Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson quit the Republican presidential race on Tuesday, after a string of poor finishes in early primary and caucus states.
“Today, I have withdrawn my candidacy for president of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort,” Thompson said in a statement.
Thompson’s fate was sealed last Saturday in the South Carolina primary, when he finished third in a state that he had said he needed to win.
In the statement, Thompson did not say whether he would endorse any of his former rivals. He was one of a handful of members of Congress who supported Arizona Sen. John McCain in 2000 in his unsuccessful race against George W. Bush for the party nomination.
Thompson was my “man”, but came to ‘dinner” a bit to late.
He would make a wonderful VP tho.. Hope, my (second man) will pick him.
Gloria
My thoughts exactly
advantage Romney.
Man, I really liked him. They said on NPR tonight that he took too long to get his sea legs.
Me, too, Andrew!
As a conservative “in both kinds” (fiscal and social), I had hoped to have the opportunity to support Thompson. But he never really seemed all that interested in running, although I think he had a lot of supporters like me. Now, I’m not sure who I, as a conservative, can support:
Romney–a candidate “late to the party” of social conservatism…and who seems to be, in appearance and approach, “Made, not begotten”?
McCain, a man with an admirable history of service to his country who has spent the last eight years attacking such conservatism as the current Administration could muster?
Huckabee, who I would support as the pastor of my congregation, or my personal trainer, but about whom it could be said, “What he doesn’t know about economics could fill a book.” (Indeed it does: every college economics text)? or
Guiliani, an opportunist whose qualifications to run the country began and ended on 9/11/01?
Sigh.
I’m afraid that we are in for four years under a moderate Democrat (HCR) that will evoke the Carter Administration. On the other hand, if you could turn down the volume, and his ego, her husband’s policies weren’t really all that more liberal than those of either Bush.
I just wish I didn’t find them both so personally annoying….
HRC isn’t Bill, even though he’d obviously be a factor. She’s far more radical than he.
KevinBabb, I think you’re shortchanging Guiliani. He does have a stellar record as a crime-fighter and was an effective mayor of a city previously thought to be ungovernable. And as to Romney’s conversion on abortion, it is logically defensible. He says he changed his mind, not that he never thought otherwise. To my mind, neither one is ideal; however, McCain displayed repeated bad judgment in domestic matters over the past eight years. There’s no reason in my mind to think he’d improve in the White House. I even question, although he is pro-life, whether he would appoint appropriate judges, since he would favor the kind who’d approve things like the McCain-Feingold limitations on free speech.
I’ll take either Romney or Guiliani. I lean towards the former, simply because I’ve read too many comments from evangelicals who insist they won’t vote for Guiliani. We seldom get perfect candidates, more’s the pity.
Now that Fred Thompson and Duncan Hunter are not running, there in not a candidate for me. I cannot find any reason to vote for any of the others. They are all unacceptable. I voted for the lesser of two evils in 2000 and 2004. Never again. This may be the first time for me to not vote.
TENTEX, of course you have to make your own decisions according to your conscience. A “no vote” by a conservative will be effectively a “yes vote” for the Democrat. It’s not what we like, but it’s a fact.
I’d like to second what Katherine said about Guiliani. Anyone who can reduce NYC’s murder rate from over 2000/year to about 300/year is no opportunist. What the nation saw on 9/11 and thereafter was the same toughness and strong executive ability that New Yorkers had seen for eight years as Mayor Guiliani revived the city’s fortunes after a disastrous four years under his predecessor.