Commentary: Get The Buzz: Fred Thompson

Last month Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson stated in an interview with Chris Wallace that he is considering running for president. Since then Thompson has generated much interest among conservatives. Today, the The Washington Post reported that Thompson, “catapulted into the top tier of Republican presidential nomination hopefuls on the basis of a single TV interview a month ago.” In the same article, Iowa Republican Party Executive Director Chuck Laudner lauded Thompson as, “the biggest buzz in the state.”

Yesterday, The Tennessian indicated that 45 percent of Republican voters preferred Thompson to the other Republican presidential hopefuls. Matt Towery of InsiderAdvantage said, “What's surprising is his lead over possible opponents and the magnitude of support for a man who has only hinted at a run.” In this poll Rudy Giuliani received 15 percent; Newt Gingrich received 11 percent, followed by Senator John McCain at 10 percent.

Earlier this week, Robert Novak reported that Fred Thompson may be one step closer to becoming a presidential candidate after Congress returns from their Easter recess on April 18. He plans to meet privately with a large number of Republican members of the House. Novak indicated that many Republican member of the House backed Romney after former Speaker Dennis Hastert endorsed him. However, Romney is rapidly loosing support and many of Congressmen are now looking to support another candidate such as Fred Thompson.

Thompson announced today that he is suffering from cancer. The diagnosis was two years ago. He was not telling us to send him get-well-soon cards. He was telling us that he is getting ready to run for president and wanted to clear the decks before announcing it.

--CB