President Bush will address the RNC tonight by satellite.

Also on tap in prime time slots:

First Lady Laura Bush.

Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson.

And Democrat Sen. Joe Lieberman.

FWIW, here’s what GOP insiders are saying about the post-Gustav convention shake-up.

With the base energized, let’s hope Fred Thompson brings on the heat and some no-bull, red-meat inspiration. He’s got a golden opportunity to capture the conservative zeitgeist.

Get your popcorn ready.

***

PJTV is livestreaming.

The Corner has a few advance Fred excerpts.

Via Allah, here’s the official Palin intro video, drawing on her VP announcement speech.

John Hawkins at Right Wing News reports on getting blackballed at the convention.

Pamela at Atlas Shrugged reports on the nomadic search for somewhere to sit and work.

Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey will have video of the day’s events.

Have you seen this photo of anarchists welcoming a Republican to the Twin Cities? Peace and love, dude.

Founding Bloggers has lots of clips from the scene.

And my friends at UStream have wall-to-wall live coverage that you can embed.

***

9:35pm Eastern…Tune in if you can. There’s an amazing video tribute to Medal of Honor recipient and Iraq war hero Michael Monsoor.

9:54pm Eastern. First Lady Laura Bush delivers a nice intro of the President, speaking now from the White House. Bush gets off a good line about how how if McCain’s tormentors in Vietnam didn’t break his spirit, “the Angry Left never will.”

Advance excerpts…

On Senator McCain Being Prepared To Make the Hard Decisions That Fall Solely to the President:

John McCain’s life has prepared him to make those choices. He is ready to lead this Nation.

We live in a dangerous world. And we need a President who understands the lessons of September 11, 2001: that to protect America, we must stay on the offense, stop attacks before they happen, and not wait to be hit again. The man we need is John McCain.

On Senator McCain’s Courage and Vision:

John McCain’s life is a story of service above self.

John is an independent man who thinks for himself. He’s not afraid to tell you when he disagrees. … No matter what the issue, this man is honest and speaks straight from the heart.

Last year, John McCain’s independence and character helped change history. The Democrats had taken control of Congress and were threatening to cut off funds for our troops. In the face of calls for retreat, I ordered a surge of forces into Iraq. Many in Congress said it had no chance of working. Yet one Senator above all had faith in our troops and the importance of their mission – and that was John McCain. Some told him that his early and consistent call for more troops would put his Presidential campaign at risk. He told them he would rather lose an election than see his country lose a war. That is the kind of courage and vision we need in our next Commander-in-Chief.

On Americans Choosing the McCain-Palin Ticket:

I am optimistic about our future, because I believe in the goodness and wisdom of the American people. I am optimistic because I have faith in freedom’s power to lift up all of God’s children and lead this world to a future of peace.

And I am optimistic about something else: When the debates have ended, and all the ads have run, and it is time to vote, Americans will look closely at the judgment, the experience, and the policies of the candidates – and they will cast their ballots for the McCain-Palin ticket.

10:09pm Eastern…Fred Thompson takes the stage.

Prepared remarks…

Tonight our thoughts are still with our friends and fellow citizens in the Gulf Coast area, and our thanks go to those who have worked so hard to keep them safe. There can be no more important work than this.

But what we are doing at this convention is also important to our country.

We are going to nominate the next President and Vice President of the United States of America.

We do so while taking a different view of our country than that of the other party.

Listening to them you’d think that we were in the middle of a great depression; that we are down, disrespected and incapable of prevailing against challenges facing us.

We know that we have challenges … always have, always will.

But we also know that we live in the freest, strongest, most generous and prosperous nation in the history of the world and we are thankful.

Speaking of the vice presidential nominee, what a breath of fresh air Governor Sarah Palin is.

She is from a small town, with small town values, but that’s not good enough for those folks who are attacking her and her family.

Some Washington pundits and media big shots are in a frenzy over the selection of a woman who has actually governed rather than just talked a good game on the Sunday talk shows and hit the Washington cocktail circuit. Well, give me a tough Alaskan Governor who has taken on the political establishment in the largest state in the Union — and won — over the beltway business-as-usual crowd any day of the week.

Let’s be clear … the selection of Governor Palin has the other side and their friends in the media in a state of panic. She is a courageous, successful, reformer, who is not afraid to take on the establishment.

Sound like anyone else we know?

She has run a municipality and she has run a state.

And I can say without fear of contradiction that she is the only nominee in the history of either party who knows how to properly field dress a moose … with the possible exception of Teddy Roosevelt.

She and John McCain are not going to care how much the alligators get irritated when they get to Washington, they’re going to drain that swamp.

But tonight, I’d like to talk to you about the remarkable story of John McCain.

It’s a story about character.

John McCain’s character has been tested like no other presidential candidate in the history of this nation.

He comes from a military family whose service to our country goes back to the Revolutionary War.

The tradition continues.

As I speak, John and Cindy McCain have one son who’s just finished his first tour in Iraq.

Another son is putting “Country First” and is attending the Naval Academy. We have a number of McCains in the audience tonight.

Also here tonight is John’s 96-year-old mother, Roberta. All I’ve got to say is that if Roberta McCain had been the McCain captured by the North Vietnamese, they would have surrendered.

Now, John’s father was a bit of a rebel, too.

In his first two semesters at the Naval Academy, he managed to earn 333 demerits.

Unfortunately, John later saw that as a record to be beaten.

A rebellious mother and a rebellious father – I guess you can see where this is going.

In high school and the Naval Academy, he earned a reputation as a troublemaker.

But as John points out, he wasn’t just a troublemaker. He was the leader of the troublemakers.

Although loaded with demerits like his father, John was principled even in rebellion.

He never violated the honor code.

However, in flight school in Pensacola, he did drive a Corvette and date a girl who worked in a bar as an exotic dancer under the name of Marie, the Flame of Florida.

And the reason I’m telling you these things, is that, apparently, this mixture of rebellion and honor helped John McCain survive the next chapter of his life:

John McCain was preparing to take off from the USS Forrestal for his sixth mission over Vietnam, when a missile from another plane accidentally fired and hit his plane.

The flight deck burst into a fireball of jet fuel.

John’s flight suit caught fire.

He was hit by shrapnel.

It was a scene of horrible human devastation.

Men sacrificed their lives to save others that day. One kid, who John couldn’t identify because he was burned beyond recognition, called out to John to ask if a certain pilot was OK.

John replied that, yes, he was.

The young sailor said, “Thank God”… and then he died.

