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!