Fred to announce on video? Update: Bring on Hillary, say GOP activists
posted at 1:47 pm on August 26, 2007 by Allahpundit
Such is the state of his non-campaign that this actually qualifies as news, never mind the fact that Hillary’s already blazed this trail:
Fred Thompson’s decision to announce his presidential candidacy with a video was suggested by Newt Gingrich, who is also considered a possible contender.
Former House Speaker Gingrich has indicated he will run only if Thompson does not, or his late-starting campaign crashes and burns. Actor-politician Thompson plans to follow the model of Democrat Hillary Clinton by launching his campaign with a video, followed by a fly-around to several cities.
Chris Wallace told Kilmeade and Napolitano yesterday that Fox was told to expect Fred at the September 5th debate they’re sponsoring, which is right around the time it’s been rumored he’ll declare. Figure his campaign will post the video announcement early on the 4th followed by the obligatory old-folks-at-home public announcement in Lawrenceburg that afternoon, and then on to the debate. Huckabee put it well this morning on Wallace’s show: “People are expecting him to basically come in and be the fifth head on Mount Rushmore.” Ari Fleischer expressed the same sentiment yesterday, albeit less elegantly. If he disappoints at the debate, he’ll be on thin ice fully one day into his campaign. Huck and Romney will probably go right after him to try to take him out early and keep the field clear for a social-con death struggle between them down the road. I wonder what Rudy’ll do.
The video’s smart thinking for a guy who’s already vowed to make his campaign Net-centric: he needs to get people in the habit of checking his site and a video splash on announcement day is a shrewd way to do it. More intriguing is the fact that the idea comes from Newt — the second time in a month we’ve had a report of a Thompson/Gingrich connection. If Fred does win, Newt’s going to turn up somewhere in his administration. Reason enough to give him serious consideration.
Update: Our best chance next year is a lesser-of-two-evils pitch and grassroots Republicans know it. Which is why they’re pining for big evil on the other side.
Asked if Clinton being the nominee would improve his party’s chances both nationally and in Indiana, Howard County (Ind.) GOP Chair Craig Dunn got excited. “Absolutely, absolutely!” he exclaimed animatedly, grinning widely. “We’ve never elected a president of the United States who started off with 45 percent unfavorable ratings!”…
[W]hen Duncan wrapped up his treatment of the Democratic presidential hopefuls, it was only Clinton that he admonished for being “one of only 22 senators to vote against [Supreme Court Chief Justice] John Roberts” and trying “to block” Samuel Alito’s Supreme Court nomination. And only she, as Duncan told it, “blasted the Supreme Court decision on partial-birth abortion.”
“It’s amazing,” Duncan concluded, “Hillary and her Democratic competitors have made their position clear — they’re running for MoveOn[.org] and not for America.”…
Back in the conference room, it was much the same message. “As Hillary Clinton becomes the nominee,” projected GOP pollster B.J. Martino of the Tarrance Group, pointing to charts and graphs, “Republican intensity will simultaneously spike.”
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The Main Street Media had Cankles all teed up to be the democrat presidential candidate. They told us how accomplished she was…how intelligent she was…and now her incompetence is the only thing that stands the test of time and truth. But at this point in time, what difference does it make!
trs on May 12, 2013 at 8:12 PM
True dat. Unless you’re at least back on the 500 yard line, that’s way more pantsuit than you’d ever need for a target.
/I kid, I kid …
M240H on May 12, 2013 at 8:17 PM
Consider: most of those those soldiers would not have died had the Democrats not actively encouraged the insurgents by implicitly promising to pull out if casualties were high enough to put them in power.
Count to 10 on May 12, 2013 at 8:21 PM
You are absolutely disgusting.
How about he “waste his time” satisfying the questions of Mrs. Smith–you know the MOTHER of Sean Smith, the intelligence officer he didn’t have the balls to save that night?
Are HER “opinions irrelevant” too?
And your side has the blood of hundreds of thousands of American babies on their hands.
No wonder you need to import ‘citizens.’
You are absolutely disgusting.
—–
A very happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms, Grand-Moms and Great Grand-Moms here at Hot Air ! :)
jersey taxpayer on May 12, 2013 at 8:25 PM
Don’t do the crime if you don’t have the political connections…..
viking01 on May 12, 2013 at 8:32 PM
Obama will accidentally hit Hillary in the head with a Titleist during a friendly game of golf which will cause a rare form of amnesia that will remove all memories connected with the date 9/11/2012.
The new syndrome will be named Rodham’s Incipient Congealed Hematoma, or RICH for short.
“Ben who?”
profitsbeard on May 12, 2013 at 8:43 PM
.
Translation:
.
Is that all you have left ?
listens2glenn on May 12, 2013 at 8:44 PM
.
Not bad. : )
listens2glenn on May 12, 2013 at 8:46 PM
Hillary isn’t the target. Neither is Barry.
They are, however, standing downrange in the line of fire.
