Fred Thompson Wows ‘Em At the NRA Convention
21 September 2007Jim Geraghty, NRO’s The campaign Spot
Going in, Rudy Giuliani was going to have a tall order to get a warm welcome from the NRA. Fred Thompson just made that harder by going up on the stage and giving a just about flawless performance.
He repeats the line about Americans sacrificing more blood for other countries’ freedom than for any other country; I can’t help but wonder if it’s a jab at the Washington Post for critiquing it and arguing the Soviet Union might rival that claim.
He got a standing ovation at his finish, and then he did a brief Q & A.
“Some believe that the Second Amendment has different meanings in different places, and that the gun rights of citizens in, say, New York City and Chicago can restricted more than the gun rights of those in Tennessee and Montana. Do you agree?”
Thompson responds with a deep, rumbling, slow, “Noooope.” Then he follows with absolute catnip for gun owners: “It’s never seemed to me to be coincidental that the places that have the highest crime rates tend to be the places that have the most restrictions on gun ownership in America.”
Asked about gun shows, he calls the “part of Americana… There’s always been an effort on the other side to go after something high profile or particularly vulnerable, an easy target, but I’ve always resisted that.”
Will he appoint an Attorney General who shares his opinion of the Second Amendment. “Yes.” More applause. “I think we’re winning on the interpretation of the Second Amendment. I have a complicated position on this: The Constitution means what it says.” He gets another standing ovation.
From my regular appearances on NRANews.com, I think I have a pretty good idea of what gun owners want to hear from a presidential candidate; Fred Thompson gave ‘em pretty much their ideal.
I would also note that perhaps Thompson ate his Wheaties this morning, because he didn’t seem tired or sleepy at all.
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