These are the kind of men John McCain served with.

These are the men and women John McCain knows and understands and loves.

If you want to know who John McCain is, if you want to know what John McCain values, look to the men and women who wear America’s uniform today.

The fire on the Forrestal burned for two days.

20 planes were destroyed.

134 sailors died.

John himself barely dodged death in the inferno and could’ve returned to the States with his ship.

Instead, he volunteered for combat on another carrier that was undermanned from losing so many pilots.

Stepping up.

Putting his “Country First.”

Three months later John McCain was a Prisoner of War.

On October 26, 1967, on his 23rd mission over North Vietnam, a surface-to-air missile slammed into John’s A-4 Skyhawk jet, blowing it out of the sky.

When John ejected, part of the plane hit him — breaking his right knee, his left arm, his right arm in three places.

An angry mob got to him.

A rifle butt broke his shoulder.

A bayonet pierced his ankle and his groin.

They took him to the Hanoi Hilton, where he lapsed in and out of consciousness for days. He was offered medical care for his injuries if he would give up military information in return.

John McCain said “No”.

After days of neglect, covered in grime, lying in his own waste in a filthy room, a doctor attempted to set John’s right arm without success … and without anesthesia.

His other broken bones and injuries were not treated. John developed a high fever, dysentery. He weighed barely a hundred pounds.

Expecting him to die, his captors placed him in a cell with two other POWs who also expected him to die.

But with their help, John McCain fought on.

He persevered.

So then they put him in solitary confinement…for over two years.

Isolation … incredible heat beating on a tin roof. A light bulb in his cell burning 24 hours a day.

Boarded-up cell windows blocking any breath of fresh air.

The oppressive heat causing boils the size of baseballs under his arms.

The outside world limited to what he could see through a crack in a door.

We hear a lot of talk about hope.

John McCain knows about hope. That’s all he had to survive on. For propaganda purposes, his captors offered to let him go home.

John McCain refused.

He refused to leave ahead of men who’d been there longer.

He refused to abandon his conscience and his honor, even for his freedom.

He refused, even though his captors warned him, “It will be very bad for you.”

They were right.

It was.

The guards cracked ribs, broke teeth off at the gums. They cinched a rope around his arms and painfully drew his shoulders back.

Over four days, every two to three hours, the beatings resumed. During one especially fierce beating, he fell, again breaking his arm.

John was beaten for communicating with other prisoners.

He was beaten for NOT communicating with so-called “peace delegations.”

He was beaten for not giving information during interrogations.

When his captors wanted the names of other pilots in his squadron, John gave them the names of the offensive line of the Green Bay Packers.

Whenever John was returned to his cell — walking if he could, dragged if he couldn’t — as he passed his fellow POWs, he would call out to them.

He’d smile … and give them a thumbs-up.

For five-and-a-half years this went on.

John McCain’s bones may have been broken but his spirit never was.

Now, being a POW certainly doesn’t qualify anyone to be President.

But it does reveal character.

This is the kind of character that civilizations from the beginning of history have sought in their leaders.

Strength.

Courage.

Humility.

Wisdom.

Duty.

Honor.

It’s pretty clear there are two questions we will never have to ask ourselves, “Who is this man?” and “Can we trust this man with the Presidency?”

He has been to Iraq eight times since 2003.

He went seeking truth, not publicity.

When he travels abroad, he prefers quietly speaking to the troops amidst the heat and hardship of their daily lives.

And the same character that marked John McCain’s military career has also marked his political career.

This man, John McCain is not intimidated by what the polls say or by what is politically safe or popular.

At a point when the war in Iraq was going badly and the public lost confidence, John stood up and called for more troops.

And now we are winning.

Ronald Reagan was John McCain’s hero.

And President Reagan admired John tremendously.

But when the President proposed putting U.S. troops in Beirut, John McCain, a freshman Congressman, stood up and cast a vote against his hero because he thought the deployment was a mistake.

My friends … that is character you can believe in.

For years, members of Congress, Republican and Democrat alike, have gouged the taxpayer with secret earmark spending.

Well, he has never sought an earmark.

I’ve experienced John’s character first hand.

In 1993, when I was thinking of running for the Senate, I went to John for advice. He convinced me I could help make a difference for our country.

I won that election, and with Republican control of Congress, we reformed welfare.

We balanced the budget.

And we began rebuilding our military.

What I remember most about those years is sitting next to John on the Senate floor as he led battle after battle to change the acrimonious, pork barreling, self serving ways of Washington.

The Senate has always had more than its share of smooth talkers.

And big talkers.

It still has.

But while others were talking reform, John McCain led the effort to make reform happen — always pressing, always moving for what he believed was right and necessary to restore the people’s faith in their government.

Confronting when necessary, reaching across the aisle when possible, John personified why we came to Washington in the first place.

It didn’t always set too well with some of his colleagues.

Some of those fights were losing efforts.

Some were not.

But a man who never quits is never defeated.

Because John McCain stood up our country is better off.

The respect he is given around the world is not because of a teleprompter speech designed to appeal to American critics abroad, but because of decades of clearly demonstrated character and statesmanship.

There has been no time in our nation’s history, since we first pledged allegiance to the American flag, when the character, judgment and leadership of our President was more important.

Terrorists, rogue nations developing nuclear weapons, an increasingly belligerent Russia.

Intensifying competition from China.

Spending at home that threatens to bankrupt future generations. For decades an expanding government … increasingly wasteful and too often incompetent.

To deal with these challenges the Democrats present a history making nominee for president.

History making in that he is the most liberal, most inexperienced nominee to ever run for President. Apparently they believe that he would match up well with the history making, Democrat controlled Congress. History making because it’s the least accomplished and most unpopular Congress in our nation’s history.

Together, they would take on these urgent challenges with protectionism, higher taxes and an even bigger bureaucracy.

And a Supreme Court that could be lost to liberalism for a generation.

This is not reform.

And it’s certainly not change.

It is basically the same old stuff they’ve been peddling for years. America needs a President who understands the nature of the world we live in.

A President who feels no need to apologize for the United States of America.

We need a President who understands that you don’t make citizens prosperous by making Washington richer, and you don’t lift an economic downturn by imposing one of the largest tax increases in American history.

Now our opponents tell you not to worry about their tax increases.

They tell you they are not going to tax your family.

No, they’re just going to tax “businesses”! So unless you buy something from a “business”, like groceries or clothes or gasoline … or unless you get a paycheck from a big or a small “business”, don’t worry … it’s not going to affect you.

