on-Terror/Victory in Iraq

Now what's a conservative not to like about Fred Thompson?

Fred On Hannity...

From June 5th...

Fred: The Juggernaut gains in the sunshine state!

From Townhall:

OF INTEREST:

In Florida, whose Jan. 29 primary will be one of the nation's first presidential contests, former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., has gained steam since his 5 percent showing in April, even though he's not yet a declared candidate. Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, and McCain, an Arizona GOP senator, have seen slight erosion since then. The Democratic contest has remained stable.

THE NUMBERS _ REPUBLICANS Rudy Giuliani, 31 percent Fred Thompson, 14 percent John McCain, 10 percent Mitt Romney, 8 percent

When Fred formally announces in July, look for his numbers to go astronomical.

On another note, there are those who think that a Fred Thompson candidacy will "steal votes" away from other candidates.

The truth is, no one really knows from whom Fred Thompson will steal votes once he enters the presidential race. And we're especially clueless about the second-degree effects of his candidacy.

Thompson's polling firm, McLaughlin and Associates, finds that Thompson wins the support of 18 percent of the Republican primary electorate today, stealing almost all of his votes from Rudy Giuliani.

Truth is, Fred Thompson "steals" votes from no one. They are there for the taking, and anyone who's looking for a pro-life, pro-gun, pro-security, pro-Iraq winning candidate, with the gravitas to sell the message, need only look to Fred Thompson. There is no other candidate in the field who fits that bill.

When the Republican National Convention comes to Minneapolis in 2008, I definitely want to be there to see Fred give his acceptance speech!

___

Why Fred Thompson Appeals

"By Craig A. Hammond

Former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson appeals to many Republican voters who have no clear favorite in the current crop of GOP candidates for one overriding reason:

Simply, put, they think Thompson can win the whole shooting match next November.

The other GOP candidates have their merits and may even have individual strengths which override Thompson on a given issue. For example, former NYC Mayor Giuliani is the only Presidential candidate who can lay claim to leading the effort at Ground Zero from day one at 9/11. That's impressive.

John McCain had his mettle tested over six years as a P.O.W. in Vietnam and has managed to not only recover but flourish as a multi-term U.S. Senator from Arizona. His independent spirit is attractive in many ways.

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and U.S. Senator Sam Brownback articulate clearly the values shared not only by social conservatives in the Republican Party but many other Americans who watch with concern as their children are exposed to more violence and gratuitous sex on the public airwaves. We need their continued passion for a better society.

And Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts and "the man who saved the Salt Lake City Olympic Games" has an impressive resume as a manager of budgets and people.

However, none of them can communicate the big picture to the people like Fred Thompson can. Whether this comes from his family upbringing in the South, his careers in government service and acting, or just his own individual personality, Thompson conveys strength in that singular way only some leaders can.

People seem to actually derive strength and even energy from Thompson's own presentations, from his deeply-held belief in America and Americans. No one else has that going for them.

That is why the comparison with Ronald Reagan is so often made. Sure, both were actors and involved in politics, but it is the chords they strike with the electorate that makes them soul brothers."

Read the rest!

Fred Launches a Website!

Check out "I'mwithFred.com"

Fred Thompson's Speech

Fred Thompson delivered a great speech in Richmond, Virginia Saturday night. Here’s the YouTube video of it, broken down into 4 parts:

The Ron Paul "non-factor" factor...

Elephant Biz points us to this post, claiming that Fred Thompson's potential candidacy is "...a desperate move by Republican leaders to offer what they consider a viable contender."

A desperate move? By Republican leaders? First of all, if "Republican Leaders" were pushing for Fred, they'd have to think long and hard before doing so, since it just so happens that, unlike "Republican leaders" Mr. Thompson is against the so-called "bipartisan" immigration reform bill. The article goes on to say,

Yet Ron Paul (R-Tex), congressman and republican candidate for president has been seen by Internet observers as doing well both in debates and in terms of public sentiment. His message is one of minimalist government, low taxes and a non-aggressive military policy.

Not to mention that the guy is absolute loony-toons and a truther:

Face it, the only place where Ron Paul could effectively lead a nation is within the expanse of his more-than-vivid imagination.

It's as simple as this: Give me a guy who wants to be President, who believes that 9/11 was our fault, that President Bush had something to do with the towers coming down, that the JFK assassination was a conspiracy, that we need to cut and run from Iraq, and that we need to listen to terrorists' concerns--and I'll give you Ron Paul.

Give me a guy who wants to be President, who believes that the government is too big, that we need to stand up to terrorists, that we need to prevail over them in Iraq, and that we need to secure our borders, and I'll give you Fred Thompson.

Given their stances on things, just who do you think is the more "desperate" candidate?

Given their stances on things, just who do you thing should be the more "desperate" candidate?

I thought so.

The Fred Thompson Juggernaut and the Effects of Gravity

Fred Thompson's imminent run for the Presidency is attracting some heavyweight support:

Mary Matalin, the former counselor to Vice President Cheney, says she will be advising Thompson. A campaign source says she will be an unpaid adviser. Matalin is friends with Thompson and his wife, Jeri, and her involvement began informally, the source says.

Advisers say the head of economic policy for Thompson's fledgling team will be Lawrence B. Lindsey, who was President Bush's first economic policy adviser and an architect of his tax cuts. Lindsey was chief economic adviser to Bush's first presidential campaign and is a former member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Lindsey will also have a hand in the campaign's broader policy formulation, sources say.

