As for rediculous immigration stance, I suppose building a wall is the only ‘credible’ response to what should be done?

McCain has the consistent conservative voting record if truly “record trumps rhetoric”. As well, McCain has the best assembled campaign team.

These are just bumps along the path.

Then you have John McCain and you don’t really know where is at. Well, aside from the downward direction his campaign is headed in.

Bottom line is, Fred Thompson isn’t Ronald Reagan and neither are any of the others, and I bet there never will be another Reagan. But, I do believe Fred Thompson is by far the best candidate we have got. He’s a straight shooter, a conservative, and a great candidate.

AMEN TO THAT!

ChrisHC is right. FT and the others are joined with a failed war that, by October, will be conclusively a lost proposition. How do they all explain staying on board this far out and so close to the day of reckoning?

Ron Paul looks more and more like what the USA needs than any of this crew of corporatist shills, FT incuded.

Having a macho image and a deep voice alone just doesn’t cut it. Sure, it works for the masses, but YET another disastrous presidency may send us over the cliff.

Unless a GOP candidate makes a clear and forceful break with the Gawdawful Bush neocon gang, a LOT more than 50% of the American people are not going to trust him with the office.

It’s WAY past time for some other than Hagel and Gingrich to speak bluntly about the disaster that was the GOP 100% control of government, otherwise we get 67% Dem control, leaving only the SCOTUS in GOP hands.

After 2006, why are so many in the GOP still clueless and in denial? Why are they begging for a wipe-out that will spill over into the “red” states?

I think it’s still too early. Fred has not made any debates, any major speeches, any platform, etc. Just like Giuliani and his initial soaring numbers, he’s the flavor of the week. Once the voters see him and learn more about him his numbers will drop back down to terrestrial levels and the race will get back to neck and neck.

There are stories that Fred is heading to the UK to get blessings from the Iron Maiden and to build foreign policy credentials. This looks a little weak when you have to go elsewhere to build up the resume.

Let’s let him particiapte in a couple debates before we tell the other candidates to pack things in.

The last thing we need is to work so hard at avoiding proper descernment in the primaries that we end up with another GW Bush.

A poll is just a snapshot and the race for the White House is a long marathon.

Just so you can relate a little with reality. At different times in other open races, some of the front runners who did not win their party nomination included: Howard Dean (leading in 2004), Wes Clark (last unsuccessful draft candidate), Elizabeth Dole (she topped everyone in 2000), Lamar Alexander (early favorite from 1996), Dan Quayle (another early 2000 favorite)… need I say more?

The Reagan that ran for office was a conservative who espoused conservative positions that the status quo was uncomfortable with but that the general public supported. Thompson is no Reagan. There is no popular appetite to ban embryonic stem cell research or overturn Roe v Wade.

The issues that conservatives are choosing to define themselves on now (the aforementioned + unconditional support for the War in Iraq) aren’t just out of favor with media elites (like Reagan) but also are massively unpopular with the general population as a whole (unlike Reagan).

Since Thompson is essentially an empty suit that could be a vehicle for anything he wants, it’s either bizarre that he’s pushing himself so far to the right (when he doesn’t need to) or an indictment of how hard it is for a more mainstream candidate to emerge from a Republican primary.

That’s my $.02.