They say they are not going to take any water out of your side of the bucket, just the “other” side of the bucket! That’s their idea of tax reform.

My friends, we need a leader who stands on principle.

We need a President, and Vice President, who will take the federal bureaucracy by the scruff of the neck and give it a good shaking.

And we need a President who doesn’t think that the protection of the unborn or a newly born baby is above his pay grade.

The man who will be that President is John McCain.

In the days ahead at this convention, you will hear much more about what John will do as president — what he will do on the economy, on energy, on health care, the environment… It is not my role tonight to explain that vision.

My role is to help remind you of the man behind the vision. Because tonight our country is calling to all of us to step up, stand up, and put “Country First” with John McCain.

Tonight we are being called upon to do what is right for our country.

Tonight we are being called upon to stand up for a strong military … a mature foreign policy … a free and growing economy and for the values that bind us together and keep our nation free.

Tonight, we are being called upon to step up and stand up with John just as he has stood up for our country.

Our country is calling.

John McCain cannot raise his arms above his shoulders.

He cannot salute the flag of the country for which he sacrificed so much. Tonight, as we begin this convention week, yes, we stand with him.

And we salute him.

We salute his character and his courage.

His spirit of independence, and his drive for reform.

His vision to bring security and peace in our time, and continued prosperity for America and all her citizens.

For our own good and our children’s, let us celebrate that vision, that belief, that faith so we can keep America the greatest country the world has ever seen.

God bless John McCain and God bless America.

10:40pm Eastern…Joe Lieberman on stage now addressing his “dear friends”…”We are all Americans”…

Prepared text…

Thank you for that warm welcome. I am honored to be here.

We meet tonight in the wake of a terrible storm that has hit the Gulf Coast but that hurts all of us, because we are all members of our larger American family.

At times like this, we set aside all that divides us, and we come together to help our fellow citizens in need.

What matters is certainly not whether we are Democrats or Republicans, but that we are all Americans.

The truth is, it shouldn’t take a hurricane to bring us together like this.

Every day, across our country, millions of our fellow citizens are facing huge problems.

They are worried about their homes, their jobs, and their businesses; they are worried about the outrageous cost of gas and of health insurance; and they are worried about the threats from our enemies abroad.

But when they look to Washington, all too often they do not see their leaders coming together to tackle these problems.

Instead they see Democrats and Republicans fighting each other, rather than fighting for the American people.

Our founding fathers foresaw the danger of this kind of senseless partisanship. George Washington himself — in his Farewell Address to our country — warned that the “spirit of party” is “the worst enemy” of our democracy and “enfeebles” our government’s ability to do its job.

George Washington was absolutely right. The sad truth is — today we are living through his worst nightmare, in the capital city that bears his name.

And that brings me directly to why I am here tonight. What, after all, is a Democrat like me doing at a Republican convention like this?

The answer is simple.

I’m here to support John McCain because country matters more than party.

I’m here tonight because John McCain is the best choice to bring our country together and lead our country forward.

I’m here because John McCain’s whole life testifies to a great truth: being a Democrat or a Republican is important.

But it is not more important than being an American.

Both presidential candidates this year talk about changing the culture of Washington, about breaking through the partisan gridlock and special interests that are poisoning our politics.

But only one of them has actually done it.

Only one leader has shown the courage and the capability to rise above the smallness of our politics to get big things done for our country and our people.

And that leader is John McCain!

John understands that it shouldn’t take a natural disaster like Hurricane Gustav to get us to take off our partisan blinders and work together to get things done.

It shouldn’t take a natural disaster to teach us that the American people don’t care much if you have an “R” or a “D” after your name.

What they care about is, are we solving the problems they are up against every day?

What you can expect from John McCain as President is precisely what he has done this week: which is to put country first. That is the code by which he has lived his entire life, and that is the code he will carry with him into the White House.

I have personally seen John, over and over again, bring people together from both parties to tackle our toughest problems we face –to reform our campaign finance, lobbying and ethics laws, to create the 9/11 Commission and pass its critical national security reforms, and to end the partisan paralysis over judicial confirmations.

My Democratic friends know all about John’s record of independence and accomplishment.

Maybe that’s why some of them are spending so much time and so much money trying to convince voters that John McCain is someone else.

I’m here, as a Democrat myself, to tell you: Don’t be fooled.

God only made one John McCain, and he is his own man.

If John McCain was just another go-along partisan politician, he never would have taken on corrupt Republican lobbyists, or big corporations that were cheating the American people, or powerful colleagues in Congress who were wasting taxpayer money.

But he did!

If John McCain was just another go-along partisan politician, he never would have led the fight to fix our broken immigration system or to do something about global warming.

But he did!

As a matter of fact, if John McCain is just another partisan Republican, then I’m Michael Moore’s favorite Democrat.

And I’m not.

Senator Obama is a gifted and eloquent young man who can do great things for our country in the years ahead. But eloquence is no substitute for a record — not in these tough times.

In the Senate he has not reached across party lines to get anything significant done, nor has he been willing to take on powerful interest groups in the Democratic Party.

Contrast that to John McCain’s record, or the record of the last Democratic President, Bill Clinton, who stood up to some of those same Democratic interest groups and worked with Republicans to get important things done like welfare reform, free trade agreements, and a balanced budget.

Governor Sarah Palin, like John McCain, is a reformer who has taken on the special interests and reached across party lines. She is a leader we can count on to help John shake up Washington.

That’s why the McCain-Palin ticket is the real ticket for change this year.

The Washington bureaucrats and power brokers can’t build a pen strong enough to hold these two mavericks.

And together, you can count on John McCain and Sarah Palin to fight for America and to fight for you! And that’s what our country needs most right now.

What we need most is not more party unity in America but more national unity!

Especially at a time of war, we need a President we can count on to fight for what’s right for our country — not only when it is easy, but when it is hard.

When others were silent, John McCain had the judgment to sound the alarm about the mistakes we were making in Iraq. When others wanted to retreat in defeat from the field of battle, when Barack Obama was voting to cut off funding for our troops on the ground,

John McCain had the courage to stand against the tide of public opinion and support the surge, and because of that, today, our troops are at last beginning to come home, not in failure, but in honor!

Before I conclude, I ask the indulgence of those in this hall tonight, as I want to speak directly to my fellow Democrats and Independents who are watching.

I know many of you are angry and frustrated by our government and our politics and for good reason.

You may be thinking of voting for John McCain but you’re not sure. Some of you have never voted for a Republican before and in an ordinary election, you probably wouldn’t.

