I can understand why he hasn't announced yet. He looks nothing like the Aqua Velva man Tweety called him...I hope it's just because he lost some weight. The fact that he's doing so well in the polls without doing anything except making a Youtube video about Michael Moore is a true reflection of how bad their candidates are being perceived. Can someone talk about the legal issues that he brings up?
John King asked him if the lazy man stigma is real and he said wait and see....
Download Thompson: Yes, I do. I really do. We're going to be getting in, if we get in, and of course we're testing the waters phase, legality. We're going to make a statement shortly that'll cure all of that, but yes, we'll be in traditionally when people get in.
He says he'll try to overturn Roe v Wade ladies. And is pandering to the base on Gay rights...
(Carl Cameron reports from FOX Propaganda) He sures like that golf cart...Full transcript via CNN below the fold.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: Do you think that you can still get in this
race a couple of weeks from now as planned and do what it takes to win
the Iowa caucus?
FRED THOMPSON, FMR. SENATOR: Yes, I do. I really do. We're going to be getting in, if we get in, and of course we're testing the waters phase, legality. We're going to make a statement shortly that'll cure all of that, but yes, we'll be in traditionally when people get in. People have announced traditionally September, October, November. Things have been moved up a little bit this time, in terms of the caucuses. But the campaigns have really been moved up. They've been going on for a long, long time, and we're doing, in a few months, what most campaigns have done over a much longer period of time. But with the ways that we have to communication today in the modern era, there's no question that we can do that. And most importantly, we can have a ground game that'll get out everybody in Iowa.
KING: You met this morning privately with some conservative activists in this state, the people who helped people win the caucuses in the past. They say that they were very comfortable with everything said in that private meeting, very comfortable with your agenda. But they say they're skeptical, that they don't want to just hear lip service; they want to see results. And they want to know over time, as they meet you, would you a President Fred Thompson actively push a presidential amendment banning gay marriage. Would a President Fred Thompson actively push to overturn Roe. V. Wade. What are the answers to those questions?
THOMPSON: Yes, yes, I think that with regard to gay marriage you
have a full faith and credit issue. I don't think one state ought to be able to pass a law requiring gay marriage, or allowing gay marriage, and have another state be required to follow along, under full faith and credit. There's some exceptions and exemptions for that. Hasn't happened yet, but I think a federal court very well likely will go in that direction, and a constitutional amendment would cure that. I think Roe v. Wade was a bad decision. I think it was bad law and bad medicine. You don't just get up one day and overturn the entire history of the country with regard to nature major social policy, without any action by Congress, without any action by the American people or onstitutional amendment, and that's what happened. It shouldn't have happened. It ought to be reversed.
KING: So it wouldn't be a speech a year or two speeches a year; you would promise on both of those issues a sustained effort if you were the president?
THOMPSON: Well, I don't think as the president you can do anything
halfway. I mean, if you take a position, you're bringing the whole office of the presidency there, and you have a bully pulpit. You have an obligation to speak about those things that are important to you, and those things are important.
KING: On the Democratic side, the debate on Iraq seems to focus on
how fast you can get the troops home. Many of the candidates saying
they want to get almost all of the troops out of Iraq by the end of 2009
essentially. If the president won't get them out beforehand, once the
new president takes over, use that first year in office to get most of
U.S. troops out. How long would U.S. troops be in Iraq under a Thompson
administration?
THOMPSON: A lot of hypotheticals, John. You can't deal with an important subject like that on a hypothetical basis. All I know is right now we need to make every effort to make sure that we don't get run out of there with our tail between our legs before we've done the job of securing that place and stabilizing the place, so the whole place doesn't go up into chaos and tens of thousands of more innocent people don't get killed, and the whole place becomes a nucleate
(ph), on a sea of oil, as it were. Bad, bad results for America, and we shouldn't even be talking about anything else but sustained activity until we get a report back from General Petraeus in the middle of September.
I think we're making progress there. I think we have to come to terms with the fact that Iraq is only a part of a global problem that's going to be with us for a while. It's going to take a lot of time, effort and money. We need to face up to that fact, because the security of America for the next generation depends on it.
KING: OK, let me ask you one final question, senator. As you know, the chatter in Washington is, you know, this guy Fred Thompson is a nice guy, he's a very good guy to get along with, but in the Senate he didn't like to work very hard. He's too lazy. He's not going to give the 18 to 20 hours a day it takes to win the presidency of the United States.
What do you say to those critics?
THOMPSON: Well, if I have critics in Washington it's not going to
come as a surprise to me. I'll have more by the end of this campaign.
Proof’s in the pudding. I think that's curable.
KING: Senator, thank you very much.
THOMPSON: Thanks a lot.
