Thompson Withdraws

Statement from Sen. Fred Thompson

McLean, VA - Senator Fred Thompson today issued the following statement about his campaign for President:

"Today I have withdrawn my candidacy for President of the United States.  I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort.  Jeri and I will always be grateful for the encouragement and friendship of so many wonderful people."

Comments

[seekeronos]

I have to say that I kinda felt that coming.

My vote and support (though not financial, as the man has more than enough cash to spare) now fall to Mitt, who is currently the least despicable RINO in the line up.

Y'all pardon me while I pour myself a new glass of milk.

[TheSpartan]

In a week someone might notice he dropped out.

[chris]

This should stand as a listen to all you kids out there. Laziness never prevails (except in the case of GW Bush, but he's special).

[Totally Heterosexual Conservative]

I guess Mittens is the new great white hope for the GOP. Pro-abortion; pro-gun control; pro-gay marriage; more liberal than Ted Kennedy (until last week any way); delusional on the economy; wholly uninformed as to world affairs; employs illegals at his mansion; marched with MLK; less articulate than Reagan - but not quite as stupid; etc.

Can anyone imagine Mittens sitting down with [pick a leader form any country] and accomplish anything beyond the script he can't stray from without getting flustered?

Awesome candidate.

[seekeronos]

Well, THC... Mittens is far from being my *ideal* choice.

But he is the *realistic* choice, at this point.

Supposing (just supposing, now... don't get yer drawers in a dither if you ain't) you were a conservative voter... let's go thru our options:

McCain: The Ultimate Sell-Out. In my arguably rather right-wing book, this man has betrayed conservative (note: small "c") Americans tim e and time again. There is no indication that he would not continue to do the same. Over on RedState, there's even a blurb indicating that George Will (!) has opined that McCain should have run as a Democrat.

Huckabee: As far as his spirituality goes, and his sense on social issues, he might have appealed to me (a conservative, independent fundamental Baptist Christian, if I must submit to a label) However, he (unlike Fred, I am now ashamed to admit) is a career politician. Much like any other combination of politics and pastors... it often begets a poisonous combination of negative traits that in the end most resembles a snake oil huckster (do excuse the pun) or some other charlatan, who appeals to the religion but delves into the backbiting and glossy-coated silver tongued sophistry so effortlessly cultivated by the ranks of professional handlers and deal-makers at his disposal.

Something in there also about a legendary mean streak that is utterly unbecoming of a follower of Jesus, much less a pastor of the Lord's people.

Rudy Giuliani? Great on defense, passable on some economic matters, but devoid of any sense of what our (i.e., conservative American voters) socially redeeming values are: the man dresses up as a woman (transvestitism) and is a vocal supporter of sodomy and sodomites, and takes no thought for the lives of the unborn who are daily tossed into the trash bin to be discarded as "useless blobs of flesh". Indeed, the polar opposite of the Huckster, and equally as dangerous... both are big nanny-statists. And lovers of the "castle doctrine" might very well toss their guns onto the abortion heap to be burned as well, because Rudy clearly hates the interpretation of the second amendment which allows private gun ownership.

Ron Paul...? Heck, if it weren't for his antiquated isolationist... excuse me, "non-interventionist" horse that got beaten into a pulp some 66+ years ago, he might actually get my vote. I could have ignored the "Truther" and goldbug wierdness that some of his more ardent supporters go on about, if he weren't so quick to dismantle our military and pretend that there aren't actually foreign powers and non-state entities that have a fevered desire to destroy this nation.

Mittens is only MARGINALLY more likeable than "all of the above", and he's the only closest thing left to what I could accept as a conservative.

All the other "conservative cowboys" (Hunter, Thompson, Brownback, and Tancredo) have been handed their walking papers, or have left the ranch of their own accord.

My only hope is that my other (former) FredHeads see things as I do... and not go for McCain.

That said, if McCain gets the nomination, the GOP is done for, and as I live, I'll vote Democrat.

If we are going to go ruin the country for a leftist RINO, we might as well have the professional socialists have at it... because at that point, the GOP no longer deserves neither a place nor a voice in American politics.

[templar knight]

THC nailed it. Mittens is no conservative, and I'll be damned if I'll vote for another RINO like Mitt, or McCain for that matter. I'd rather have Hillary trying to quash my rights, in the knowledge that she will energize conservatives like no one else can.

[Verlin Martin]

We got flipper, amnesty, huckaleiua, rupaul or 9/11 to vote for now ...

[Ms Calabaza]

So, you guys would let Hillary win by not giving McCain a vote? We are so screwed.

[Greg Neubeck]

Having meticulously planned their coveted return to the White House for several years now, the Clintons will certainly not exit the scene with grace or dignity. This is the political duo that honed "The Politics Of Personal Destruction" into an artform; and, most certainly will not tolerate, who is in their mind, the "upstart Obama" to derail Hillary's pre-choreographed coronation.
With regards Slick's comments on Obama's Iraq record; and, the draft dodger's false accusation of flip flopping on the Iraq issue against Obama: It was actually Hillary who was the serial flip-flopper on this issue. Obama to his credit, as a matter of conscience, refused to deny American troops the funding for the bullets and equipment that they required to survive in ongoing combat. Hillary, on the other hand, with no such compelling principles, was one of only two U.S. Senators who voted to deny funding for essential equipments for our troops who they had "previously" voted to commit to lethal combat. A despicable breach of trust with the young men and women laying their lives on the line in defense of our Nation. Obama made the classical rookie error of not responding to Slick's false accusation, which he could have easily turned to Hillary's well deserved detriment
Barrack and his supporters best be prepared for the "Political Lynching" that will rival anything previously witnessed in Presidential politics.
Slick and Hilla-the-Hun, the Perpetual Victim, have repeatedly demonstrated a vicious mud-slinger demeanor that is unprecedented whenever their political dynasty has been threatened in the past. Just ask anyone of their innumerable victims.

