12 | January | 2008

Including the New York Times?!

John and Ann Berenberk dutifully watched the umpteenth Republican presidential debate on television on Thursday night and had an epiphany. It was about the candidate they had previously referred to as the tall, silent one. Fred D. Thompson.

The last of the candidates to enter the race, Mr. Thompson, 65, a former Tennessee senator, has so far seemed to distinguish himself mainly by a laconic style that has made him almost invisible beside the others on the stage in past debates, the Berenberks said.“But then last night — we hadn’t even been thinking about him — all of a sudden it was clear he was the one,” said Mr. Berenberk, a retired teacher. “The bluntness, the forcefulness. He was really impressive.”

Thompson is making the same points he has been making throughout his campaign; that he is the one candidate voters can trust “to be a strong, consistent conservative”, but now, because of his impressive debate performance, people are finally taking notice.

Jim Sickles, a retired corrections officer; Natalie Bankowski, an office manager; and Maryanne Gasper, who said she was “a waitress, with two other jobs,” were among a dozen people randomly interviewed who said they had been undecided or leaning toward other Republican candidates — mainly Mr. Huckabee — until Thursday night.

Sirita Long, a construction forewoman from Moncks Corner, “He’s a straight-up shoot-from-the-hip guy,” said Ms. Long, who said she had been leaning toward Mr. McCain until the debate. “I could see him staring down our enemies.”

I’m looking forward to the next poll to come out of South Carolina. I fully expect Fred to be moving out of fourth place.

More Fred News:

Michelle Malkin:

Fred responds to Huck’s Metamucil crack: “Potty humor”

Hat tip: Peter Robinson, The Corner

UPDATE (January 12):

Excellent News!

Liberocky at AOSHQ is reporting (via Instapundit) that Fred is surging in SC. He’s speaking to over capacity crowds, and is close to making $1 mil by tomorrow, (Monday).

Go Fred!

UPDATE (January 14):

Fred! did it!!11!

Sweet sweet schadenfreude:

Blumenthal, an unpaid senior adviser to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, was arrested in Nashua on the eve of the and charged with aggravated DWI, according two members of the Nashua police force.

Sgt. Mike Masella, one of the arresting officers, said the movements of a Buick caught his eye. “I observed all his erratic driving,” Masella said. “When I first noticed him it was at an intersection. He abruptly stopped. That caught my eye … He was drifting in his lane.” Masella followed the car, a rental, for a mile and a half, and clocked its speed at 70mph in a 30mph zone–more than twice the legal limit. Masella pulled the car over at 12:30 a.m. Monday morning. Blumenthal told the officer he was returning to his hotel from a restaurant in Manchester. After declining to take a Breathalyzer, Masella says, Blumenthal failed a field sobriety test. Blumenthal was handcuffed, booked, had his fingerprints taken and was held for four hours–standard operating procedure in such arrests in New Hampshire–before posting bail and being released.

Lucianne quips:

Police say he was a “perfect gentleman.” That’s before they Googled “Troopers.”

You may remember Blumenthal as Hillary’s attack dog and partner in crime during the Clinton White House days. He helped Hillary manage the Bimbo eruptions, and is credited with dispatching the troopers who were telling stories about bubba’s Arkansas days. He famously wrote an article in The New Yorker accusing the troopers of their own transgressions, such as attempted fraud, marital infidelity, and yes, drunk driving.

You may also remember Blumenthal as the man who wrote an article last year called, The President, The Stripper, And The Attorney General:

In 1996, Governor George W Bush received a summons to serve on a jury, which would have required his admission that 20 years earlier he had been arrested for drunk driving. Already planning his presidential campaign, he did not want this information made public. His lawyer made the novel argument to the judge that Bush should not have to serve because “he would not, as governor, be able to pardon the defendant in the future”. (The defendant was a stripper accused of drunk driving.) The judge agreed, and it was not until the closing days of the 2000 campaign that Bush’s record surfaced.

Well Syd, it was thirty years ago for W; for you it was last week, and it was aggravated.

Schadenfreude.

Hat Tip: Lucianne

UPDATE (Jan. 13):

The mugshot: