Video: Fred! talks candidacy and “fire in [his] belly”
posted at 10:45 am on May 7, 2007 by Ian
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In his first interview since the Republican debate on Thursday night, former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson sat down for an exclusive interview with Breitbart.tv late last week. Thompson talked briefly about the GOP debate, but mostly about his possible run for the White House. Commenting on the debate though, Fred! said “10 people and Chris Matthews, that’s quite a challenge.” You can say that again.
So when will he enter the race? Fred! thinks he has “plenty of time” to jump in if he decides to. And once he decides to, he’s all in for the win.
BREITBART.TV: When people talk about you … “does he really want it” — I think it’s pretty fair to say, there are people who have looked at your career and say he isn’t the most aggressive, out there, lay it on the line, 100 miles an hour after the goal kind of guy. I guess you can’t casually run for President.
FRED THOMPSON: No and I’ve never casually run for anything. I don’t spend a lot of time dealing with that. I’m kind of a laid back guy in most respects. I’m not going to argue the extent or the location of the fire in my belly. I would just point out I have never lost an election and I’ve never come within 20 points — no one’s ever come within 20 points of me. I’ve always led the ticket. You know, little things like that.
Fred! hinted again that he’ll run a different kind of campaign, internet-centric and blog-focused. Ahem. He says the ‘net is a way to get “around the inside the beltway crowd.”
Again, ahem.
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What we need is a man with fire a little further south (ahem) then his belly.
Tony737 on May 7, 2007 at 10:55 AM
Oooops! That should say *THAN* … not *then*! Sorry!
Tony737 on May 7, 2007 at 10:57 AM
Heh.
Jaibones on May 7, 2007 at 11:00 AM
Oh oh: http://www.suntimes.com/news/novak/373628,CST-EDT-novak07.article
Zetterson on May 7, 2007 at 11:05 AM
Predicting voter meltdown, or waiting for all the flies to come out of the mud?
Limerick on May 7, 2007 at 11:07 AM
Get rid of that screen cap of Fred! smiling. Fred! does not smile!
SWLiP on May 7, 2007 at 11:07 AM
Off Topic: A backpack bomb went off in VEGAS BABY! this morning, killing it’s owner. Premature? Targeting Sin City? It was at the Luxor. Perhaps they’re trying to say “We don’t gamble in Egypt!”?
Tony737 on May 7, 2007 at 11:13 AM
The location of the fire in your belly….wouldn’t that be your belly? Ok, what am I missing here???
honora on May 7, 2007 at 11:15 AM
EHHH!! Gotta second that. Looks like a Polident commercial right before the old guy’s choppers fall out!
honora on May 7, 2007 at 11:16 AM
How very tolerant of you, honora.
KelliD on May 7, 2007 at 11:18 AM
If Fred’s going to declare, he’s going to need to soon. He’s already a quarter behind in fundraising.
It’s not my intent to be cynical, but a study came out today, which said that less than half of Americans regularly use the internet. You can’t launch an entire campaign like that. Maybe a good chunk of one, but you still need to press flesh.
amerpundit on May 7, 2007 at 11:20 AM
Money quote!
Limerick on May 7, 2007 at 11:20 AM
The only fire freddie boy has shown so far is the one in his mouth.
How disengenuous is it for a candidate to be a candidate for the presidency to refuse to announce that he will declare his candidacy when the issues he has with a TV show he has a role in are settled? If McCain can do it, why not fred?
All he has done is talk about considering a possible decision to think about wondering if it is the right time to perhaps announce he might wonder if he should declare his intention to maybe contemplate a thought toward thinking about a possible announcement. He is in for a rude awakening if he thinks the MSM and his opponents are going to be dazzled or put off by his folksy colloquialisms. And I hope he knows that he is not always going to be able to speak to friendly interviewers or have prepared speeches before hand.
csdeven on May 7, 2007 at 11:34 AM
Of course not. Fred! is merely prepping the field by projecting a proper grimace…all the better as the inevitable kick in the bag approaches.
Kid from Brooklyn on May 7, 2007 at 11:41 AM
Off Topic again: Left-wing Frenchies riot in the streets of old gay Par-ee … SORE LOSERS!
Tony737 on May 7, 2007 at 11:43 AM
csdeven…….wow…..I’m one of those Fred! guys who, while screaming ‘are we there yet?’, have listened to his explanation and am willing to wait and see. If this is a big mistake then I’ll pick up with another candidate but gee lately it seems like FDS is setting in. I understand that you want him in or out but right now he simply cannot declare without causing himself, the party, and NBC some serious legal issues. Who ever gets the nod gets my vote but I’m not ready to chop off Fred! at the legs.
Limerick on May 7, 2007 at 11:48 AM
The location of the fire in your belly….wouldn’t that be your belly? Ok, what am I missing here???
honora on May 7, 2007 at 11:15 AM
Must be the soft, conservative underbelly. He’s talking about an all-out, fired-up belly. The Fred!Belly!
PattyAnn on May 7, 2007 at 11:50 AM
–$$$-quote
–reality-quote from Zetterson’s link. I agree with Novak’s assessment, but I know better, and honora’s reaction is a perfect thermometer about this man entering the field. No one bothers her more than Fred!
btw, honora, if you would have watched the video, you’d know that the smile-caption is just a fraction-of-a-second clip, from an entire interview, in context. Your focus on looks is very puzzling, as a liberal, as an intellectual, as a human-being in general, and as someone who lectured us on not focusing on Mrs. Clinton’s looks.
–csdeven? just kidding buddy :)
Entelechy on May 7, 2007 at 11:54 AM
Off Topic: A backpack bomb went off in VEGAS BABY!
