The internets have been buzzing about Fred Thompson’s appearance on Fox News Sunday yesterday. The big news was Thompson lashing out at Chris Wallace for giving an anti-Fred! slant to his horserace analysis and then claiming that Fox News is against him. Generally speaking, politicians probably shouldn’t provide their own in-game analysis and instead stick to the tried-and-true “I’m just communicating with the American people -they’ll be the ones to decide.” What’s more, whining about media bias seldom evidences the kind of gravitas that a presidential candidate needs. Nevertheless, yesterday’s little spat with Wallace was a good thing for Fred. Even if it was an odd choice of terrain, Fred will benefit from showing the kind of fire in the belly seen in the clip above. People, even his supporters, question his energy and desire. This clip will help address those concerns. It was a bit like that spat Mitt Romney had with that Iowa radio host cretin who insisted on lecturing Romney on the tenets of Mormonism. It’s usually a good thing for politicians when the veil slips a bit and you see some toughness residing underneath. In other campaign news, Mike Huckabee has released his first serious campaign ad. As Allah notes, “Chuck Norris is a tough act to follow, which is why for ad number two Huck’s gone straight to the top.” With all the subtlety of sledgehammer, Huckabee pretty much declares himself God’s candidate.
In case Huckabee talking about the importance of his faith didn’t make things obvious enough, the ad’s first caption reads, “Christian Leader.” But wait – there’s more! Huckabee says in the ad, “I don’t have to wake up everyday wondering, ‘What do I need to believe?'” This is obviously the standard flip-flop charge aimed at Romney. What takes this spot into unexplored territory is the fact that the term “Christian Leader” pops up during this seemingly shopworn attack. Was the term “Christian Leader” supposed to draw a contrast between Huckabee and another candidate, maybe the Mormon one he was referencing when the term swept onto the screen? What’s most disturbing about this spot is it hits the Mormon angle with the same kind of elusive slickness that John Edwards used to go after Dick Cheney’s daughter. The Huckabee campaign has the same kind of plausible deniability with this ad that Edwards had after his debate with Cheney. Perhaps I’m just paranoid and all of this is just a strange coincidence. After all, the Huckabee team is new to running TV ads. Then again, it would be a very strange coincidence.
