Noted over at Samzidata: Paul Marks makes a point [1] I’ve been making:
This morning Fox and Friends concentrated on three candidates in relation the Iowa caucuses on Thursday night: the two lead candidates in the polls, Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney – and John McCain… this was in spite of the fact that Senator McCain is not in Iowa (he is in New Hampshire) and that Fred Thompson is ahead of John McCain is most of Iowa polls.
This is a part of pattern: last night Fred Thompson was on Fox News Sunday, but in the panel discussion, later in the show, the panellists ignored Fred Thompson. He is attacked by people, including me, for not going on enough television shows – but when he does go on what he says is ignored, so perhaps I see why he does not clamour to go on. Yesterday morning Fox and Friends, like the rest of the media, was busy laughing at Fred Thompson’s comments about not being obsessed with politics: “If one is not passionate about campaigning one should not run for office,” was the message of the media.
But what sort of person is passionate about the political process? Not getting things done – but the process of gaining votes. Of going around pretending to be close personal friends with lots and lots of people one has never met before?
Fred Thompson is in the middle of a 40 town Iowa tour – so he is hardly lazy. And he does go on television shows – thus dealing with critics, such as myself, who attacked him for not going on enough shows. But what sort of person would enjoy all this?
A lunatic. Someone who was interested in office for its own sake – not as a means to reduce the size and scope of government.
Well, that’s pretty much the point I was making the other day. One can easily understand why Thompson isn’t overly happy about showing up for this stuff. And it all meshes rather nicely with what he’s been saying, all along.
And I think Paul’s correct as regards Fox. So much for the myth that Fox leans right… they have a genuine conservative in their midst, and ignore him in favor of the RINOs like McCain, who don’t even bother to show up in the state.
Addendum: (David L)
“Fire in the Belly”, ok Fred is a little short in this department. Yet Mrs. Clinton has an extreme case of Fire in the Womb” but is dumber than a sack of potatos. Fred is rational, sane, has understanding of the power and role of government and has a grasp of the real world in which we live. Who else comes close? Joe Biden and John McCain to some degree.
We need a leader and not a cheerleader. ?