Greg Neubeck

[seekeronos]

"--- So, you guys would let Hillary win by not giving McCain a vote? We are so screwed. ---"

Yes, and especially so in a Hillary v. McCain contest. Because conservatives would have a rallying point in Hillary to beat in 2012, rather than seeing a permanent installment of RINOs (read: LIBERALS) running the GOP.

It stands to reason also that we might not be the same country when it's all over, but I'd rather the blame go to a Democrat for shipwrecking this nation or perhaps even bringing it into a second American Revolution.

Even if McCain does get the GOP nod, and wins the general election, we won't have any reasonable expectation that a new civil war won't erupt in this country as millions of lawless "immigrants" tumble over the former borders to pocket and pinch off Aztlan nations and minor Islambergs which would be (illegally of course) armed to the teeth, while the law-abiding citizens are reduced to surrendering their firearms only to become prey to the unbridled lusts of gang rapists and other social ills that come along with the introduction of un-assimilating *foreign* populations.

[BobInStamford]

I am rendered speechless by the sudden, untimely departure of Fred! Thompson. He was a part-time competitor til the end. Therefore, I will let the CONSERVATIVE hero Richard Nixon speak for me. He considered Fred! to be "dumb as hell" but "friendly".

There you have it, patriots. You just lost your best CONSERVATIVE candidate. He was dumb as hell, but friendly. Please join me in wishing Fred!, Brandi and the kids the best in their future endeavors.

[Steve of MV]

That Fred Thompson’s candidacy did not prosper is a great disappointment to me and, I assume, other true conservatives. Compared to the others in the GOP field, he was the real conservative. The others seem to be Johnny-come-latelies, at least as to some important conservative positions.

The country and the party may well have benefited from Thompson’s effort in that other candidates have moved in a conservative direction, perhaps in part to capture votes that otherwise would have gone to him.

I appreciate Thompson’s staying with it this long, and not bowing out without giving his candidacy a full chance. I also appreciate his leaving now, while the semi-conservatives still have a chance.

Thompson’s pro-life position reflected American principles in their most traditional and compassionate senses. The principles he espoused–Individual Liberty, Personal Responsibility, Free Markets, Limited Government, Federalism, Protecting our Country, Traditional American Values, the Rule of Law, Conserving Our Nation’s Resources (as defined at fred08.com) are the principles that made this country good and great. They are still necessary to the maintenance of our country’s goodness and greatness. We deemphasize or neglect them at our peril.

One thing I really liked about Thompson was that he, unlike most if not all of the other presidential candidates, understands the centrality of the principal of the rule of law to the American system of free government. As he said in a book published eight years ago (“The Rule of Law in the Wake of Clinton”), “The importance of the rule of law cannot be overstated. In our country the rule of law is the foundation for every institution. In many countries the chief drawback to the formation of a prosperous and civil society is the absence of the rule of law.”

Thompson’s “Border Security and Immigration Reform Plan” (on his campaign web site), with its equal treatment of all immigrants and no-amnesty policies, reflects a true belief in the rule of law, and is an excellent program for reducing immigration lawlessness and restoring the rule of law in our country.

Thompson seemed more concerned with real, workable policies, even if painful, than the meaningless slogans that are propelling some of the other candidacies. If the voters had put in the thinking time that their country deserves, I suspect that Thompson would have done much better.

The conventional wisdom seems to make “fire in the belly”–driving ambition–a requirement. Thompson seemed to be running on the basis of his patriotism rather than ambition. At times in our history we have had some pretty good presidents whose ambition and personal desire for glory ranked well below their love of country. I hope the pundits will let us go back to the attitude of that era. Politics is, of course, necessary for both becoming and being president. But maybe someone who is not the best politician would make the best president.

[LOL]

rofl all these wingers and their paranoia about illegal immigrants. I especially liked seeker's little looney fantasy. Maybe you guys hate illegal immigrants so much because of the high crimes rates?

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/local/article_1592092.php

Whoops! Looks like the wingers got another part of reality wrong again.

[seekeronos]

Ah, yes, LOLyyyinger. *Incarceration* rates from seven years ago are such an accurate measure of what is really going on in the streets today.

[seekeronos]

More importantly, if you people (especially the libs, but also back-stabbing old gits like McCain) are so ready and happy to sell American sovereignty up the river on account of misplaced "white guilt", then I guess you won't mind when those roving packs of Muslim youths and Mara Salvatrucha gangsters start gang-raping your sisters and your daughters with neither let nor hindrance, or perhaps out of fear just like in Norway and Sweden, two countries once considered the most homogeneously white population centres in Europe.

http://fjordman.blogspot.com/2005/02/muslim-rape-epidemic-in-sweden-and.html

http://www.iris.org.il/blog/archives/757-Pan-European-Arab-Muslim-Gang-Rape-Epidemic.html

http://www.sullivan-county.com/wcva/muslim_gang_rapes.htm

[chris]

So the Jesus nutballs are now afraid of the brown people? Won't their savior look out for them?