Republican and Conservative political analysis and commentary

Here's your Daily Fred for Thursday, March 29, chock full of links to news and blog coverage and commentary about possible presidential candidate Fred Thompson. Today's Daily Fred starts with the Lawrence Journal-World in Lawrence, Kansas, asking, Could a Fred Thompson campaign deliver a blow to Brownback's chances? A small blow, I'd say, but probably commensurate with Brownback's chances.

The ever-insightful Ryan Sager at the New York Sun looks at the polls and tries to figure out who is hurt most if Thompson runs. Sager:

Mr. Gingrich's support is most clearly shifting toward Mr. Thompson. These are voters who've been waiting for a conservative "savior" candidate to enter the race. Mr. Thompson at this point seems more likely to do so, and he lacks Mr. Gingrich's baggage as a potential general-election candidate.

Mr. Romney is flagging, and almost off the radar as a national candidate, with or without Mr. Thompson. But, as I've argued, his is the candidacy rendered most obsolete by Mr. Thompson's.

Mr. McCain, despite his drop in this Zogby poll, still strikes me as the candidate with the most solid support - as in, his voters are the ones least likely to abandon their candidate at the drop of a hat.

Mr. Giuliani, despite his strength in the polls, should worry significantly about Mr. Thompson. The former Tennessee senator and "Law & Order" DA has the tough-guy image that has drawn people to Mr. Giuliani, yet he comes without a lot of the personal and social-issues baggage.

It's quite clear to me that if Thompson runs, Romney's race is over. But it's not clear to Adam Groves that Thompson is going to run - he notes a rumor that Thompson was spotted lunching with Romney's strategist Alex Castellanos, who was involved with both of Fred's Senate campaigns. Groves suggests (fourth item - scroll) that Castellanos was courting Thompson as Romney's VP pick, though, based on name recognition and the current polls, that ticket really would be better if flipped to Thompson-Romney.

Now, on the the rest of today's Daily Fred... 

...Slate's John Dickerson is unimpressed with Thompson, dismissing him as an actor with thin political accomplishments.

...Focus on the Family's James Dobson says Thompson isn't Christian enough for him. Thompson, by the way, was baptized into the Church of Christ, which is more conservative than the Southern Baptist Convention. Dobson does like Newt Gingrich though. A.C. Kleinheider nails Dobson for his odd choice: "Gingrich is a thrice married, admitted adulterer who discussed divorce with his first wife while she was undergoing cancer treatments."

I'm with Clay Ginn on the Dobson doozy:

We aren't voting for Senior Pastor here, we are voting for President of the United States. ... Dr. Dobson needs to realize that he's not the conscience of the entire Christian community

[Full disclosure from me, the humble editor of The Daily Fred: I'm a Christian. Baptized in the same denomination as Fred, in fact, not that it matters. I could vote for any of the following and not think for a second that I was doing something "unChristian" - Giuliani, McCain, Romney, Gingrich, Tancredo, Hunter, Brownback, Huckabee, Gilmore, Thompson, the other Thompson, and anyone else running for the GOP nomination. Even Hagel if he runs. We're not voting for whose the "most Christian," or whose personal faith and expression thereof most resembles mine or makes me feel good. We're voting for someone to lead the government and keep the Islamic wackos on the run.]

...The Nation looks at "the Thompson effect" on the polls.

...Joe Gandleman ponders if Fred really could win the GOP nomination.

...Mark Sheldon at IlliniPundit says Thompson's Senate vote against tort reform actually was the conservative thing to do. Sheldon:

Thompson’s position is that Washington shouldn’t be telling the states what should happen in their courts, and to a certain extent, Washington shouldn’t be telling juries how to hand down verdicts.  Here is an item from the Washington post on May 14, 1995:

The Senate also rejected, 58 to 41, a proposal by Thompson to confine punitive damage limits to federal court cases. Thompson had argued that imposing limits on state court cases flies in the face of GOP efforts to return power to the states: "I would remind many of my Republican brethren that we ran for office and were elected last year on the basis of our strong belief that the government that is closest to the people is the best government."

You can argue against his position, but you can’t argue against it’s conservative basis.

That's an interesting take.

...Steve Simms, a Nashville motivational speaker, recalls an airport encounter with Thompson a few years back.