Video: Fred Thompson on Bhutto
posted at 2:33 pm on December 27, 2007 by Allahpundit
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Nothing terribly interesting here but I know it’ll make the Fredheads shriek like teen girls at a Beatles concert so here you go. In Fred’s defense, there’s little he or any other candidate can say: Just tick off the policy points — Al Qaeda, nukes, democracy, Musharraf, tribal areas — to remind us that you’ve done your homework and, if possible, mention the fact that you’ve visited the country once or twice to show you really know what you’re talking about. Our new frontrunner has been especially shameless in that regard today, telling everyone who’ll listen that he’s been to Waziristan while insisting in the same breath how much he “hates” for anyone to make political hay out of such a tragedy.
Since these candidate statements are all predictable and pro forma, I have no problem with Fred being a little later than some of the others in getting around to it. But it’s worth noting that one concerned Fredhead I know e-mailed me about it and sent this link as further evidence that the guy’s not ready for prime time. Hmmm.
Sorry for the bad sync, incidentally.
Update: A reader e-mails to say that the Fred e-mail mentioned by the Corner may have been sent out (or scheduled to be sent out) before the Bhutto news.
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Ottumwagate!
Entelechy on December 27, 2007 at 2:39 PM
Of course he’s touting his foreign policy experience. They are all giving reactions, he just happens to be the one with any background that’s actually relevant.
SouthernDem on December 27, 2007 at 2:41 PM
You be bad.
Nichevo on December 27, 2007 at 2:42 PM
I don’t know. I, for one, found it refreshing to finally hear a GOP candidate say things like “this isn’t a criminal investigation” and “this is a war.”
If only the clowns running against him had that clarity of purpose. Not to mention the clown in the White House.
Misha I on December 27, 2007 at 2:44 PM
Fred has a bigger problem with this
Yahoo News video. Fred Thompson said Hispanics lack of English skills helped cause Morgage Crisis
William Amos on December 27, 2007 at 2:45 PM
Shriiieeekkkkk!
That said….initial reaction like the other Reps. I did like the part about this isn’t a criminal investigation but a war.
Not ready for prime time? Or is it his style? One day I’m giving a standing ovation, the next looking at my shoes. Honestly, looking at the other candidates, I do the same thing. 08 should double the size of my ulcer.
Limerick on December 27, 2007 at 2:46 PM
Giuliani, McCain, and Romney all agree with that.
Allahpundit on December 27, 2007 at 2:47 PM
Fred gets it! Perfect analysis of the situation. And I am happy that FOX alowed Fred to comment.
AZCON on December 27, 2007 at 2:47 PM
Bhutto’s story is another horror story of life in a Muslim country. What can anybody say about it? Insist on a rewrite of the Koran?
Go Fred. Man, who was the most beautiful woman in the world interviewing him?
Rush’s guest host today, Mark Belling, supports Fred too, for what it’s worth.
Mojave Mark on December 27, 2007 at 2:47 PM
*Tears streaming down face as hands spasm out of control*
“AAAAAAHHHHHHHEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIII….. FRED!!!!!!”
Oh, wait. He is responding to an assassination?
No, I don’t care, I’ll just scream like a little girl.
P.S. Fred is inevitable.
VolMagic on December 27, 2007 at 2:47 PM
Exactly, Misha. Clear statement of war v. law enforcement followed by a declaration that Musharraf’s feet need to be held to the fire on tracking down the Taliban.
No illusions about elements within the Pakistani government, either.
Consider this a squeal.
see-dubya on December 27, 2007 at 2:48 PM
Of course the “great news email” was about the current fund raising effort which by the way, just broke the $100,000.oo mark. That was going to come out. I read a post by a Fred Head on this blog noting that email just after the assassination news broke and on that thread. It was just viewed as happenstance which it was and mentioned with humor as it should have been. Reading more into it than that is more than a bit of a stretch. Fred’s comments here are appropriate and as timely as needed.
