Former senator, lawyer-lobbyist, actor, and now presidential candidate ... Fred Thompson has run a brilliant "non-campaign" this summer and has now announced his candidacy for president. But who is he really? What are his core beliefs? What kind of president would he be? And who better to answer such questions than the folks who know him best? Tennessee blogger Bill Hobbs has culled the views of other local bloggers to shed light on Thompson's views and character and to debate his conservative bona fides. Our latest pamphlet is must reading for conservative voters and political junkies of all stripes. So, who is Fred Thompson? Let Fred tell you, in this from a lengthy blog post he posted on his pre-campaign website in mid-July. "I’ve had great personal and professional satisfaction because of my decision to become a lawyer. I made a decent living, served the rule of law, and I believe I did some good. I’ve had the opportunity to help small farmers in Tennessee, the Chief Justice of the United States... and several folks in between, as well as a half dozen or so lobbying clients. I was a federal prosecutor at the age of 27,Watergate Counsel at the age of 30, and served as special counsel to both the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee. In Tennessee, I served on the Appellate Court Nominating Committee and, of course, I was elected twice to the United States Senate. I went on to do other things, too. Before election to the Senate, I appeared in several movies.The movie work was always an avocation for me and I continued to practice law throughout my “movie days” while continuing to live in the Nashville,Tennessee area." "Actually, my legal career led to my movie career. I took the case of a woman who was Chairman of the Tennessee Pardons and Parole Board. She stood up to the then Governor of Tennessee, we sued him and ultimately it was determined that he was corrupt. He, his legal counsel, and others went to jail.A book was written, and a movie was made about my client and our case and I was offered the opportunity to play myself in the movie, which led to other roles." Thompson has had three great roles in his life—as lawyer from humble roots who rose to great heights, as a U.S. senator, and as a successful actor often playing characters who, like him, were confident, self-assured leaders. Now he’s auditioning for a fourth role, the role of a life time. ____________ Bill Hobbs is a blogger, journalist, and media consultant living in Tennessee. He blogs at www.billhobbs.com. |