Fred Thompson Considering A 2008 Run
"Law & Order" Star, GOP Stalwart And Former U.S. Senator Says He's Thinking About It
75WASHINGTON, March 12, 2007 | by James M Klatell
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"Law & Order" star Fred Thompson, who has been a U.S. senator and was the lead attorney advising GOP lawmakers at the Watergate hearings, is considering a run for president. (AP/FOX News Sunday, Freddie Lee)
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There's a long list of entertainers who've tried to make the move from the world of make-believe to the world of politics.
McCain and Giuliani head up the Republican pack chasing the presidency.
(CBS/AP) Fred Dalton Thompson - actor, former U.S. Senator from Tennessee, author, GOP political strategist, attorney, think tank scholar, and more - may be ready for a change.
The versatile 64-year-old, who plays district attorney Arthur Branch on NBC's crime and punishment drama "Law & Order" and all of its spinoffs, said Sunday that he is considering running for president.
"I'm giving some thought to it, going to leave the door open" and decide in the coming months, said Thompson, adding that his consideration of the idea is "not really a reflection on the current field" of candidates.
"I'm just going to wait and see what happens," said the former Senator from Tennessee, commenting in an appearance on "Fox News Sunday."
"I wanted to see how my colleagues who are on the campaign trail do now, what they say, what they emphasize, what they're addressing, and how successful they are in doing that, and whether or not they can carry the ball in next November."
Thompson said he began thinking about running after former Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker (Thompson's former boss, having run Baker's 1972 re-election campaign) and other Tennessee Republicans began drumming up support for his possible GOP candidacy, citing his conservative credentials.
"I think people are somewhat disillusioned. I think a lot of people are cynical out there. I think they're looking for something different. ... and I think that they're going to be open to different things," he said.
"It will be interesting to me as I listen to people and learn and watch what's going on and what's the reaction, and the poll numbers and so forth, as to whether or not my instinct on that is right."
On the issues, Thompson said he:
Thompson said he is not setting a deadline to make a decision and believes he won't be at a disadvantage if he waited until summer. "The lay of the land will be different in a few months than it is today, one way or the other."
He added, "One advantage you have in not ... having this as lifelong ambition is that if it turns out that your calculation is wrong, it's not the end of the world."
Thompson, the minority counsel in the Watergate investigation, wrote a book about the experience: "At That Point in Time: The Inside Story of the Senate Watergate Committee."
Even he hadn't put pen to paper, Thompson would still be memorable for his role in the 1973 Watergate hearings, which were televised and recorded for posterity.
Thompson was the one to ask Alexander Butterfield, an aide to White House chief of staff H.R. Haldeman, what would become a sensational question - "Are you aware of the installation of any listening devices in the Oval Office of the President?" - prompting a sensational answer: "Yes, sir."
In 1994, nearly twenty years later, Thompson was elected to the Senate to fill the unexpired term of Vice President Al Gore. He was chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee and left the Senate in 2003 to resume his acting career.
Thompson has appeared in over 20 films including "The Hunt for Red October," "Cape Fear," and "In the Line of Fire."
While maintaining a list of acting credits that could spark envy in any colleague, Thompson has kept an active hand in more weighty pursuits and is a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative-leaning although officially independent think-tank. Thompson's area of expertise: National Security and Intelligence Issues, focusing on China, North Korea and Russia.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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The possible candidates I have seen coming out to campaign now are all rediculous!!! Do we really want another election filled with candidates nobody in their right minds wishes to have to choose between? I think not! Fred Thompson and whoever he might run with in my mind would be the perfect candidate for the 08 elections on the republican ticket. He represents just about every possible ideal I as a middle class citizen can think of not to mention his moral fiber that flies in the face of liberal gay marriage advocates, gun control freaks, abortionist thinking murders, and I am sure a slew of other groups that are neither moral or representative of the majority of responsible Americans. Fred you run and you will have reformed me into a true Republican!!!
Thompson/Rice would be a slam dunk landslide ticket over Clinton/Obama.. I really dont think they would have to campaign much. I see 3 senate seat pickups also for the Republicans.. I have been following and guessing politics, ever since I picked Jimmy Carter in 76, when he was just thinking about it.
This is because liberal ideas are anti-constitutional and anti-american, and they KNOW the majority of Americans oppose these ideals. So they can't TELL us what they think or want to do for fear of us voting against them for it. They dont have a positive agenda for our country because they thrive on the concept of misery.
And who says our country NEEDS to change, anyway? Things look pretty good to me, and I am poor. But if liberals have their way, I will always BE poor, too, with no hope of prosperity as long as they are in charge.
You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all the people some of the time, but you can't fool all the people all the time!
Posted by jerr11 at 12:15 PM : Mar 12, 2007
Looks like they did a pretty good job of fooling YOU all the time.
It would be a great thing for Democrats if he does run for the GOP ticket.
Posted by BKS59 at 12:18 PM : Mar 12, 2007
Actually, he is pro life BUT specifically has stated he does not favor overturning Roe v Wade.