Nyog_of_the_Bog on December 27, 2007 at 2:48 PM
he’s no “FredHead” if he said that to you… he’s got another horse and he’s knocking this one. less you forget Fred’s seen more “prime-time” than any other candidate.
Kaptain Amerika on December 27, 2007 at 2:50 PM
Go back and read Rudy’s statement from this morning. It’s all about bringing “Justice, and Law and Order” to Pakistan.
AZCON on December 27, 2007 at 2:50 PM
Not entirely:
Slublog on December 27, 2007 at 2:53 PM
Do any of them have southern accents pitched in a rumbly baritone, Allah?
You bet your cracker barrel biscuits they don’t.
Seriously, though: it was well said, and Fred’s immediate instinct was to use it against Musharraf to advance US policy goals. Probably won’t change anyone’s mind, but quite a confidence builder.
The Ottumwa thing is ridiculously insignificant, BTW.
see-dubya on December 27, 2007 at 2:53 PM
Yes, and? Two Pakistani cops let the prime suspect in the airline plot walk away just a week or two ago. Rudy’s the most hawkish guy in the race; he’s under no illusions about having to destroy the Taliban.
Allahpundit on December 27, 2007 at 2:53 PM
I’ll give Fred credit for this…at least he didn’t APOLOGIZE to Pakistan for the assassination, like Huckabee apparently did.
See K-Lo’s latest post over at the Corner for the scoop.
Jack M. on December 27, 2007 at 2:55 PM
Probably did it on purpose ;-)
And yes….Shreeeeeeeek!
Not for nothing, but why does it seem lately that HotAir has it in for every GOP candidate? MM is apathetic, AP says he probably won’t even vote, and I’m not sure where Bryan stands…
Heck, used to be I came here, and the Dem candidates were on the chopping block, but these days, it’s the GOP guys that are getting picked apart with everthing they say or do. Giuliani, Fred, Mitt…and there’s nothing left of Huck to even feed the vultures.
Just sayin….
JetBoy on December 27, 2007 at 2:56 PM
Oh, for god’s sake. I can’t believe I’m going to have to write a post about this. He obviously meant “sorry for your loss.” To twist it into a nonsensical “blame America” thing is to simply demonize the guy to the point of absurdity.
Allahpundit on December 27, 2007 at 2:56 PM
Fred’s the man. Send him money and vote for him. He is the only one running in either party, who can get this Country to move in the right direction!
bucko36 on December 27, 2007 at 2:56 PM
SECOND LOOK SHRIEKING TEENAGE GIRLS!
wccawa on December 27, 2007 at 2:57 PM
I’m not sure why, except per the usual instinctual positive spin for Fred among bloggers and blog readers. Yes, he recognizes it’s a war; so does every major GOP candidate with the possible exception of Huckabee. Good for Fred for meeting the status quo.
Allahpundit on December 27, 2007 at 2:58 PM
.
The rest of what Rudy has to say is empty Clintonesque lip service. “We must go after them!!!”
.
I want to know how Rudy intends to win the TWOU.
AZCON on December 27, 2007 at 2:58 PM
Right. But Thompson’s words? They mean something.
Don’t stop believin’.
Slublog on December 27, 2007 at 2:59 PM
It’s more than that Allah.
Huckabee wants to be President. His every word will matter in that position.
How many verbal gaffes are we gonna give this guy?
And how useful will it be for the conspiracy-minded middle east to say “Look..the USA or the JOOS were behind it.” Hell, I’ll be shocked if FARS doens’t run something on it.
The fact is, it is just one more example of Huckabee being in over his head and way out of his league.
Jack M. on December 27, 2007 at 3:00 PM
Walk the line, Brother!
AZCON on December 27, 2007 at 3:01 PM
I’ll give you Rudy, even though I’m going to puke the next time somebody talks about bringing terrorist scum to justice. Bring them to Hell instead. Nobody ever talked about “bringing the SS to justice”, as far as I can recall. But I have no doubts that Rudy knows that we’re at war. He was right in the middle of it when it flared up, after all.
