The Factor

Straight talk from Fred. No pandering to make nice.

New Hampshire? Not to worry.

Simply Awesome.

And from NRO's The Corner.....

Re: Thompson Makes His Move [Peter Robinson]

Wondering about the early response to Fred Thompson’s closing argument to the people of Iowa, I just spent a moment skimming the comments on YouTube. About a fifth of the several hundred posts seem unimpressed, but the rest are positive—many simply glowing. A sampling:

If you call yourself a conservative, you need to vote for this man!

Wow. Watch the whole thing; it's a little long. I had to wipe a tear from my eye at the end. THIS should be our next President. I know who I am voting for now.

Ladies and Gentlemen: The President of the United States of America!

Anybody with any patriotism that lives in this country, should see that Fred is right person for the Presidency. He is true to form! This just ignited a big fire in my gut!

WOW, When I watched this, it was like having one of the greatest Presidents of our time talking Directly to me.

That was AweInspiring, 

Thank You Fred!

This is what the American people have been waiting to here. Clear,powerful,humble,honest and Our next president,Fred Thompson

Damn!!!! just Damn!!!!!

While the other contenders are frantically saturating the Iowa airwaves with 30- and 60-second attack ads—Romney is guiltiest, if only because he’s richest—Thompson has sat himself down, looked into a camera, and spoken for a quarter of an hour, calmly and straightforwardly making his case. I myself find this impressive—in a way, moving. Thompson seems to have stepped out of the eighteenth century. He trusts voters to think. And if the comments on YouTube are at all representative, plenty of people agree.

Which brings me to a couple of questions for Our Man in Iowa, Byron York. How many Iowa Republicans will have the chance to see the Thompson video? Has Thompson’s campaign bought television time? Do they have the money? For that matter, is there a single television outlet in the Hawkeye State with any airtime left?

While we await Mr. York’s next dispatch, take a look at the Thompson video. Politics as, from time to time at least, they really ought to be.

Children and Puppies

I've always tried to keep this blog....ahem, above board, i.e., not edgy. And I think I still succeed with this video. Pretty funny.

I'm sorry, they're just opportunistic dolts....

If the Huckabee campaign doesn't understand the difference between sympathies and apologies, they don't deserve to be elected.

Because, let's face it...they meant apologize... until it got warm in the kitchen.

Sorry, Mike. Ain't hap'nin'.


From CBS News' John Bentley:

PELLA, IOWA -- Just three short blocks from where Mike Huckabee was speaking at The Pizza Ranch in Pella, Iowa, Fred Thompson had harsh words for the Iowa front-runner from the Smokey Row Coffee House.

“I think that statements like ’we need to apologize’ – I’m not sure what Governor Huckabee meant when he said we needed to apologize for this assassination,” Thompson said, referring to a Huckabee quote that his campaign later clarified.

“I’m more concerned with what people around the world will think when they see a presidential candidate was apologizing for the assassination of former Prime Minister Bhutto.”

It was a rare unprovoked attack on Huckabee. Thompson has been reluctant to single out his opponents by name recently, and he was answering a question about the Democrats reaction to the assassination when he made the statement.

Thompson said his main concern was how that remark, where Huckabee offered “our sincere concern and apologies for what has happened in Pakistan,” could be misinterpreted by other countries.

“I wish he would clarify that because I don’t want that to be mistaken by other people around the world in terms of the implication that the U.S. somehow owed someone an apology about that assassination,” Thompson continued. “That’s hard to understand.”

The Huckabee campaign tried to help the senator understand. They later clarified that the governor meant “sympathies,” not apologies.

From Fox....

Coming Up on 'FOX News Sunday': Fred Thompson and David Yepsen

Friday , December 28, 2007

By Chris Wallace

Our exclusive guest this week is Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson, former Tennessee senator. Plus, The Des Moines Register's David Yepsen joins us.

We're just days away from the first-in-the-nation caucuses in Iowa where voters will begin choosing their party's nominees for president. The race is getting tighter as each candidate makes a final push to win the Hawkeye state's caucuses. Fred Thompson made a late entry into the field and started with high numbers. Now he's scrambling for a good showing with the hopes of gaining some much needed momentum. How does he plan to make it happen? We'll speak exclusively with the former Tennessee Senator from the campaign trail.

Plus, we'll get an insider's look at the first battleground for 2008 with one of the state's most influential and respected political minds. If any man knows Iowa politics, it's the Des Moines Register's David Yepsen. We'll ask David who's up, who's down and what surprises we might expect when the caucuses arrive.

Then, the death of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan has made the race instantly more serious. While the turmoil unfolds each candidate in the U.S. is making their case for why they are best suited to lead the nation. Has the sudden assassination brought terrorism to the forefront of voters' minds? Joining us to discuss the impact will be Brit Hume, Washington managing editor of FOX News; Mara Liasson of National Public Radio; Bill Kristol of the Weekly Standard and Juan Williams of National Public Radio.