But this is no ordinary election, because these are not ordinary times, and John McCain is no ordinary candidate. You may not agree with John McCain on every issue.

But you can always count on him to be straight with you about where he stands, and to stand for what he thinks is right regardless of politics.

As President, you can count on John McCain to be a restless reformer, who will clean up Washington and get our government working again for you!

So tonight, I ask you whether you are an Independent, a Reagan Democrat or a Clinton Democrat, or just a Democrat: This year, when you vote for President, vote for the person you believe is best for the country, not for the party you happen to belong to.

Vote for the leader who, since the age of 17, when he raised his hand and took an oath to defend and protect our Constitution, has always put our country first.

So, let’s come together to make a great American patriot our next great President!

Those transcripts were published, and I was surprised to see they held up on their own in black-and-white, even without Fred’s serious-but-warm rack ‘em, stack ‘em, and pack ‘em rumble coming through the speakers. Bloggers linked his commentaries and discussed them, and the Fred Bubble was born. The commentaries stopped, and the bubble began to deflate.

Even Fred’s detractors on the right acknowledged that he really had something in his platform–they just doubted whether he was the one to deliver it. I’m glad we got to know him, but it makes what we’re forced to settle for all the more bitter.

Well, here’s a silver lining within the radioactive cloud of choking, deadly malaise and defeatism gripping the GOP: Townhall has signed up Fred to blog.

Bookmark it.

First entry is a humdinger:

…change – whether it “real change,” “bold change” or the “change we can believe in” variety others are selling – isn’t itself an innovative policy or a particularly strong leadership stance. In fact, from Burke to Buckley, there has been an acknowledgement that change in the political arena is inevitable and necessary, and we in the U.S. tend to experience it in regular, 2, 4 and 6 year intervals, so 2008 is hardly our first rodeo. The challenge for conservatives is calibrating whether the change being proposed is consistent with our principles and our philosophy, and whether that change is appropriate.

The man can work Edmund Burke, William F. Buckley, and a rodeo metaphor into a single post. And it gets better–he’s talking about relating current policy to our fundamental principles, and says that’s what he wants the blog to be all about, and he even gets in a dig at the Tom Davis “endorse S-CHIP!” Republicans who want to turn the party into Democrat Lite (now with 40% less appeasement!)

_____________
Speaking of appeasement: it’s not just Barry O who bristles when you bring that up. Warren Christopher doesn’t like how he’s portrayed in an HBO movie about the 2000 Florida election crisis, either:

He is depicted as backing away from confrontation during a meeting with Mr. Baker, seeking compromise and negotiation as the Republicans prepare for war.

A Democratic Secretary of State, seeking compromise and negotiation in the face of committed adversaries? Pure Hollywood fantasy, of course. Perish the thought.

______

P.S.–Remember how we weren’t supposed to vote for Fred because he was bald, old, and as a U.S. Senator, lacked managerial experience?

Whew. Glad we dodged that bullet.

_____________________

UPDATE: Michelle points out that the reaction to Fred’s return in his comments is not quite as enthusiastic as mine.

Fair enough. But he’s a better advocate and pundit than he was a candidate. I’m glad to hear someone talking about fundamental principles and conservative ideals; shame it’s not the nominee or the party leadership.

{Post by See-Dubya, not Michelle.}

While I don’t expect Riley to respond to every argument against open borders in a single column, he has framed the problem in a typically annoying way. He elides the distinction between legal and illegal immigrants because, hey, if the border were truly “open” there would be no such thing as an illegal immigrant, right? And if he doesn’t believe in that distinction, he won’t grant it to his opponents either. At least for this column, opposition to illegal immigration is conveniently lumped into an ugly wad of “anti-immigrant” sentiment.

Which is par for the course in the Wall Street Journal’s boardroom. Last year during the shamnesty debate, they posted an unbelievably condescending and damaging video of their editorial board on the subject. It’s since been taken down (and I can’t say I blame them) but clips of it were used in this Vent video at Hot Air. Jason Riley’s there, regretting crackdowns on businesses that might force illegal aliens to self-deport.

It looks like the issue is basically a matter of labor markets for Riley, and the opposition he sees is all fundamentally protectionist. He makes some decent points in that regard, but then no one I know has ever disputed that open borders will give us cheaper lettuce and lawn care. The AFL-CIO might complain, but most conservatives support some degree of free trade, and that includes a free market in labor. Hey, I used to agree with much of the WSJ’s laissez-faire approach on borders myself. Then things happened, and border security seemed a bit more pressing.

Most everyone I know who disagrees with Riley supports legal immigration. They also support a system that is able to keep out people like this guy, and worse. Fred Thompson (sigh) memorably described the ideal system as having “high fences and wide gates”, and whether you like Fred or not, that phrase still resonates a lot more than the WSJ’s proposed constitutional amendment.

So, now that he’s handily dispatched that straw man, I hope Riley’s book will begin to address the arguments that really drive opposition to open borders. I hope, but given his paper’s record of smearing their critics as “irrational” and “nativist” instead of answering them–plus given the demonstrable success of border enforcement and employer crackdowns, which his own paper admits–my hopes aren’t very high.

{Post by See-Dubya.}

Fred Thompson, the one-time Republican presidential candidate, endorsed Sen. John McCain Friday, calling on the party to “close ranks” behind the presumed nominee.

“This is no longer about past preferences or differences. It is about what is best for our country and for me that means that Republican should close ranks behind John McCain,” Thompson said in a statement reported by the Associated Press.

Thompson’s endorsement was expected. The two men were colleagues for years in the Senate and shared what associates called a friendship.

President Bush is also singing the “close ranks” tune.

Sorry, I’m not ready yet to submit just yet.

Endorsements are all well and good, but personnel is policy. And McCain has done nothing to disassociate himself from anti-conservative, pro-border obliterationists. Less talk. More action.

See-Dubya astutely notes:

Conservatives’ one card left to play is whether we endorse McCain or not. Why should we show it now? If all conservatives declare unanimously against him, pledging undying hostility and staking our reputations on opposing the guy, well, he may decide (as we did with him when he and his partisans like Lindsey Graham and Juan Hernandez fumed about us) that we mean what we say.