Romney? Sorry. He may be honest, but there’s been too many “last minute conversions” on his record for me to believe that anything that comes out of his mouth is something that wasn’t written after consulting with a focus group. Unfair, perhaps, I certainly hope so if he ends up being President, but that’s the way I see it.
And McCain, while most certainly firmly in support of the war, is a bit too concerned about not making terrorist detainees uncomfortable while we interrogate them for my liking. It doesn’t help much that you know you’re at war if you’re uncomfortable actually fighting it.
Misha I on December 27, 2007 at 3:02 PM
Call the La Raza waaaaaaambulance.
Summary of the video link: Fred said that illegal aliens that don’t speak English well can’t efficiently communicate with mortgage brokers. English should be the official language of America. Latinos outraged, and Fred stands to lose the all-important Republican illegal alien vote.
Most definitely un-PC, but also most definitely true. But I don’t see a “big problem” there. Did I miss something?
wccawa on December 27, 2007 at 3:05 PM
OT:
AP, why is Hot Air all of a sudden demanding to run Active X controls on my machine, regardless of which page or post I’m on? Is this a nefarious plot by Hot Air to take over the world one ‘puter at a time?
wccawa on December 27, 2007 at 3:07 PM
RE: Fred/Hispanics/Mortgage
.
Does anyone have data on the percentage of forclosures that are on Spanish speaking vs English speaking households?
AZCON on December 27, 2007 at 3:09 PM
May the Almighty Fred! plant a shrieking girl ringtone virus in your new iPhone.
infidel4life on December 27, 2007 at 3:09 PM
Hey, did I say no objective analyst could disagree that this was the homerun answer of the century?
I just said it was a good answer. And I liked the part about holding Musharraf’s nose to the grindstone and making him fight the Taliban. I’m listening to the other candidate’s speeches now and I honestly think Fred’s answer was the best.
see-dubya on December 27, 2007 at 3:13 PM
The stretch run in Iowa is the only matter of significance regarding Fred at the moment and all that should be of concern to we who are his supporters. All else is purely peripheral. Statements regarding the Bhutto assassination need only be perfunctory. Policy regarding Pakistan is the affair of those in power now.
Nyog_of_the_Bog on December 27, 2007 at 3:17 PM
LOL….eh….Allah’s mission (self appointed?) is to keep us honest. He is bulletproof against subliminal messaging (well….except from Mac).
Limerick on December 27, 2007 at 3:17 PM
Wow, 30-some posts into the thread and csdeven hasn’t ruined it yet?
thirteen28 on December 27, 2007 at 3:23 PM
MadisonConservative on December 27, 2007 at 3:26 PM
It may have something to do with Flash. There’s a security problem with older versions, according to this.
Try uninstalling the older Flash player with this tool, and re-installing the newer player from this site.
Nichevo on December 27, 2007 at 3:29 PM
Thank you Nichevo, for that bit of very pertinent info. I was entirely unaware of this problem. Although I’ve not experience any unusual behavior with my mac I’m grateful to know of the potential danger.
Nyog_of_the_Bog on December 27, 2007 at 3:43 PM
I have the newest Flash. And I wasn’t seeing this yesterday, nor on any other website today. It seems Hot Air-related.
It’s a conspiracy, I tellya! They’re going to turn us into zombies!!!
wccawa on December 27, 2007 at 3:43 PM
Fred passes the Arse from his Elbow test, but if he were a girl I would wonder about his ability to pass the Taint and T’Other awareness demonstration.
BL@KBIRD on December 27, 2007 at 3:47 PM
That’s how the liberals like to make their arguments. Denigrate the opposing view for being enthusiastic to effect a condescending, I’m smarter than you, adult point of view.
Logical debate is such a waste of time with someone who is excited about something.
moc23 on December 27, 2007 at 3:52 PM
Or he may not be. Depending on how you define common words. Like “saw” or “march” or “lifelong.”
But more importantly, could he fight terrorism without mussing his hair?
Notice that both Rudy and Fred have no hair. Thus, no muss.
