Good morning! It's Tuesday, April 3, and this is The Daily Fred, your daily round-up of of news, commentary and blog postings about former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson and his possible presidential candidacy that is generating so much buzz around the blogosphere and beyond.
Today we start with former Time magazine White House correspondent and current Bloomberg News columnist Margaret Carlson, who says Thompson "could get in late and catch up fast."
Unhappiness with the field turned Fred Thompson's appearance on "Fox News Sunday'' on March 11 into "the shot heard round the conservative world,'' according to Scott Reed, Bob Dole's former presidential campaign manager. Two weeks after that appearance, when Thompson said he was ``giving some thought'' to a run, he sprinted ahead of Romney, who has been running for a year.
He was elected twice to the Senate, but is drawing attention as much for playing Washington authority figures in the movies like the rear admiral in "Hunt for Red October'' as for being one. He's an intellectual Reagan.
Yet it wouldn't be long before Run, Fred, Run would devolve into 5 a.m. baggage calls, seven events crammed into a day, and pleas for money. There will inevitably be sniping like that from Dr. James Dobson, who last week gave absolution to Newt Gingrich for his three wives and several affairs, while saying Thompson wasn't quite Christian enough for his taste.
Thompson is happy with a second wife and family, and his day job requires little more than being himself harrumphing lines like "I don't see that anywhere in my Constitution.'' He keeps his hand in public affairs with cushy tasks like shepherding Chief Justice John Roberts through his confirmation hearings.
Who wants to give all that up for Holiday Inns and coffee klatches in Iowa? The Republican Party hopes the right Thompson does.
Meanwhile, the No Quarter blogger reminds us that, rumor has it, Thompson and Carlson once dated.
And now, the rest of today's Daily Fred...
...Former U.S. Sen. Bill Frist of Tennessee writes on his VolPac blog:
Momentum continues to build behind those of us who are encouraging Fred Thompson to run for the White House. I’ve talked to Fred on a regular basis over the last two weeks and can tell you that he is strongly considering running for president.
Read the rest of Frist's post here.
...David Brody, the Capital Hill correspondent for CBN News - CBN is Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network - digs up an old quote from Thompson on the issue of religious liberty in the schools. Well, not actually. The quote is about a proposal for a constitutional amendment clarifying religious liberty rights in public places, including schools, and Thompson expressed doubt that an amendment could be constructed that would cover every possible circumstance. Judge for yourself - read the quote and Brody's comments here.
...The Tennessee state Senate unanimously passed a bill Monday to name a portion of a state road after Thompson.
...Virtually every media story about Mitt Romney's big fundraising report mentions that he trails Thompson in the polls even though Thompson isn't officially running. Here's the AP story.
... Janet Folger writes: "Thompson is tied with Hillary in the polls, and he isn't even running yet."
...Ryan Sager at the New York Sun comments on Romney's fundraising and Thompson's popularity:
I've pondered in recent days whether I've been too harsh on Mitt Romney's faltering campaign for the presidency. But now we have a man described by the Hotline as "the most powerful Republican fundraiser in the South," currently in the Romney camp, speculating openly about his candidate dropping out of the race. What's more, he's even naming the candidate whose team he wishes he could join - if only he hadn't committed too early to Mr. Romney: Fred Thompson.
...more to come later today...
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