-By Melanie Morgan
I’ve seen him in real life; just outside the ABC broadcast facilities in Washington, D.C., where he exited after taping a broadcast for Paul Harvey’s “News and Comment.”
I nearly sprained my neck looking up and trying to take in his 6-foot 6-inch frame.
He didn’t look well that day. At dinner the previous evening, Thompson had contracted food poisoning. The D.C. bureau chief told me that despite his obvious discomfort, he had nonetheless posted his segment. In my business, that counts for a lot. Deadlines are everything.
So, what do we know about Fred Thompson and his possible candidacy for the highest office in the land?
I don’t agree with every single vote Fred Thompson has offered during his service as a United States senator (more on that later). But after serving honorably, he retreated to private life, started a second family and regenerated from the body politic. SCORE! That’s a lot more than you can say about so many professional politicians who inhabit Washington these days. Thomas Jefferson would have applauded Thompson’s decision.
Fred Thompson is respectably conservative. His lifetime American Conservative Union rating when he left the U.S. Senate was an 86. That’s not too bad, though as some bloggers have pointed out, Thompson’s ACU ratings aren’t that much higher than the likes of Chuck Hagel and John McCain.
For me, there are two essential issues facing this nation that absolutely require principled conservative leadership.
The first is the war on terrorism. I know that rubs some of the constitutionalist conservatives crazy, but too bad. Those on the right who are preaching a policy of isolationism in the face of Islamic jihadism are dangerously wrong in their worldview. By teaming up with the anti-war left, they embolden the Islamic terrorist cells around the globe who see the United States as weak and divided in the face of such an evil and obvious enemy intent upon destruction of America and our way of life.
The second issue of import is securing our borders. Of all the things President Bush has done to irk grass-roots conservatives, his decision to pursue amnesty and open border plans have been most disturbing.
Forget the issues of 11 to 12 million illegal aliens in our country and the problems with health care, crime and employment that have been created by this massive invasion – how can we seriously conduct a war on terrorism if we leave thousands of miles of our southern border essentially unprotected?
Thompson offers great promise to conservatives on both of these issues.
Thompson hasn’t had to do a 180-degree change on his policy positions to become conservative on the war on terrorism and immigration.
On immigration, Fred Thompson has shown that he “gets” the problem and isn’t afraid to offend the sensibilities of the pro-amnesty and cheap labor crowd. You can hear Fred Thompson’s views on illegal immigration online.
On the war on terrorism, Thompson has been both an advocate for our troops, a staunch supporter of the policies in Iraq and Afghanistan and has displayed his willingness to tackle the radical factions of Islam who are at war with the United States and Western civilization.
Mr. Thompson is a dazzling communicator, as the video clips I’ve linked to above clearly show.
After six years of President Bush’s mostly uninspiring television appearances (notable exceptions being immediately after Sept. 11 and the following State of the Union Address), I’m ready for someone who can articulate his beliefs clearly and forcefully.
It wouldn’t hurt the conservative movement, or the Republican Party, to rally behind a man who knows how to speak to a camera, to inspire a nation desperately in need of plain talk and concise answers to difficult questions.
I should note that there are a few things that require conservatives to raise an eyebrow when evaluating Thompson as a potential candidate. His avid support for the unconstitutional McCain-Feingold campaign finance laws demonstrates a less-than-conservative reading of the Constitution. The law was bad politics for Republicans, wounding conservative causes while empowering liberals campaigns during election season.
There’s also the question of Thompson’s vigor and commitment to a campaign, and the grueling amount of work required each and every day for the next one and a half years.
I want to note that there are some very admirable traits among the other candidates. However, even those who I admire the most have candidly stated that they aren’t in the race to win, but rather to highlight certain issues like immigration. That’s fine, but I prefer to see a candidate grounded in all of the important issues of our day.
Looking at the scorecard right now, I’m not comfortable having to “settle” just because Candidate X has the best chance to win. In fact, I have never belonged to that brand of Republicanism. Just look at what happened in California after the recall of Gray Davis. People made the calculation that conservative Tom McClintock was the best-qualified candidate, and then voted for Arnold Schwarzenegger. Talk about buyer’s remorse! The governor campaigned as a conservative and quickly unveiled himself as a RINO after the votes were counted. But, I digress.
Fred Thompson’s candidacy would be a welcome addition to the 2008 election campaign. Whether he would be the best choice for president remains to be seen.
At the very least, I hope we’re given the opportunity to have Sen. Thompson as an option to consider.
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Melanie Morgan is chairman of the conservative, pro-troop non-profit organization Move America Forward and is co-host of the “Lee Rodgers & Melanie Morgan Show” on KSFO 560 AM in San Francisco. Morgan is co-author of “American Mourning,” which tells the stories of American heroism in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Her personal website is www.MelanieMorgan.com.