Speaks for itself really.
Professor Blather on December 27, 2007 at 4:08 PM
For whatever reason I’ve never understood why so many people believe this to be the case. Rudy doesn’t sound any more hawk-like than anybody else in the race as far as I’ve been able to tell.
FloatingRock on December 27, 2007 at 4:09 PM
Anybody listening to Ron Paul-Nut the Ostrich on Fox News?
steveegg on December 27, 2007 at 4:10 PM
Did he bring his blimp?
Professor Blather on December 27, 2007 at 4:13 PM
Okey dokey.
Nichevo on December 27, 2007 at 4:13 PM
I’m not sure how much depth there can be to all the professed antipathy here. And, if it bolsters traffic at HA why stop? More over, if it serves our cause as well, (and it does) its a net gainer all around.
As for the Beatles comment, folks should know, that would be projection if anything. That is, if it were something, which it really is not.
Nyog_of_the_Bog on December 27, 2007 at 4:18 PM
I didn’t notice any ActiveX attempts, but there is a version of Flash that is less than 1 month old.
First things first; do you have any other sites open besides HA?
steveegg on December 27, 2007 at 4:20 PM
It was a phone interview, so no video shots. However, I could’ve swore I heard the faint whine of blimp engines.
steveegg on December 27, 2007 at 4:21 PM
You hear a faint whine - I hear the proud roar of the savior of democracy.
Did you know Ron Paul caused the entire Iranian military to wink out of existence just using his mind?
Even Chuck Norris can’t do that.
Also, Chuck Norris has no blimp.
Professor Blather on December 27, 2007 at 4:27 PM
Shrieking? Maybe. Throwing our underwear on the stage? Not so much.
As much as AP would like to get a picture of THAT with his new iPhone.
Wind Rider on December 27, 2007 at 4:29 PM
Not that I’m aware of. Without knowing for certain, I would guess that Fred is probably right, and he absolutely correct that English should be the official language of the USA. Instead of a “big problem”, I think he’s scored a few points, at least with me he did.
Also, notice how the guy reading the teleprompter on the “news” program reads the quote from Fred and stresses the word “deserve”, instead of just playing the video of Fred speaking for himself. Then there’s also the disparaging tone of voice when he says, “Listen to what he [Fred] did…”
FloatingRock on December 27, 2007 at 4:33 PM
I had hi hopes but he will be out in a couple of weeks.
KBird on December 27, 2007 at 4:33 PM
“…and the lamentation of their women…” I’m just sayin…
sabbott on December 27, 2007 at 4:42 PM
Ain’t over till its over. McCain was all but dead not long ago. Polling on Iowa especially, has been notoriously deceptive in the past. What matters in the end is who votes and who does not and we won’t know that till they’re counted. More over, a decent showing may be all thats required.
Nyog_of_the_Bog on December 27, 2007 at 4:47 PM
Fred doesn’t meet, meets, or exceeds expectations (or the status quo). It’s kind of like stupid annual reviews, for unfortunate ‘victims’ who have to live by them. I worked my way out of them for good, hallelujah. Fortunate are the ones who can.
Entelechy on December 27, 2007 at 4:56 PM
Bwahahahahaha!!! In another word…..groupies!
csdeven on December 27, 2007 at 5:00 PM
I think it’s a Norton 2008 thing. No biggie. I can make a quick change in my security settings. I was just curious why it started today. So much for my Hot Air-LGF-Lileks Triple Axis Of Evil (TM) conspiracy.
Now, if I only had an expert on human behavior on this thread, life would be complete.
wccawa on December 27, 2007 at 5:04 PM
Fred’s rhetoric is almost always spot on. His problem is that he needs to convince America that has has eschewed his old ways and associations. I mean really, dictators, terrorists, abortionists, etc.? Fred, you got some ’splainin’ to do.
csdeven on December 27, 2007 at 5:21 PM
[faints]
spacemonkey on December 27, 2007 at 5:25 PM
That’s right csdeven, there are some people who are just not deserving of legal counsel. /sarcasm
spacemonkey on December 27, 2007 at 5:27 PM
Second look at use of simile.
thejackal on December 27, 2007 at 5:27 PM
And it wasn’t even counsel on his part. He gave jurisdictional advice to a legal team that he was not part of, at least according to a Clinton supporter.
