Free Market Network News, a pro-Ron Paul website, has published an "analysis" asserting that Fred Thompson's entry into the race for the Republican nomination is "a desperate move by Republican leaders to offer what they consider a viable contender."
Yet Ron Paul (R-Tex), congressman and republican candidate for president has been seen by Internet observers as doing well both in debates and in terms of public sentiment. His message is one of minimalist government, low taxes and a non-aggressive military policy.
If Ron Paul is "doing well in terms of public sentiment," it isn't showing up in the polls, where he barely registers.
Meanwhile, despite the coverage, Fred Thompson is likely not the next coming of Ronald Reagan for the Republican party. An FMNN article yesterday, “Fred Thompson Vs. Ron Paul,” pointed out that "Thompson’s record gives rise to questions about his small government and 'federalist' credentials. … While in congress, Thompson, reportedly a good friend of Senator John McCain, (R-AZ), supported two obviously anti-free market bills: the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform act and the Shays-Meehan bill restricting issue ads.
"He is also a member of Council on Foreign Relations, a main think-tank behind the idea of a North American Union that would eventually dissolve borders between Mexico, Canada and the United States to create one big super-nation. Thompson also seems to believe in a robust military presence worldwide and apparently advocates continued US military involvement in Iraq."
The CFR is a think tank for conservatives interested in foreign policy. It's not some secret cabal seeking to dissolve America into some freedom-destroying super-nation. As for Thompson's views on Iraq and American foreign policy, they are in sync with most Republicans, though perhaps not Republicans like Ron Paul who believe the Islamofacists attacked us on 9/11 because we were "over there."
The invasion of both Afghanistan and Iraq were rooted in a defensive military strategy, not an "aggressive" strategy - to eliminate the Taliban that harbored al Qaeda, and to separate the regime of Saddam Hussein, which had cooperative agreements with al Qaeda, from its weapons of mass destructions programs and ambitions.
As for Thompson and federalism, he's solid on the issue - so solid that he was on the losing end of many 99-1 Senate votes because of his federalist principles.
Update: Above I described the CFR as a "think tank for conservatives interested in foreign policy." That was a poorly written sentence as I did not mean to imply CFR was a conservative-leaning organization. It is a nonpartisan organization focused on foreign policy and American engagement in the world - and a good place for conservatives to engage in that discussion.
That said, there are some on the fringes of the Republican Party who often attempt to portray the CFR as some sort of secretive organization working in the shadows to give away American sovreignty in the pursuit of a sinister "globalist" agenda. Such folks tend to be isolationists in their approach to foriegn policy. American isolationism is a prescription for global disaster - World War I and World War 2 stand as horrific testimony of that.
You can learn more about the CFR here. Far from being secretive, it is a veritable open book.
Fred who?
Posted by: Willy | June 2, 2007 9:06 AM | Permalink to Comment