March 12, 2007

Thompson Gets His First Frist Endorsement

With the growing rumors of a Fred Dalton Thompson run at the GOP nomination for the 2008 presidential race, it was only a matter of time before he started lining up endorsements. The first appears to be Bill Frist, his Tennessee colleague and friend, who announced on his blog that he wants to see Thompson jump into the race:

I believe Fred Thompson should run for President.

I've not talked with Fred personally about a potential run, so I am basing my thoughts simply on knowing him well, having worked with him in policy and politics everyday for 8 years, and knowing the people across America want a genuine leader who represents them.

Fred understands real people and they understand him. He understands the legislative process and has a strong bipartisan appeal, though he is a real conservative.

He has the experience of government service with a real appreciation for all three branches of government. He is a commonsense leader.

Bill Frist at one time wanted to be the Volunteer who volunteered for the race, but he generated enough friction in his term as Senate Majority Leader to push off those plans for at least one cycle. It's a shame that Frist couldn't make a better show of it; he has a good autobiography and an excellent presence on the dais. If one Tennesseean can't do it, though, Frist has no problem getting behind Thompson.

Does this help Thompson? I think it does. Frist may not have excited Republicans as a Presidential candidate, but he represents the center-right of the party pretty well. His endorsement may have influence on the one most important person in the equation -- Thompson himself.

TrackBack

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/cq082307.cgi/9387