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

Fred Thompson Announces he has Cancer

The following is a statement from Thompson read on ABC News Radio today:

We have all seen the courageous battle that Elizabeth and John Edwards are fighting, and there are so many others. Fortunately, there are an increasing number of good stories because of the medical advances that have been made.

I have friends in politics, some in Congress, some running for President, and others who have successfully dealt with cancer. It is certainly no respecter of persons and totally non-partisan.That point was driven home to me about 2 1/2 years ago when, shortly after a routine physical, I was diagnosed with what the doctors call an indolent lymphoma. Of the 30-plus kinds of lymphoma this is a "good" kind, if there is such a thing. I have had no illness from it, or even any symptoms.

My life expectancy should not be affected. I am in remission, and it is very treatable with drugs if treatment is needed in the future—and with no debilitating side effects. "I am one of the lucky ones. There are many lucky ones today. And for all of our diversity, we share one thing in common—a deep appreciation for the fact that we live in the United States of America and have the best medicine and the best doctors the world has even known."

Ok, here are my thoughts: 1) This announcement is strong evidence that Fred Thompson is running for the Presidency. He is handling this issue before he announces. 2) I suspect he'll wait a couple of weeks for the media to explain the disease, and he will enter the race with this issue off limits. 3) This diagnois is 2 1/2 years old! If Fred Thompson was not running for president this would have been the reason for his withdrawal from consideration.

Fred Thompson is Running for President!

Fred Thompson stirs up conservative buzz

The Washington Post states that Fred Thompson's interest in the 2008 presidential race is generating enthusiasm among many Republicans, despite some conservative criticism of the "Law & Order" star's record. "He's the biggest buzz in the state," said Iowa Republican Party Executive Director Chuck Laudner. "A lot of our people want to see him come here. They see him with star power equivalent to [former New York Mayor] Rudy Giuliani, but he's conservative." In Dallas, conservative policy analyst Merrill Matthews said Mr. Thompson's name is on the lips of just about every conservative with whom he talks. (4/11/7)