wgadget
09-22-2007, 07:17 PM
Thompson's campaign plagued by errors
By: Mike Allen
September 21, 2007 04:43 PM EST
Fred Thompson’s folksy candor, which his advisers had thought would be a priceless asset to his late-breaking presidential campaign, instead has sometimes produced a comedy of errors that has forced his long-suffering aides to patiently amplify and correct his vague pronouncements.
For two straight weeks, he has been plagued by gaffes and missteps — from saying that Osama bin Laden is “more symbolism than anything else” and should get due process of law if captured, to announcing he would attend a debate that, unbeknownst to his campaign, had been canceled long ago.
According to Republicans familiar with the fundraising of the major Republican campaigns, Thompson looks likely to come in third on the money list behind Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney, although ahead of the struggling John McCain.
Nevertheless, one incredulous critic is maintaining a “Thompson’s Gaffe-a-Day Calendar” to memorialize the sayings of candidate Thompson. Thompson’s bill of particulars:
•In South Carolina, a heavily Baptist state, he told reporters at his first campaign stop that he rarely goes to church: “I attend church when I’m in Tennessee. I’m in McLean [Va.] right now.”
•He told a woman at a South Carolina rally that he doesn’t plan to talk widely about his relationship with God on the campaign trail, according to Bloomberg news service.
•In Greenville, S.C., when asked if bin Laden should be immediately killed after his capture, he said: "No, no, no. We’ve got due process to go through.” In trying to fix that, his campaign told Politico that first the government should get as much information as possible, and told AP that he meant “the same rules ought to apply to him as to everyone at Guantanamo Bay.”
•In Florida, where the Terri Schiavo feeding-tube case was a cause celebre two years ago, Thompson told the Tampa area’s Bay News 9 that he couldn’t pass judgment and added: “That’s going back in history. I don’t remember the details of it.”
•In the same television interview, Thompson punted on the issue of hurricane property insurance, a huge local issue, by saying he doesn’t “know all the facts surrounding that case.”
•He also looked ill-prepared when The Associated Press reported from Tallahassee: “Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson seemed taken by surprise when asked Tuesday about oil drilling in the Everglades, apparently unaware it’s been a major Florida issue."
• NBC’s “First Read’ reports that when Thompson was asked Thursday about Louisiana’s “Jena Six” protest of Old South racism on his way into a San Antonio fundraiser, he replied: “I don't know anything about it."
•Thompson’s campaign said he was looking forward to an Oct. 14 debate in New Hampshire, but ABC News had canceled it in order to stay within party guidelines.
One setback, at least, was not directly self-inflicted. James Dobson, the influential Christian radio host, said in an e-mail to supporters that he won’t support Thompson because he has “no zeal” on key social issues.
The Politico’s Jonathan Martin contributed to this report.
By: Mike Allen
September 21, 2007 04:43 PM EST
Fred Thompson’s folksy candor, which his advisers had thought would be a priceless asset to his late-breaking presidential campaign, instead has sometimes produced a comedy of errors that has forced his long-suffering aides to patiently amplify and correct his vague pronouncements.
For two straight weeks, he has been plagued by gaffes and missteps — from saying that Osama bin Laden is “more symbolism than anything else” and should get due process of law if captured, to announcing he would attend a debate that, unbeknownst to his campaign, had been canceled long ago.
According to Republicans familiar with the fundraising of the major Republican campaigns, Thompson looks likely to come in third on the money list behind Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney, although ahead of the struggling John McCain.
Nevertheless, one incredulous critic is maintaining a “Thompson’s Gaffe-a-Day Calendar” to memorialize the sayings of candidate Thompson. Thompson’s bill of particulars:
•In South Carolina, a heavily Baptist state, he told reporters at his first campaign stop that he rarely goes to church: “I attend church when I’m in Tennessee. I’m in McLean [Va.] right now.”
•He told a woman at a South Carolina rally that he doesn’t plan to talk widely about his relationship with God on the campaign trail, according to Bloomberg news service.
•In Greenville, S.C., when asked if bin Laden should be immediately killed after his capture, he said: "No, no, no. We’ve got due process to go through.” In trying to fix that, his campaign told Politico that first the government should get as much information as possible, and told AP that he meant “the same rules ought to apply to him as to everyone at Guantanamo Bay.”
•In Florida, where the Terri Schiavo feeding-tube case was a cause celebre two years ago, Thompson told the Tampa area’s Bay News 9 that he couldn’t pass judgment and added: “That’s going back in history. I don’t remember the details of it.”
•In the same television interview, Thompson punted on the issue of hurricane property insurance, a huge local issue, by saying he doesn’t “know all the facts surrounding that case.”
•He also looked ill-prepared when The Associated Press reported from Tallahassee: “Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson seemed taken by surprise when asked Tuesday about oil drilling in the Everglades, apparently unaware it’s been a major Florida issue."
• NBC’s “First Read’ reports that when Thompson was asked Thursday about Louisiana’s “Jena Six” protest of Old South racism on his way into a San Antonio fundraiser, he replied: “I don't know anything about it."
•Thompson’s campaign said he was looking forward to an Oct. 14 debate in New Hampshire, but ABC News had canceled it in order to stay within party guidelines.
One setback, at least, was not directly self-inflicted. James Dobson, the influential Christian radio host, said in an e-mail to supporters that he won’t support Thompson because he has “no zeal” on key social issues.
The Politico’s Jonathan Martin contributed to this report.