Rudy is still my main man, but I would enthusiastically support Mr. Thompson were he to get the nomination. Like Giuliani he is a former high-stakes prosecutor. He is well grounded in reality. He understands the dynamics of the current dire world situation. Misstating 1971 for 1979 re the Iran hostage debacle does not accurately reflect his understanding of the events that have shaped the current world situation, and my guess is that the misstatement was the type of slip any of us can, and do, make when talking about things with which we are thoroughly familiar. He is an actor, and like Reagan, would be able to communicate his positions to the electorate (Bush’s inability to do this has, I believe, done enormous damage to his effectiveness as president and war leader). I do, however, have some questions of him that I would like answered.
I rememeber well the Senate investigation into 1996 Democratic campaign finance abuses, some of which appeared at the time, and continue to appear, to have involved the sale of information to China that has advanced their military capabilities by decades to the detriment of our national security for campaign contributions to Clinton/Gore (remember Loral and the the Buddhist monk fundraiser?). Senator Thompson chaired that committee. Will he be tough enough to stand up to the Democrats as well as a hostile world? He was a campaign chairman for McCain in 2000, which gives me pause. And just how socially conservative is he? I don’t think anyone who embraces too tightly the religious right’s more extreme positions such as outright ban of abortion is electable.
For me, how the next president will perform in the interantional arena is the one make or break issue of the upcoming campaign. Mr. Thompson seems to have the understanding of the issues. I think he has the backbone. I can support him if he is the last Republican standing. I am not sure I can say that about some of the other candidates.