Likewise, if we all fall into line, even grudgingly, well, we’re taken for granted…But if we keep our cards close to our chest, McCain still has to work for our vote. He can’t take us for granted and he dare not alienate us any more…

…Just to clarify, I’m not telling you whether to vote for him or not. I see the arguments on both sides. My point is that whether you wouldn’t vote for McCain if he was the last Republican on earth, or if you’ll probably just pinch your nose and pull the handle anyway, or whether you’re genuinely undecided, it’s in the interest of conservatives everywhere to act as if you could possibly be won over by credible and verifiable movement to the right on McCain’s part…Oh, and when pollsters ask you who you’re voting for, tell them you’re undecided.

***

A little free advertising again for my friends at The People’s Cube, for those of you ready to follow Fred Thompson and Maverick:

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.”

***

Yesterday, I noted the first of many defections. It’ll be interesting to see where the rest of the Fred operatives scatter.

Speaking of scattering, where will the 12 percent of voters favoring Thompson in Florida go?

Bob Krumm took heat for his post-mortem. Looks like he’s owed some apologies.

I’ll repeat what Fred said in South Carolina after his disappointing showing:

“…we need to deserve to lead. That’s what this is all about. Deserving to lead…We’ll always stand strong. Stand strong.”

***

For what it’s worth to you (not much to me), Thompson supporter Al D’Amato goes to McCain.

The Fred Thompson lifeboat in Georgia just a little lighter.

Senate President pro tem Eric Johnson of Savannah, the ranking Republican in that chamber and one of the leaders of the draft-Fred movement last year, is switching to presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Johnson said he’s got no special knowledge of whether Thompson, who finished third in South Carolina on Saturday, will be pulling out of the Republican contest.

“I don’t know if he’s pulling out today or tomorrow or not at all,” Johnson told us from Savannah. “But clearly Fred Thompson is not going to be the nominee.”

Expect more defections. “All of the campaigns are reaching out to the Thompson people,” the senator said.

Allah’s got a poll asking: “Would a McCain/Thompson ticket make you more likely to vote for McCain?”

From Columbia, SC. Is this the end? Liveblogging…:

“Well, it may be early to declare victory…awkward pause..”

“Speaking from his heart to thank his supporters…We will always be bound by a close bond…we have traveled a special road together for a very special purpose…It’s never been about me. Not even about you. It’s about our country, our party’s role in that future…and because of your efforts…our party has to look into the mirror and decide where it’s going…who it is…”

“…we need to deserve to lead. That’s what this is all about. Deserving to lead.”

Fox cuts away from Thompson because of audio problems. Switching to another cable network…

“…stepping up to the plate, stepping up to do the right thing…the rule of law…” Extolling market economy, federalism, principle that we don’t spend money that we do not have…”

Ends a standard stump speech:

“I’m proud to stand with you. Stand strong together. We’ll always stand strong. Stand strong.”

Sounded like a non-withdrawal withdrawal speech. Just a matter of time…

***

Latest county results exit polls via CNN:

McCain 12,914 35%
Huckabee 10,635 29%
Romney 5,591 15%
Thompson 5,195 14%
Paul 1,480 4%
Giuliani 951 3%
Hunter 72 0%

Appealing to Saudi Arabia to encourage higher oil production to help lower prices is not in the long-term interest of the United States, Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson said on Wednesday.

The White House said President George W. Bush hopes that as a result of his talks this week with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, OPEC would be encouraged to increase production to help alleviate high oil prices, which have touched $100 a barrel.

Appearing on CNN, Thompson was asked whether, as president, he would turn to Saudi Arabia for help as Bush did.

Thompson, a former Tennessee senator, said the problem was a “little bigger” than Saudi Arabia.

“It’s not in the United States’ long-term interest to go hat in hand begging people to do things that in the end we know they’re not going to do,” Thompson said.

That’s straight talk.

***

Related video: Thompson’s latest (and last?) ad.

Supposedly positive campaigner Mike Huckabee takes a jab at Fred Thompson by joking on Joe Scarborough’s show that Thompson “needs some Metamucil.”

Thompson responds on Mark Levin’s radio show.

Huck follows up by cuddling with the press.

So, which do you prefer: Fred’s political constipation or Huckabee’s diarrhea of the mouth?

Just got off the line with someone close to the Thompson campaign—and, more to the point, to Thompson himself. His reading of what took place tonight? Fred Thompson was riled.

“Nothing ever upset Fred Thompson more than the story [on the day of the Iowa caucuses] that he was considering dropping out to endorse McCain.”

Plus: A rightosphere temperature check from John Hawkins.

***
The Luntz focus group on Fox (no sign of that repeat dude) weighed in on Thompson. The majority said he won the debate, but wondered how much it would matter. He has a few diehard supporters, but several more expressed doubts about his viability. He’s entertaining, said one member, but lacks consistency in his performances. Several agreed: “He’s late.”

What say you?

***

In related Fred news, there’s a lot of hype over a major endorsement he’s scheduled to receive tomorrow. Bryan Preston listened in on a conference call he held with bloggers earlier this afternoon. And Jim Geraghty ponders the road ahead:

The following week it comes down to Rudy, McCain, and a reinvigorated Thompson in Florida. I think McCain and Rudy are competing for a more overlapping group of the Republican primary electorate than Thompson is, but maybe I’m wrong.

In a three way race, shorn of Romney’s millions and Huckabee’s grassroots manpower of evangelical Christians, Thompson has a pretty good shot. If he can pick up an endorsement or two along the way, great.

By the way, it’s not unthinkable that Romney wins Michigan, Thompson wins South Carolina, and Giuliani wins Florida. Under that scenario, the five biggest contests of the early GOP Primary season will have generated five different winners.

If only Thompson had been as tough on McCain as he was on Huckabee tonight.

Sigh…

***

Bob Owens: “The Republican debate in Myrtle Beach was a clear win for Fred Thompson, and that seems to be the building prevailing sentiment. Everyone else seemed content to play defense and just attempt to hold ground. They failed.” Click over for Bob’s assessment of Ron Paul. Ouch. Looks like he’s going to get some of Brit Hume’s Ronulan hate mail forwarded to him

Here’s what he told the AP:

With his Republican rivals jockeying for victory in New Hampshire, presidential hopeful Fred Thompson sought Tuesday to boost his support in this early voting state considered critical to his campaign.

“I don’t know of any better place to stand my ground and test my case than in South Carolina,” Thompson told a couple of hundred people at a pancake house in the northern part of the state as he began an 11-day bus tour.

Several hours later, he said primary results in New Hampshire and in Michigan on Jan. 15 will factor into whether he stays in the race — but that South Carolina will be key.

