Nuke: “We’ve known each other for some time now, and frankly I just can’t understand your support for the huckster. He’s a RINO who, if nominated, will totally destroy the Republican party. Populism is not conservatism, and this is the candidate you expect to unite the party and face the DemocRats in November???!!!”

He went on to tell me that he couldn’t in good conscience link back to my blog anymore, and that anyone who was willing to abandon the principles of conservatism did not deserve a spot on his blogroll.

Dang. I hate this.

I really do.

Having told myself a few months ago that I refused to lose friendships because of Primary politics, I realize now that I was wrong. And, if it means that I’m going to be de-linked at other blogrolls, then, fine. So be it. It’s a free country. Do what you’ve gotta do.

Please understand that I have arrived at my own preference based on my own set of criteria, and my own personal judgment of the candidates. I realize that many of my well-meaning blog friends do not agree with me, and perhaps they don’t realize that their comments are both condescending as well as insulting.

Since linkage and blogrolls are important to you, please understand that I carry my reciprocated blogroll on all five of my blogs. If you want to de-link me, ok, I understand. But, it’s going to cost you five links in return.

The ball is in your court.

Nuke

++++++++++

St. Pete Times is reporting a stunning development just 15 days from the Florida Primary, a “high level defection” from Ol’ Fred’s campaign. John Stemberger will co-chair Huckabee’s “Faith and Family Values Coalition for Florida.

“Gov. Huckabee is without question the best candidate to breathe new life and fresh hope into a nation and its people who are fed up with scandal, corruption and big-money power politics,” Stemberger said.

Here is Huckabee’s press release.

This is a blow to Thompson’s hopes, but it shouldn’t be much of a distraction as his campaign is “all in” for Saturday’s must-win SC Primary.

A quick check of my favorite sites across the rightosphere showed the consensus response of OF supporters, “Fred D. Thompson is the kindest, warmest, bravest, most wonderful human being I’ve ever known in my life…. ”

h/t RF8

The Democrat opposition is busy gathering up negative info to run on any possible Republican candidate, much as the Republicans are no doubt doing on the Democrats. Here’s a small sample of what they have so far (at least what they’re willing to show)…

Thompson’s unremarkable record in the Senate:
A scouring of the legislative website of the Library of Congress from 1995 to 2002, when Mr. Thompson was in the Senate, yields a total of five bills that became law for which he was the head sponsor. A sixth passed the Senate and was replaced by an identical House bill that was eventually signed by the president.

The bills include the naming of a post office and courthouse in Cookeville, Tenn., a private bill that granted permanent residency status to a young Bolivian girl getting treatment for cancer and her family and several other minor pieces of legislation. A quick comparison with Senator John McCain, his rival for the Republican presidential nomination, for the same period turns up 17 bills that became law for which Mr. McCain was the lead sponsor.

To be fair to Ol’ Fred, it’s hard to pass bills when there’s so many skirts to chase.

The Dems are also quick to point out the hypocrisy of Ol’ Fred trying to cast himself as an Outsider, when his record as a K Street lobbyist states the opposite…

Thompson, who likes to cast himself as a political outsider, earned more than $1 million lobbying the federal government for more than 20 years. He lobbied for a savings-and-loan deregulation bill that helped hasten the industry’s collapse and a failed nuclear energy project that cost taxpayers more than a billion dollars.

He also was a lobbyist for deposed Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who was widely criticized for endorsing “necklacing,” the gruesome practice of execution where gasoline-soaked tires are thrown over a person’s neck and set ablaze.

In September 1991, Aristide said: “The buring tire, what a beautiful tool! … It smells good. And wherever you go, you want to smell it.”
Lobbying records show that in 1991 Thompson called then-White House Chief of Staff John Sununu on Aristide’s behalf.

Aristide won Haiti’s first democratic elections in 1989 and was overthrown in February 2004, fleeing amid an armed rebellion and protests against corruption and other problems.

And, here’s another quick hitter on the “Outsider’s” K-Street career.

Plus, more on Terri Schiavo…

Fred Thompson has convenient short-term memory loss.

Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson gave no opinion Thursday when asked about efforts by President Bush and Congress to keep Terri Schiavo alive, saying he does not remember details of the right-to-die case that stirred national debate.

…”I can’t pass judgment on it. I know that good people were doing what they thought was best,” Thompson said. “That’s going back in history. I don’t remember the details of it.”

While working as a lobbyist that same summer, Thompson helped brief John Roberts about the case for his Supreme Court confirmation hearings.

In November 2005, Thompson even acted in an episode of “Law & Order” called “Age of Innocence” about a husband trying to disconnect his wife’s feeding tube over the objections of her family.

Of course, that’s not going to be a problem for Ol’ Fred, because as Cliff Kincaid pointed out, Fred has already flip-flopped on that position.

Oh well, what’s a few flip-flops when you’re the “consistent conservative.”

Cliff Kincaid’s piece in the National Ledger asks some important questions regarding an issue of importance to social conservatives. It’s another of the issues that requires a big gulp of Fred koolaid in order to be able to forget it. But, forget it is what NRLC, along with several of their state chapters have done.

“Pro-life” apparently doesn’t mean pro-life. Fred Thompson has received the endorsement of the National Right to Life Committee even though he doesn’t favor a human life amendment to the Constitution, didn’t favor Terri Schiavo’s right to life during his November 4 NBC “Meet the Press” appearance, and once lobbied for a pro-abortion group.

One conservative news service claims that Thompson has a 100 percent pro-life voting record. In fact, he got only 86 percent in the 105th Congress.

Even more significant, Thompson has now flip-flopped on one of the most important issues of our time?whether disabled people should have the right to life.

At a November 13 news conference at which the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) announced its endorsement of Thompson for president, NRLC executive director David N. O’Steen said, in response to my questions, that Thompson had provided “some clarifications” of his controversial “Meet the Press” remarks and that he now favors the right to life of disabled people like Terri Schiavo.

Even if Thompson somehow manages to explain this flip-flop to the satisfaction of pro-life voters, he still has some other matters involving life and death that cry out for explanation. …

This is quite a flip-flop. He went from calling it a private end-of-life family matter (which it was not, since Terri Schiavo did not have a terminal illness, was not hooked up to any life-supporting machines, and her parents wanted her to live and to take care of her) to affirming her right to life. But why didn’t Thompson come down on the side of life to begin with?

Why? C’mon, Cliff. You know why. It’s the same reason that Hillary Clinton will not allow her papers and records to be released. It would not be politically expedient. Just like Thompson who was a Pro-choice skirt chaser (you know, he had to preserve his options), but then settled down (allegedly), became a family man and decided it was safe to be pro-life instead. If there is one thing the consistent conservative understands it is a politically expedient flip-flop.

There’s more you need to read from Kincaid. Here is the LINK.

*FDTkd is a dissonance disorder which afflicts massive numbers of supporters of Fred D. Thompson’s Presidential candidacy. FDT koolaid is potent stuff. Initial outbreak of symptoms have been observed within 30 minutes of consumption.

Although there is no known cure, intervention programs are showing some promise. Most observers believe that the disorder will run its course in 8-10 years. (For further study, see stolen elections, and Diebold).

*Fred D. Thompson Koolaid Disorder

Stage One; The Mantra

Fred Thompson is the Complete Conservative…The only candidate who can unite the Reagan coalition.. … … Consistent on all the issues… … He can unite all three legs of the conservative coalition… … Fred D. Thompson is the kindest, warmest, bravest, most wonderful human being I’ve ever known in my life….

Stage Two; The Label

Anyone who does not worship at the altar of FDT is the enemy. He is a RINO, or worse, a Communist.

Stage Three; The Attack

Since other Republicans are not “real” conservatives, it is imperative to treat them as political enemies rather than political opponents. Rhetorical arson is encouraged.

Stage Four; The Ultimatum

If any candidate other than Fred D. Thompson wins the Republican nomination, it is your DUTY to either vote for the Democrat nominee and encourage other Republicans to do the same, or simply not vote at all.

Heh™ Check out Joseph Farah