Fun With Nexis: Fred Thompson Fresh Iowa Approach

As Fred Thompson heads to Iowa today, it's worth remembering that he wasn't always so sanguine about the conversational opportunities he is bound to have.

While considering a 2000 presidential bid, Thompson implied he would rather spend time working in the Senate than spend "two months in Iowa talking about abortion."

Lucky get will get to spend three and a half months in Iowa talking about abortion now!

According to the August 21, 1998 Commercial Appeal:

Taking a jab at such career campaigners as former Gov. Lamar Alexander and Vice President Al Gore, Thompson responded to a question about a possible presidential candidacy by saying, ''Contrary to popular belief, I don't think you have to run for president for 15 years. Or four years.''

He said he would wait until later this year or early 1999 before making a decision about whether to run. He asked rhetorically whether it was more important to accomplish some important things in the Senate that he feels need to be accomplished ''or spend two months in Iowa talking about abortion.''

I confess I did not remember that Thompson was flirting with a presidential bid in 1998. He has said that he's not one of those guys who had ambitions to be president for all his life.... so, just since 1998, apparently.

Comments

Thomson is as fake as they come. He is one of the biggest phonies. He has no achievements other than being a foreign and domestic lobbyist and being married to a girl who is 25 years younger than him.

Posted by Fred | August 17, 2007 12:04 PM

Good catch, Marc.

Posted by Arlen | August 17, 2007 12:41 PM

This post and comes across as some sort of "gotcha" and the comments seem to confirm that impression. But I don't see it. Thompson said he would rather work in the Senate than campaign. And apparently that is exactly what he did.

And even now that he is out of the Senate he still avoided making Iowa and New Hampshire his full-time residence a year+ ahead of scheduled elections. He is just now beginning a sustained effort in Iowa. Compared to the typical campaign he seems to be showing a great deal of restraint.

Just b/c he was a possible presidential candidate back in '98 does not mean that he has been running a perpetual campaign since then.

Posted by Mark Adams | August 17, 2007 3:21 PM

Except the fact that there is no evidence Thompson actually WORKED while in the Senate. His record is mighty thin. But he did get a post office in Tennessee renamed.

Posted by GeorgiaMom | August 23, 2007 12:33 AM