So check your local listings and we'll see you on the next "FOX News Sunday."

Substance.

God Bless Them All

Chuck Norris? Heh.

h/t http://rightwingnews.com/

School's out!

He also had the obvious moment of the day when he took on the officious moderator, refusing to go along with one of those idiotic "raise your hands" questions.




http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/014/470waesg.asp

It's a little hard to make out, but it looks like Paul and Huckabee raise their hands, then abruptly put 'em down when Fred refuses. It's follow the leader, all over again.

follow the trail to the vids.....

Biggest Threat
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=3612936n

Biggest Mistake
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=3581699n

Climate Change
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=3608549n

The Real Deal...

This is a man who knows where he's been, and where he's going. America needs this.

From London on Heroes

From London on Maggie

From London on Iraq

From London on Iran

Straight Shooter

I had the pleasure of meeting Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan a number of years ago. He spoke at a conference I attended. He had the same forthright manner that Fred does, and it's good to hear his name invoked. Moynihan, too, was a straight shooter.

To the pundits that are clamoring for historical inconsistency....sorry.

Fifteen minutes of Fred

You'd think NBC would want the plug...

A link to a heavily edited version of the Leno appearance. Good enough for the good bits.

http://en.sevenload.com/videos/afdERg9/fredtts

Give it a go.

Be there, or be square.

Do. Not. Forget.

Fred.
Jay.
11:30pm. EDT
Tonight Show.

Be there, or be square.

Hannity and Colmes appearance

Okay, so I didn't get to watch it real time. I've got a wife of 29 years who was dead set on watching the missed episode of last Sunday's Soprano's. Capice?

But I watched it on the Foxnews.com website. It's in three parts and I've linked them below.

In a nutshell, this is what I took away from the interview.

Major issues?
Iraq - no one is looking to the day after Iraq. I don't think the American people are being apprised of how serious the threat against us is.
Globalization - millions competing against us, and people are raising protectionism. We need to discuss it.
Taxes - currently out of step
Aging / Medical care / Social Security - all will be lost unless we deal with the issue.

It's not about sound bites and applause lines. It's serious business.

The website is ImwithFred.com

I'm running for the Presidency, not against the other candidates.

Discussing his thoughts on his own candidacy:
The man has to fit the times. I think there's something going on, and it's different.

We need to come together with the rest of the world to fight terrorism. It is a battle of civilization against evil.

Terrorists look to undermine our allies. They've done it in London, Madrid, and hundreds of other places. Ultimately, the terrorists seek to have a mushroom cloud over an American city. No country can deal with the global threat alone.

Our actions in Iraq were justified. We know they were terrorists and working towards WMD. Iran is doing the same thing that Iraq previously did.

All wars have mistakes. I listen to parents and soldiers. They are optimistic and full of hope regarding their mission. Harry Reid is flat wrong. He's already admitted defeat. All we're doing now is negotiating the date of our surrender. Hillary Clinton is inconsistent with her voting. All these people will do and say anything to get elected.

We need to address Iran. If everyone in Iran had a laptop, we wouldn't be in this position now. The people of Iran may fall of it's own weight, and we should do more to insure they get information. We need to encourage liberty there.

I would support pre-emption. Iran has repeatedly invoked the destruction of Israel. That would warrant pre-emption.

Staunch supporter of Scooter Libby, and believes it was a political prosecution. The CIA, the Department of Justice, and the Special Counsel engineered this prosecution and it's a shocking injustice.

The Democratic Party thinks that by not being George Bush, they can win the election. The pendulum does swing, but it takes more than that.

Per Sean, three issues repeatedly come up.

One is abortion. I thought Roe v. Wade was a wrong decision. It's a state rights issue. I don't recall checking a box many years ago.

McCain-Feingold. Too much money being given to politicians. I think the act has done some good. Do away with the soft money. And do away with the proscription of 60 and30 days.

Clinton Impeachment. I weighed my responsibility. The vote needed to be split. I acted as a judge.

Lastly, when people attack my family, I deal with it. Being attacked by some of these "bozo's" is a badge of honor.

My thoughts?
Overall...straight shootin' and conservative. Great job! I hope it brings in some money and support.

Part 1

http://www.foxnews.com/video2/player06.html?060507/060507_hc_thompson&Hannity_Colmes&Fred%20Thompson&acc&Politics&-1&News&599&&&exp

Part 2

http://www.foxnews.com/video2/player06.html?060507/060507_hc_thompson2&Hannity_Colmes&Fred%20Thompson%2C%20Pt.%202&Fred%20Thompson%2C%20Pt.%202&Politics&-1&News&599&&&exp

Part 3

http://www.foxnews.com/video2/player06.html?060507/060507_hc_thompson3&Hannity_Colmes&Fred%20Thompson%2C%20Pt.%203&Fred%20Thompson%2C%20Pt.%203&Politics&-1&News&599&&&exp