Not a good place to be, but they got there on their own, and there is no way out.
novaculus on May 12, 2013 at 8:50 PM
Issa should have said “The truth is the target and we know that Obama and Clintion have both lied, so they are included.” This is a prime example of why “Fast and Furious” is at a stand still, instead of looking for the truth these clowns want to play politics. The Obama administration keeps walking all over these guys and they continue talking like idiots.
savage24 on May 12, 2013 at 9:24 PM
Brian Terry was a target and he is still dead.
Both Obama and Ms Clinton are accessory before the fact of his targeted killing and the msm and the commie Democrats atempt to cover it up to this very hour.
Brian Terry knows, we all know, and he and I will not let it go.
The gun running was one of the illegal actions of proximate cause of Biran Terrys death.
APACHEWHOKNOWS on May 12, 2013 at 9:38 PM
Hi, Sleeper Cell. Welcome to Hot Gas.
myiq2xu-
Del Dolemonte on May 12, 2013 at 9:48 PM
Welcome Back!
Del Dolemonte on May 12, 2013 at 9:52 PM
Hmmm; didn’t get any smarter while she was out, apparently.
Midas on May 12, 2013 at 9:55 PM
We know.
I have no idea, but I do know that you guys come up with really cool names for your fake scandals.
crr6 on July 10, 2011 at 1:24 PM
Del Dolemonte on May 12, 2013 at 9:56 PM
Weird freak how you could not admit that he did in fact provide specifics. You just spun your rhetoric. You’re a dishonest as Ted Kennedy on a Saturday night. May the fat f*ck rest in peace.
CW on May 12, 2013 at 9:59 PM
As Ed Morrissey pointed out years ago:
Poor troll. Another one bites the dust.
CW on May 12, 2013 at 10:03 PM
Well, it’s either that or the bigotry being spewed by nonpartisan about “rag-heads.”
CurtZHP on May 12, 2013 at 10:12 PM
Every once in a while, a witch hunt turns up an actual witch. By the looks of the picture, this could be one of them.
Bourgeoisie on May 12, 2013 at 11:43 PM
Wise of Issa – and a good idea for all Republicans – to disavow any desire to “get” Hillary. Remember the Clintons’ favorite defense is to go on offense against “out of control investigators.” They did it against Judge Starr, a man of true judicial temperament who conducted a methodical and balanced investigation despite the stonewalling and legal delays put in his path at every turn.
Just seek the truth, and let the chip fall where they may. There’s no crime in being callous and incompetent anyway, and Hillary wasn’t questioned specifically enough to force her to perjure herself in her testimony. What comes out will be bad enough for her.
I fully expect Pickering to take the 5th on advice of counsel. It’s the only way he can avoid giving up those who ordered him, which had to be from among Obama, Panetta, and Clinton – and only Obama could order him to issue a false report “for national security reasons.”
Adjoran on May 12, 2013 at 11:46 PM
Maybe you were referring to this liar:
“In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons.”
– Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002
SubmarineDoc on May 13, 2013 at 12:07 AM
Hey, I was just thinking that!…lol
Give Issa his due: As a potential Political whip to use against Mde. Clinton, the Benghazi Investigation has a serious potential to harm any and all that are drawn to it.
By saying “Mrs. Clinton is not a Target” the undertone is “BUT: We WILL follow the evidence wherever it goes, fairly, and if her name keeps coming up, she…or anyone else…should not be surprised if we DO hold her feet to the fire”.
Its a smart move: By phrasing it that way, he neuters (redundant, i know) Democrat hacks that will accuse the Republicans of using this as a way to derail her chances at a 2016 run. Even though by them saying *that* they themselves are using the murder of our people in Libya as a way to browbeat the matter away.
Of course the big question is: Where the he!! was the President when this was going on? Is it just me, or does anyone else get that Deja Vu feeling of Clinton in office getting FeelGoods from Monica while on the phone in the Oval Office?
And remember: this isn’t gonna stop at just Madame Clinton either…there is no way she’s gonna let Obama get his palm-prints in the middle of *her* back just below to tire tracks from the bus that she was pushed in front of…she’ll fight back…and it WILL get nasty.
Pass the Nacho Cheeze Popcorn.
BlaxPac on May 13, 2013 at 12:31 AM
He went to bed. No, not kidding.
By the way, when HRC got the direct call, it was 3:00 a.m. in Libya, not here. But, I guess he turns in early when he has to fly out the next day for a big fundraiser (Vegas). The fact you have an Ambassador missing or dead must not be allowed to disturb the royal slumber, or the “terrorists win.”
Except, wait… there were no terrorists. Sticky wicket, that one.
IndieDogg on May 13, 2013 at 1:19 AM
Bloody Sticky wicket, you mean.
Whats burns me is that the press by and large, won’t even cover THAT much of the story….No one is talking about how the next day AF1 left Andrews to go to a fundraiser with Mr & Mrs. Jay-Z and a few hundred close friends with deep checkbooks.
