Of course you care about the children. Everybody does. That’s what makes Thompson’s a completely banal statement. The question is specifically how a Thompson presidency will be better for the future of the country.

In your links I read that Thompson at least pays lip service to “first principles,” but then he just falls back on the same old Republican talking points. For example, I read this:

Our nation is based upon the proposition that our statutes, common law and the Constitution will not only be applied fairly between litigants, but will also be observed by the government. People will be able to rely upon the rules, usually long established, and their consistent application. This engenders respect for the law. It is a sad irony that a nation that is so dedicated to the rule of law is doing so much to undermine the respect for it.

And I got excited for just a moment — maybe I could get behind this guy. But then Thompson doesn’t pursue his idea in its contemporary context — habeas corpus, the executive branch not being exempt from laws requiring court approval for surveillance or being given broad authority to issue “signing statements” that reinterpret a law, the need for the judicial branch to be impartial arbiters of law rather than partisan hacks. Instead, he goes after the same old Republican bugbear: activist judges.

Now I hate activist judges as much as the next guy. But… really? Activist judges? You want to talk about undermining the rule of law and the most pressing example you can come up with is the 1973 Roe vs. Wade?

Then he moved to prayer in schools, and I got the firm impression that Thompson is just moving down the list of talking points. Yes, I agree that the Federal government has been intrusive in its handling of school prayer, but if you are truly motivated by a desire to restore the Constitutional limits of the Federal government, then you’re going to see a whole lot of bigger issues that need addressing first. If, on the other hand, your motive is simply to win brownie points with a conservative audience, you’re going to run down the list just like Thompson did:

* I love the Constitution
* I hate activist judges
* abortion
* prayer in schools
* the Roberts nomination
* pardon Scooter Libby
* did I mention I love the Constitution

There’s not an original thought in there.

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FRom what I know; Giulani is not a tradition conservative and neither is Thompson. However Romney was a paternailistic governor not a neo-con which makes him more conservative. McCain jumped the shark a long time ago. As for Ron Paul; if America has any concept of tradition he’s following it.

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Giuliani, Romney, and McCain do poorly on all three—Giuliani and Romney especially crash and burn on the second, and McCain fails the third like it’s his job. Thompson, on the other hand, seems to be reasonably strong on the first, very strong on the second (see this), and a little better than mediocre on the third (he supported the McCain-Feingold incumbent protection act, for example). That ain’t bad. And, he’s actually got a shot at winning (sorry, Hunter and Paul).

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I actually resonate with Thompson’s announcement because I am also concerned about the country my kids will inherit from us. I believe very strongly that “first principles” matter more than any particular set of political platforms.

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Thanks for making my day, JJF. That’s hilarious. All the more so because it’s true. I wish I’d said it.

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I’ll glance through those links. My distrust of Thompson comes from the feeling that he’s got nothing to say and nothing to offer, so maybe hearing some of his ideas in his own words would help.

For now, I go on things like his announcement on Jay Leno:

We started around the kitchen table in late March talking about it, thinking about it, thinking about what kind of world and what kind of country our kids were going to grow up in and how many people have a chance to do something about it. And I decided that it was time for me to step up. So I did.

What kind of reason is that? It’s completely empty of any substance. It sounds like the moral of some fluffy Oxygen channel movie.

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http://renaissanceguy.wordpress.com/2007/05/15/fred-thompson-my-current-pick-for-president/

Here’s one I wrote called “Is Fred Thompson Just Another Actor” that addresses your specific point:

http://renaissanceguy.wordpress.com/2007/06/03/is-fred-thompson-just-another-actor/

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Honestly, he strikes me as a vapid politico who’s just repeating the script he’s been given. He’s just an actor, and this is just another job. This time the role is conservative presidential candidate.

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They’re all 0 on the conservative scale.

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