The head of domestic policy is to be David M. McIntosh, a lawyer and former congressman from Indiana who was an official in the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations, according to the sources. The chief foreign policy adviser will be chosen soon, the sources say.

Adding to the Bush-Cheney ties, the campaign has said that the chief operating officer will be Thomas J. Collamore, a former aide to the older Bush when he was vice president and also an official in the Reagan administration.

And Michael Turk, e-campaign director for George W. Bush's reelection campaign, will take a leave of absence from his current job with the National Cable & Telecommunications Association to assist in getting the Thompson website off the ground. He may continue in a webmaster capacity for the campaign.

As is evident here, the Thompson campaign is making some serious headway, and will be a force to be reckoned with, not only in the upcoming primaries, but in the '08 election itself.

A Q&A with Fred.

Fred Thompson in an AP "Q&A" interview.

Watch video here.

Fred Thompson and the Power of a Message

From Townhall:

"Well, he's done it. Hugo Chavez was already systematically silencing criticism of his autocratic rule through threats and intimidation. Journalists have been threatened, beaten and even killed. Now he's shut down the last opposition television networks in Venezuela and arrested nearly 200 protesters – mostly students. It’s a monumental tragedy and the Venezuelan people will pay the price for decades to come. Americans are also at risk as he funds anti-American candidates and radicals all over Latin America.

It’s equally tragic that the U.S. is in no position to provide the victims of this emerging dictator with the truth. There was a time, though, when Americans were on the front lines of pro-freedom movements all over the world. I'm talking about the “surrogate” broadcast network that included Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty, often called "the Radios."

When Ronald Reagan was elected, he greatly empowered the private, congressionally funded effort and handpicked the Radios’ top staff to bring freedom to the Soviet Union. Steve Forbes led the group.

Cynics still say that the USSR fell of its own weight, and that President Reagan’s efforts to bring it down were irrelevant, but Boris Yeltsin and Mikhail Gorbachev say differently. Both have said that, without the Radios, the USSR wouldn't have fallen. The Radios were not some bland public relations effort, attracting audiences only with American pop music. They engaged the intellectual and influential populations behind the Iron Curtain with accurate news and smart programming about freedom and democracy. They had sources and networks within those countries that sometimes outperformed the CIA. When Soviet hardliners and reformers were facing off, and crowds and tanks were on the streets of Moscow and Bucharest, the radios were sending real-time information to the people, including the military, and reminding them of what was at stake.

Then we won the Cold War. The USSR collapsed in 1991, and America relaxed. Military downsizing began and the Radios began to reduce broadcast air time to target countries.

Now, of course, we know that the Islamofascists, many trained by the old Soviets, were making plans and plots of their own. Unfortunately, the plans to broadcast a pro-freedom message into Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Kurdistan and Ukraine were shelved or diluted. Reagan's ideological audacity was replaced with a more "diplomatic" tone.

And see where it's got us? Not only has Islamic totalitarianism spread without a true ideological challenge, many of the freed Soviet bloc countries are slipping back into repression. Russia is making the same old threats and even protecting Iran's efforts to build nukes.

We'll never know if Afghanistan might have rejected al Qaeda if America had actively engaged that country as we did those Eastern Europeans. We can't know if Venezuelans would have chosen liberty over the false security of authoritarianism if they had been challenged to face the issues. I do know, though, that it's time for a new generation of Americans to stand up for freedom -- like others before us. And this time, we’ll have a whole new set of media technologies."

In the tradition of the "Great Communicator," Fred Thompson knows the the driving force of a powerful message of truth, powerfully delivered. Web savvy, as well as Hollywood savvy, Thompson has the ability and the wherewithal to articulate the Conservative message with brevity, clarity and forthrightness, without pretense.

Fred Thompson is just the kind of "Great Communicator" that this country desperately needs, in a time when the message of hope that is true conservatism is otherwise under-articulated in a sea of prevarication and liberal doublespeak.

Fred on Israel...

Tell me... just tell me that this guy doesn't make sense:

“Let me ask you a hypothetical question. What do you think America would do if Canadian soldiers were firing dozens of missiles every day into Buffalo, N.Y.? What do you think our response would be if Mexican troops for two years had launched daily rocket attacks on San Diego — and bragged about it?”

“I can tell you, our response would look nothing like Israel’s restrained and pinpoint reactions to daily missile attacks from Gaza. We would use whatever means necessary to win the war. There would likely be numerous casualties on our enemy’s side, but we would rightfully hold those who attacked us responsible.”

“More than 1,300 rockets have been fired into Israel from Gaza since Palestinians were given control two years ago. Israelis, however, have gone to incredible lengths to stop the war against them without harming Palestinian non-combatants. But make no mistake, Israel is at war. The elected Hamas government regularly repeats its official promise to destroy Israel entirely and replace it with an Islamic state. Hamas openly took credit for killing one woman and wounding dozens more last week alone.”

“The Palestinian strategy is to purposely target and kill Israeli civilians. Then, when Israel goes after those launching the attacks, Palestinians claim to be the victims. If Palestinian civilians aren’t hurt in the Israeli attacks, they stage injuries and deaths.”

Talk about a "straight-talk express."

h/t DeMediacratic Nation