BlaxPac on May 13, 2013 at 1:53 AM
The cover-up is the politicalization, not the investigation, just ask Candy.
growl on May 13, 2013 at 2:46 AM
After the GOP is done with her … Killary will be a shoe-in for winning the next election.
HondaV65 on May 13, 2013 at 5:27 AM
To go after Hillary for what was mostly if not completely done by her subordinates would make every one of the Congressmen responsible for everything their underlings do. Their is no way they are going down that path.
zdpl0a on May 13, 2013 at 6:26 AM
They are responsible for who they hire and had best choose wisely.
Ditto the State Dept.
Remember that Amb. Stevens was Obama’s chosen Ambassador to Libya. If Hillary didn’t want him there she could have asked that he be re-assigned or quit. Being Sec. State is a purely voluntary position, not one in the civil service, and is something you can get fired from or quit from in a heartbeat. Thus, like any Congresscritter and their staff, HRC is responsible for her staff who she has ASSIGNED to those positions, signed-off on each of them, appointed to their slots, given their job functions and so on. Even if that is done with delegated authority, the final signature on all of that is HRC, not some underling.
And do remember that Libya was and is a war zone, with active fighting going on amongst various tribes and factions. That didn’t stop when Stevens went in there and is still roiling the place TODAY. Any Sec. State must have a more active hand in that rather than, say, the Ambassador to Iceland or Tahiti. She sends people into a land of danger and she is responsible for the protection of ALL her personnel but specifically those she sends into nasty places… at the direction of the President of the United States.
That is his foreign policy being played out: Congress has no role save the enforcement of Treaties and ratification of same by the Senate. They also got a say in consenting to having HRC as Sec. State. Their role is over.
A Congresscritter can fire someone under their employ who does wrong and cooperate in investigations to clean the matter up.
The POTUS and ex-Sec. State have done just the opposite.
Equivalency: FAIL.
ajacksonian on May 13, 2013 at 6:50 AM
There is a reason why the MSM is just now pursuing this story. My take.
kingsjester on May 13, 2013 at 7:02 AM
“Hillary Clinton’s not a target,” said House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa on NBC’s Meet the Press. “President Obama is not a target.”
Collateral Damage.
Plastik on May 13, 2013 at 7:06 AM
Let’s be clear – there were only 4 targets in regards to Benghazi…and they are all DEAD! I understand what Issa is saying – the GOP is not ‘out to get’ Hillary or Obama…but the evidence that comes out in this investigation is already enough to make both of them ‘victims of collateral damage’ by their own actions or lack thereof.
easyt65 on May 13, 2013 at 7:45 AM
https://twitter.com/BenjiBacker/status/333628747855065089/photo/1
MUST SEE!
Hillary then….and NOW!
ted c on May 13, 2013 at 8:06 AM
This is incorrect. Hillary implemented Zero’s policies in Benghazi and drew down security personnel according to her master’s wishes.
Then she refused to pull the mission out or provide more security after the Brits abandoned their mission as it was unsafe to remain.
Hillary had no authority to order rescuers to go or to enable them, but she was told right after the attack started that it was terrorists and she lied and lied and lied some more.
She is an accessory to the crimes.
dogsoldier on May 13, 2013 at 8:20 AM
Hillary and Obama are politicians. They made a political deciosion to alter the talking points to ensure Obama’s re-election. Now they have the nerve to claim they are a victim of political witch hunt.
The only reason this is still being discussed is because they chose politics over truth and then lied about it. For anyone asking GOP Congressman if this is just politics, they need to respond that apparently the decision to run with the talking points and to send in any military support was a political decision, so it in deed is understandable to now have a political solution.
You don’t get to make at least 2 crappy decision because of politics and then turn around and say the other side is over-politicizing the situation.
weaselyone on May 13, 2013 at 9:47 AM
But Hillary is a target. Weren’t the Serbs shooting at her in Tuzla?
/sarc off
Rep. Issa is wise to SAY right now that Hillary is not a target, to give the impression of neutrality that he will follow the evidence where it leads. He can bring before his committee the underlings named by Hicks and Nordstrom (including Cheryl Mills), as well as anyone in the military chain of command who might have given the order to “stand down”. Then we’ll see how many of them will fall on their swords, or whether they will say they received orders from “higher up”.
But if Hillary is a target or not, in her own words, what difference does it make?
Steve Z on May 13, 2013 at 10:07 AM
Target?
Gosh, I thought the media wasn’t supposed to used that gun imagery language(like that evil violence provoker, Sarah Palin) anymore?
Don L on May 13, 2013 at 10:17 AM
“…Hillary ‘is not a target’”
Both Leftards and Republicrats will be sporting ‘Run, Hillary, Run!’
bumper stickers on their vehicles.
The Leftards on the rear bumper and Republicrats on the front one.
Klem Kadiddlehopper on May 13, 2013 at 11:14 AM
Hillary is at the other end looking through the gun sites.
mixplix on May 13, 2013 at 5:21 PM
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