Metro police said they were treating the incident as a ”homicide with an unusual method”. I guess kinda sorta like a terrorist method?
PattyAnn on May 7, 2007 at 11:56 AM
Vegas police stated the victim was the intended target, an employee of the hotel.
Limerick on May 7, 2007 at 11:57 AM
Ahh, Tony, the article doesn’t say the bomb killed it’s owner. The bomb was placed on top of a car, who’s owner was killed when he tried to remove it. So the bomber set the backpack on the roof of his intended victim’s car. Apparently.
csdeven, say something new or quit reading Fred! threads. We got your point. Now you’re just trolling.
On today’s Novak article about Fred’s lackluster performance at the Lincoln Club, I’d say it was mostly disappointment that he didn’t use their crib to announce. Aside from that, why should he present passionately until he has announced? I’ll take someone who says the right things with charisma held in check, over a Clinton who passionately sold us a bill of goods.
Freelancer on May 7, 2007 at 12:11 PM
Freelancer, I think it’s another case of how media strokes information to deliberately mis-lead readers. Or, worse, they can’t write facts any better than they do.
PattyAnn on May 7, 2007 at 12:14 PM
I’m just not feeling the love. I’ll be happy to vote for him if he’s the nominee, but not with as much enthusiasm as I’d vote for Rudy or Mitt. I dunno, something’s missing. Maybe it’s Fred’s support for McCain over W…
Halley on May 7, 2007 at 12:20 PM
Hasn’t anyone thought that Fred isn’t announcing his candidacy because of a possible lawsuit from the producers of Law and Order saying he isn’t giving 100 percent to the show because he has thrown his hat in the presidential ring? If Fred intends to run,he is smart to wait on this.The left would love anything to tack on the impending smears and a lawsuit is right up their alley.Free publicity and all that.Remember,they did it to Swartzenegger.Be patient and lets see.
spazzmomma on May 7, 2007 at 12:23 PM
csdeven :
Hmm, exclusivity. He is acting top shelf. Ever wait in line for your favorite movie. Ever stand inline to get into a velvet rope club? Would you rush to spoil a dinner with a McDonalds when you when you can have filet mignion for Dinner?
Depsite your hatred and impatience of him officially not annoucing. Many here will be the first to lift his chair in the air when he does.
Egfrow on May 7, 2007 at 12:30 PM
Thank you Freelancer, I wrote that before the police updated their finds. At the time, they said the bomb killed it’s owner, I figured a suicide bomber went off too soon. Now they’re sayin’ they don’t know if the owner of the car it was on was the target, or if it was random.
Tony737 on May 7, 2007 at 12:32 PM
On whether he’s prepared to face the onslaught of personal attacks from political/media opponents:
“It ain’t my first rodeo, I’ve seen it up close and personal for a long time. And there will be no tactics or no attempts or no surprises that anybody does anymore in American politics that will surprise me. It’s small potatos. We’re talking about the future of the country here, not somebody’s hurt feelings or embarassment. We’re talking about the next generation. And these other things are extremely minor considerations compared to that.”
Freelancer on May 7, 2007 at 12:32 PM
PattyAnn,
Might back off the enthusiasm a bit there.
CP on May 7, 2007 at 12:35 PM
CP, I was quoting Tony there, but didn’t copy/paste enough.
I still don’t understand what is objectionable to what he said, though.
PattyAnn on May 7, 2007 at 12:46 PM
Patty, I think it’s because I wrote that based on what I saw on the local news before the cops updated what they knew. I wrote it before the article came out in another thread, hence my saying “Off Topic”. Or maybe they didn’t like me saying “Vegas Baby!” but that’s just in referrence to some TV ad where some guy says “We’re goin’ to VEGAS, BABY!”
Tony737 on May 7, 2007 at 1:02 PM
So when is the Venterview?
- The Cat
MirCat on May 7, 2007 at 1:28 PM
It’s possible we’re being played.
http://www.enterstageright.com/archive/articles/0307/0307nottofred.htm
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55517
Gregor on May 7, 2007 at 1:29 PM
“just in referrence to some TV ad where some guy says “We’re goin’ to VEGAS, BABY!”
That’s what I mean, Tony. There was nothing wrong with you doing the VEGAS BABY! thing. The city of Las Vegas spent millions on their commercials to make you want to say VEGAS BABY! They didn’t say use it only when favorable.
PattyAnn on May 7, 2007 at 1:38 PM
And yet another. I’m beginning to get the feeling we’re scr$w$d no matter what we do.
Gregor on May 7, 2007 at 2:00 PM
Could be spleen, pancreas, … you have some gall, honora ;)
mikeyboss on May 7, 2007 at 2:59 PM
I knew I could count on you to be the first person to give me a rational calm response to my fred issue! I’ll take it that you DO NOT have a signed framed pair of FRED! skivvies occupying a place of honor in your home?
Really, though, thanks for the explanation. :-)
csdeven on May 7, 2007 at 3:08 PM
I would have thought you would have realized by now that quoting fred to me only strenghtens my resistance to becoming a fred groupie. I need to see some action. Debate a candidate. Go on TV shows that don’t treat you like a celebrity.
csdeven on May 7, 2007 at 3:20 PM
Does ANYONE have contact information for Thompson? Anyone?
Gregor on May 7, 2007 at 3:31 PM
This is quite a story here. The numbers are pretty extraordinary.
Gregor on May 7, 2007 at 3:48 PM
Today’s Fred Thompson Report - war perspective.
Entelechy on May 7, 2007 at 5:26 PM
It will take more than belly fire to be the next Baryshnikov!
Mr Tips on May 7, 2007 at 5:39 PM
Gregor,
If that was an online poll, I think the validity is very much in question.
mikeyboss on May 7, 2007 at 9:08 PM
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