“This is where we make our stand — this is where I have chosen to make my stand,” Thompson told a crowd at a barbecue restaurant. He later told reporters he needs to do well in South Carolina, which votes Jan. 19.

“There’s no question about it. It could prove at the end of the day that South Carolina is determinative as far as I’m concerned, but we’re not there yet,” he said.

Indeed, it’s do or die time.

First, here’s an interesting comment at conservative stalwart Patterico’s site from a few days’ ago about the Delaware debacle that shows the lack of basic organization plaguing the campaign:

Unfortunately, Mr Thompson has run a campaign that’s a joke. Oh, sure, he’s got all of the positive attributes our host mentioned, but it’s almost as though he thought he could put all of his position points on the internet and then everybody would just then flock to the polls to vote for him.

Perhaps this will seem like a little thing to a lot of people, but to me it demonstrates something larger. In the small state of Delaware, it requires only 500 signatures of registered Republicans to get on the Republican primary ballot. His campaign staff, which made plenty of calls asking for money, declined the volunteer help of a GOP worker, a man who has done the grunt work of canvassing neighborhoods for candidates, and then fell short, very short, of the 500 signatures needed.

That campaign worker didn’t sign the petition, because the only place he could have signed it was at Thompson headquarters in Wilmington; he’d have had to have driven to HQ to sign it.

Out of 178,000 registered Republicans in Delaware, the Thompson campaign got less than 300 valid signatures.

Another Thompson campaign story: In Iowa (a rather important state at the moment), a conservative blogger who was important enough to land a one-on-one interview with Mike Huckabee, but had still come out in support of Mr Thompson, was notified by the campaign (via e-mail) of a Thompson appearance in his home town of Ottumwa just six hours before the appearance.

Unlike the governors running, Mr Thompson has very little experience in actually running anything that we can see; about his only managerial experience is in his own campaign. And, quite frankly, in that one job, he has done very poorly.

If the man can’t even run his own campaign well (or find good managers to whom to delegate responsibility), why should we have any confidence that he’ll be able to run the government of the United States?

Comment by Dana — 1/2/2008 @ 5:17 am

Good question.

Delaware Grapewine shared details from disappointed Fredheads last month:

Fred Thompson’s presidential campaign, which has a reputation for being lackadaisical, gave that image a mighty boost this week in Delaware.

It was heavy lifting by inertia. Just perfect.

Thompson, a Republican probably better known for his television and movie roles than his tenure as a Tennessee senator, was trying to get on the ballot for the presidential primary here. He needed 500 signatures from Republican voters by Monday afternoon to make it.

His operation ended up only 209 signatures short. It came cantering into the Elections Department in Dover about 10 minutes before the deadline with petitions that appeared to be in order, but they were honeycombed with signatures that did not count because they were not from Republicans. “A lot of independent voters, unaffiliated,” said Paul Baldwin of the Elections Department. There are more than 178,000 Republican voters in Delaware, and Thompson’s campaign could not find 500 of them. He was ruled out of the primary.

The actor could not get his act together.

The setback frustrated some local Republicans who favored Thompson — or more precisely, added to their frustration. Chief among them were Everett Moore, who was the Republican state chair from 2001 to 2003, and John Feroce, who ran for the state Senate in 2006. Independent of one another, they had contacted the campaign during its lurch of a launch last summer. Thompson probably could not have asked for better backing here. Moore, a Georgetown lawyer, is an experienced political hand who still commands respect in the party and especially in Sussex County, where Thompson could have been a fit for its conservative politics. Feroce, who was a Rhode Island legislator before moving to Middletown, is a former Army Reserves major with operational know-how. Each got nowhere.

“I had talked to the campaign very early on, and after two or three conversations, it died. It was just a total drop,” Moore said.

“It just never happened. It speaks really to the top of the organization, not anything in Delaware,” Feroce said.

Jason Bonham has more.

Lesson: If and when the Fred campaign finally calls it quits, there will be no one to blame but the candidate and his top advisers who blew it with spurned diehards ready and willing–but unable–to help.

***

Question: Is Fred helping Huckabee by staying in the race?

Here’s his non-denial denial on Fox this morning: Watch carefully.

Painful.

On a related note, Joe Carter has an interesting essay on his 30 days in the Huckabee campaign. You all know I’m not much of a Huckabee fan, but Carter’s reflections are worthwhile. Especially these:

Not Everything is Planned — Although most people couldn’t be bothered with actual facts, they had plenty of time for absurd speculation. The era of Karl Rove has created a climate of conspiracy in which people think that nothing happens by accident. And I mean nothing.

For example, the campaign first heard about the “floating cross” controversy in the Christmas ad from reading about it on the Drudge Report. No one had any clue what that was about so we watched the video several times before someone pointed out the bookcase.

Apparently, a Christmas ad in which the Governor mentions “the birth of Christ” was too subtle. We needed to use a bookcase that looked like a cross so that people would get the point that he was secretly sending a message to Christians.

To this day, some people still claim that the “floating cross” was intentional. Those people are idiots.

…

Thompson Is a Typical Politician–But a Very, Very Bad Campaigner — You have to admire the dedication of the FredHeads. They want Thompson to be the President much, much more than he wants the job. They’ve even bought into the idea that his not really wanting the job makes him somehow more qualified to be the leader of the free world!

I jumped on the Fred bandwagon from the beginning but am glad I got off long before the wheels fell off. Like many others I bought into the hype that Thompson was going to run a different kind of campaign. It is definitely different, I’ll give him that. But its also uninspiring. His hiring of Mary Matalin was the first sign that he wasn’t going anywhere. She’s not as skilled as her husband at negative campaigning so when Fred went negative it just made him look like a grouchier version of Bob Dole.

The FredHeads didn’t see it that way, of course. In their view Fred should be able to just skip this whole election nonsense and go directly to the coronation ceremony. Fortunately, it doesn’t work that way. Most of us want a President who doesn’t think its “pandering” to actually care what we think.

…

Primary Politics Isn’t Worth Losing Friends Over — People often ask me what I think about the “Huckabashing” carried on by my friend Hugh Hewitt. While I am concerned that his shift from candidate-favoring pundit to propagandist for Team Romney may hurt his reputation, it hasn’t affected the affection I have for my “blogfather.” Hugh’s wrong–dead wrong–about Romney. But he’s right about enough other stuff that I still respect his opinions. And aside from his poor taste in candidates, he’s still the same great guy that I’ve admired for years.

The same holds true for my friendships with pundits and bloggers that differ with me about which candidate will make the best President. I’ve had some heated disagreements and have said things that have likely damaged my reputation with some people (i.e., all fans of Romney). But when all is said and done, I care more about people than punditry or partisanship.

