“He’s dumb as hell…but he’s friendly.” So said Richard Nixon about Fred Thompson three decades ago, when Mr Thompson was a young lawyer working on the Watergate investigation. Now Mr Thompson is running for president, but the conventional wisdom about him has not changed much. “Dumb as hell” was obviously Tricky Dick stretching the truth, but Washington’s chattering class is sure Mr Thompson is less sharp than his main rivals for the Republican nomination. Expectations for his first debate with them on October 9th were low. To meet them, “[a]ll he has to do is not drool,” reckoned Roger Simon of the Politico, a Beltway newspaper. He comfortably cleared that hurdle. But there will be higher ones according to the Economist.
Mr Thompson is running because a lot of people begged him to do so. Republicans are not thrilled with their choice of presidential candidates. Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and John McCain have many fine qualities, but also flaws that irk the Republican base. Mr Giuliani is pro-choice. Mr Romney is a Mormon and only recently came out against abortion. Mr McCain is too old and has needled the Christian right too often. For some time now, Republicans have been seeking an alternative. Someone with a long record of social and fiscal conservatism. Someone likeable. Someone who can win. Someone like Ronald Reagan. Some people think Mr Thompson might fit the bill.
Read it here: Fred Thompson