MadisonConservative on December 27, 2007 at 5:29 PM
-Space Monkey, your eventuality was prophesied by Patti Smith.
….1978 I’m thinking. But you probably well aware of that I’m guessing.
Nyog_of_the_Bog on December 27, 2007 at 5:33 PM
“Well, you just walk it.”
Why is it that I’m suddenly liking this guy more and more? I’ll tell you why…because he’s pulling off what Bush did 7 years ago. He’s telling the simple truth. The fact is, we are going to have to “just walk it”.
ApartforHaShem on December 27, 2007 at 5:36 PM
Poring it on just now. Red Pickup at $110,748.oo. Not bad!
Nyog_of_the_Bog on December 27, 2007 at 5:42 PM
The truth may hurt when it’s not PC: if you can’t speak English, you are likely to be a victim of HAUS (haven’t heard that acronym before, I betcha!):
Remember the strawberry pickers?
If you can’t speak (and COMPREHEND) English, you are at the mercy of unscrupulous lenders. Without that “time-consuming underwriting” you probably AREN’T QUALIFIED! Duh!
fred5678 on December 27, 2007 at 5:47 PM
I had not. Sounds very shady. Maybe we need a silly language rule?
wccawa on December 27, 2007 at 5:58 PM
I jumped on the Fred/mortgage question here.
see-dubya on December 27, 2007 at 6:08 PM
Methodical, no nonsense, deliberate. What’s not to like about FRED! (despite csdevens innacurate and annoyingly overdone talking points)
As the others out “frenzy” themselves, FRED! continues to speak clearly, slowly, and honestly. The fact he actually has plans is a nice bonus too. Don’t be surprised as the rest of the country warms up to this ol’ “Buford Pusser”, he’s walking tall.
Tim Zank on December 27, 2007 at 6:09 PM
I guess it’s news when a politician speaks truth, and especially so when it’s not PC.
If Thompson had quoted the Hispanic National Mortgage Association he would have played it a little safer:
My translation: Many immigrant Hispanics don’t assimilate and learn English (encouraged by sympathetic Liberals?), and Conservative mortgage lenders haven’t bothered to learn Spanish, so the HHG (Hispanic Hoemownership Gap) remains problematic.
fred5678 on December 27, 2007 at 6:14 PM
Guess that makes the HHG a little SOL eh??
Tim Zank on December 27, 2007 at 6:21 PM
Fred’s a good man. I hope he’s in the mix somehow when the smoke clears.
LtE126 on December 27, 2007 at 6:33 PM
Another couple of fun items from our friends at the NHMA:
My translation: reliance on the cash economy because they have no soc. sec. card, or use someone else’s and don’t get credit for their earnings, etc. Cash economy = no taxes, etc., of course.
Another complaint at the NHMA site says that Hispanics don’t get credit for cash remittances sent to their families in their home countries.
Common thread - no assimilation, no serious attempt to learn English, and maybe just a smidgeon of illegal aliens in their midst.
fred5678 on December 27, 2007 at 6:39 PM
See, it’s asinine statements like that, that puts you in the Fredbot category. No one said they didn’t deserve representation. But if you think for one minute that regular Americans buy into that argument, you are sorely mistaken. Americans hate lawyers and lobbyists, and especially the ones like Fred who cast away principle for money. Decent folks would rather lose their job than help dictators and terrorists and they will not elect a scum bag like Fred. The Fred loons think that just because they sell their honor to support Fred that everyone else will also.
Fred D Thompson is scum. Period.
csdeven on December 27, 2007 at 7:59 PM
Enough with the clever ambiguity! Do you like the guy?!
thejackal on December 27, 2007 at 11:43 PM