That’s not a profound lesson but it was something I re-learned on the campaign. Even if I took away nothing else, that alone would have made the 30 days in Little Rock worth the trip.

Iowa GOP Rep. Steve King announced his endorsement for president this morning. He’s going with Fred Thompson.

As I mentioned, Rep. King has been one of the strongest proponents of strict immigration enforcement. Looks like Mitt Romney’s Meet The Press performance yesterday–go back and read his Clintonian answer on amnesty–didn’t help. Like I said yesterday, the endorsement promises to carry much more weight with grass-roots conservatives than the left-leaning Des Moines Register’s.

Duh headline of the day: Immigration a big issue to NH, Iowa GOP.

***

Hold the line. My insider said it was Thompson. First Read says it’s Romney.

Stand by.

MSNBC is wrong. It’s Thompson, as I reported. Intrigue. MSNBC corrects itself:

*** UPDATE *** King just announced that he’s supporting Thompson. Team Romney is in the back of the room looking bewildered. They were all here, leading all the press to conclude that it was an endorsement for Romney.

Stand by for more.

Well, I have more. Here’s an exclusive excerpt of the text Rep. King read this morning:

The cultural calamity toward which we are headed is the focus of my life. I believe America was founded by Christians and that the broad core of our culture is Christian, founded in Judaeo-Christian values. I do not believe America, or the American Presidency, is closed to other faiths, let alone other Christian faiths. I believe our destiny as a nation is in the hands of God, but as individuals we have free will. Some are so passionate in their beliefs that they believe they have the market cornered on salvation. In fact, if we didn’t believe our faith was the true faith, there would be no reason for competing denominations. God only knows if any of us are right, but each of us justly believe we are.

In the time that I’ve been evaluating the candidates, I’ve dealt with them in every arena. I’ve probed their private thoughts and measured their responses. I’ve gotten to know their families. I’ve watched and sometimes helped shape their policies. I’ve measured their instincts and intelligence

There is only one candidate who epitomizes the full spectrum of our conservative values. There is one who is a comfortable conservative whom I have full confidence in his decisions.

That candidate also has the fire in his belly to go the distance and the brains and resources to get there.

That candidate also meets the test of life and marriage, judges and borders. That candidate has taken solid, persistent, and principled positions consistent with the Republican platform-which we wrote to inform the candidates of the positions of Iowa Republicans.

That candidate has a record of faith, family, freedom, service, and success.

There is no question about that candidate’s position on protecting our sovereignty at the borders, in the workplace and on the streets of America. The Rule of Law will be reestablished in American life. My long and exceptionally deliberative evaluation of the Republican candidates for president has come to an end.

I will put all my efforts into and the fire into the belly of the person whom I believe destiny has called to be the next president of the United States…

***

Here’s the full statement:

Iowans have a profound opportunity and a great responsibility to make the first in the nation recommendation for president to the rest of America. Of 300 million Americans, one in 100 are Iowans. Of Iowans, only about one in 15 will attend either the Democrat or the Republican caucus. Your vote in the Iowa caucus will likely have 1500 times more impact than that of the average American. This is a profound responsibility. It is our duty to determine the most important issues and set criteria for how we make our decisions.

Iowans have a unique and historic opportunity to see and hear, in person, each of the presidential candidates. As a Republican member of the Iowa Congressional Delegation, I have had the opportunity and the privilege to meet individually and privately with them, giving me a unique insight into the candidates.

During the past year and a half, I have come to like and respect all the presidential candidates. Each has demonstrated real leadership and success in their respective careers. All are capable and effective. All are capable of winning the general election. The questions before us are, “Who would make the best leader of the free world? Who would best lead the United States to the next level of our destiny? Which of the candidate’s records demonstrates the vision to lead and is consistent with our platform and values?”

It’s the culture of America that produces our leaders at every level, from precinct captain to city council, from Congress to president. We elect leaders who reflect our values. We determine by our vote the issue priorities of our culture which charts the course of our national destiny. Our challenge is to elect a president who will best position America to pass the American Dream on to future generations. America needs a president who will refurbish the pillars of American Exceptionalism.

Among the most important issues in the presidential campaign are Social Security reform, healthcare, tax reform, Tax reform, 2nd Amendment-gun rights, Global War on Islamic Jihad, abortion, marriage, illegal immigration and the imperative to reestablish our national sovereignty. Our decision on who to support should emerge as we evaluate the priorities of the candidates.

Fundamentally, there are two types of issues. Those issues that improve or protect our quality of life, and issues that redirect our national destiny. Of the quality of life issues, some are not at risk and either will be protected by all candidates or by Congress. Social Security and healthcare are two issues we can be confident will be available to eligible Americans, regardless of who we elect. I have pushed for decades for real tax reform but since our republic functions best under the lash of necessity, the time has probably not yet arrived. In any case, Social Security, healthcare, and tax reform are not likely to redirect our national destiny. Destiny issues should determine the next leader of the free world.

Second Amendment gun rights will get a new Supreme Court decision of likely sweeping proportions within the next several months. The courts may make guns a critical issue but it is more likely they will reinforce our 2nd Amendment rights. If the Supreme Court upholds the Constitution, which I expect, loss of our right to keep and bear arms will not be infringed. Our destiny will not be changed, if our gun rights are upheld by the court.

Every Republican candidate, except Ron Paul, will fight Al Qaeda and the Global War on Islamic Jihad. The combination of eternal vigilance and good fortune has kept us safe within our borders. We must stay on the offensive if we are to eventually defeat our enemies. The Republican nominee will fight this war and move us closer to a final victory. The differences between the candidates on the war are ultimately unlikely to dramatically redirect our destiny. The differences between the candidates is in degree, not substance.

Of profound implications to the cultural destiny of America are the issues of marriage and the protection of innocent human life. These battles will play out in Congress, the states, and the courts. Except for partial birth abortion, abortion on demand and the full rights of marriage for same sex couples have been ordered by the courts and, here, are the law of the land. Both are likely to be determined by the next two confirmed presidential appointments to the Supreme Court.

I’ve asked of the presidential candidates, “Would you appoint justices who will interpret the Constitution as it was understood when written, ratified, and amended? Will you fight for their confirmation in a hostile Senate?” Each Republican has answered, “Yes.” The question becomes the question of discernment. President Bush had the right position, made the right statements, and eventually made the right nominations which will be his enduring legacy. But President Bush needed help in reselecting a Supreme Court Justice. The next president will need our help as well. His legacy of Supreme Court appointments will endure for at least a generation beyond his presidency.

We need a president who will uphold the Rule of Law by enforcing current immigration law. We need a president who will reconstitute our national sovereignty by establishing operational control of the border. We need a president who really means it when he says, “I am opposed to amnesty.”

Each of the Republican candidates are on record opposing amnesty. No candidate has defined amnesty except to say what amnesty is not. We understand that defining what amnesty is not, implies an admission that the definer’s plan is amnesty as understood by the American people. The definition of amnesty is granting a pardon to immigration lawbreakers and rewarding them with the objective of their crime. Immigration law breakers must get no advantage for having broken our laws.

The future of the American Dream lies in how we make decisions on life and family. We pour all of our values, from faith to freedom, through the womb of marriage and into the next generation. Essential components of our unique American culture will be shaped by our next president.

The Rule of Law is the central pillar of American Exceptionalism. Our failure to enforce the Rule of Law is the reason we have an illegal immigration crisis. Our southern border alone has 11,000 illegal border crossings a night. We catch and release illegal border crossers as many as 17 times before we adjudicate them. Eighty to ninety percent of all illegal drugs used in America at a cost of some $65 billion comes across our southern border. Internal domestic immigration law enforcement remains statistically nonexistent. Contempt for the Rule of Law is common for border jumpers, major corporations, national organizations and even funded by federal tax dollars. The American civilization, as we know it, will not survive another generation of deteriorating respect for the law. Because of vested interests in illegal labor, the critical mass of Americans is near the tipping point. Congress has no power to force the administration to enforce the law. The president must have the will. If he does not, our immigration policy will continue to be determined by the cumulative effect of millions of “willing travelers” from countries of their choosing. Illegal immigrants are setting our immigration policy every day by voting with their feet. They are in control, not American citizens. Our national sovereignty is at stake. We will not be the United States of America in fifty years if we do not control our borders.

For these reasons, I must have confidence that the next president will make informed originalist appointments to all of the federal courts. I have to believe he will reconstitute our national sovereignty by restoring the Rule of Law.

Tom Tancredo deserves the greatest appreciation and admiration of the American people. Without Tancredo relentlessly pressing the issue first from the floor of Congress and then as a candidate for president, the American people would not have jammed the switchboards and blocked comprehensive amnesty. Tom is running for president to save our country from the impending disaster that I’ve described. The measure of his success is in the platforms of every Republican candidate and even in that of the Democrats. No candidate has had so profound an effect on any public policy of America. Every Republican has taken the no amnesty pledge and adopted a tough on illegal immigration stance. Tom Tancredo has been so successful that much his political capital has been co-opted by his opponents. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

John McCain is a great American who has served his country every day of his adult life. No one in the field can match his patriotism, sacrifice, or experience. McCain remains an active proponent of comprehensive amnesty which puts our national sovereignty at stake.

Rudy Giuliani, America’s Mayor, cleaned up a city and managed a crisis well. His positions on life and marriage do not square with a promise to appoint “strict constructionist” judges. The former mayor of a sanctuary city would be unlikely to put an end to sanctuary cities, let alone bring operational control to the border and shut off the jobs magnet.

Mike Huckabee is unquestioned in his commitment to life and marriage. He, like President Bush, would need help in selecting judicial appointments. No one could dislike the man or disrespect his convictions. But Huckabee has been forceful and even judgmental in voicing his conviction to give scholarships to illegal immigrants. Just one amnesty policy, and there are others, destroys the chance to reestablish the Rule of Law. How can Huckabee answer to the sons and daughters of veterans or veterans themselves who come back from the war to find that illegals have desks in classrooms at a discount prohibited to them? Compassionate conservatism run amok is hard to harness, as we have seen. The Rule of Law cannot be reestablished without “tough love”. Our destiny pivots on amnesty.

Fred Thompson is a solid conservative with a pro-life voting record and a logical Constitutional strategy to protect marriage. Of the candidates, he has the best understanding of the principles of federalism. He has adopted good policy and put together a solid platform. I have confidence that he would defend the border and the Constitution with appointments to the courts. Thompson, like Bush, would need help with appointments. He needs to really want to be president. Although he might bring the wisdom of Solomon to the White House, he needs the fire in the belly to get there.

America cannot afford the cultural calamity toward which we are headed if we decide poorly on these major issues. Each past president, and the national debate on the way to his election, has redirected our national destiny. The decisions made in the oval office move the chess pieces of world history. Our decision in the coming weeks will determine the America our children will leave to our grandchildren. They will have to build upon the foundation we leave them because a nation cannot be stripped to its original foundation and rebuilt without revolution.

The cultural calamity toward which we are headed is the focus of my life. I believe America was founded by Christians and that the broad core of our culture is Christian, founded in Judaeo-Christian values. I do not believe America, or the American Presidency, is closed to other faiths, let alone other Christian faiths. I believe our destiny as a nation is in the hands of God, but as individuals we have free will. Some are so passionate in their beliefs that they believe they have the market cornered on salvation. In fact, if we didn’t believe our faith was the true faith, there would be no reason for competing denominations. God only knows if any of us are right, but each of us justly believe we are.

In the time that I’ve been evaluating the candidates, I’ve dealt with them in every arena. I’ve probed their private thoughts and measured their responses. I’ve gotten to know their families. I’ve watched and sometimes helped shape their policies. I’ve measured their instincts and intelligence

There is only one candidate who epitomizes the full spectrum of our conservative values. There is one who is a comfortable conservative whom I have full confidence in his decisions.

That candidate also has to have the fire in his belly to go the distance and the brains and resources to get there.

That candidate also meets the test of life and marriage, judges and borders. That candidate has taken solid, persistent, and principled positions consistent with the Republican platform-which we wrote to inform the candidates of the positions of Iowa Republicans.

That candidate has a record of faith, family, freedom, service, and success.

There is no question about that candidate’s position on protecting our sovereignty at the borders, in the workplace and on the streets of America. The Rule of Law will be reestablished in American life. My long and exceptionally deliberative evaluation of the Republican candidates for president has come to an end.

I will put all my efforts into and the fire into the belly of the person whom I believe destiny has called to be the next president of the United States, Fred Thompson.

***

Related: The Lieberman-McCain endorsement is getting all the national MSM attention. Allah’s got vid. McCain spoke with the Glenn and Helen podcast. Listen here.

But is it too little, too late?