April 14, 2007

Definitive Fred

Stephen F. Hayes of The Weekly Standard spent four hours with Fred Thompson and wrote what may well be the definitive piece on the possible presidential candidate.

By the end of the conversation, two unexpected realities had emerged. If he joins the race for the Republican nomination, and if he campaigns the same way he spoke to me last week, Fred Thompson, a mild-mannered, slow-talking southern gentleman, will run as the politically aggressive conservative that George W. Bush hasn't been for four years. And the actor in the race could well be the most authentic personality in the field.

Cavuto writes about Fred's entourage when Thompson appeared on Cavuto's show last week:

One final footnote on Fred Thompson. It's a little thing, but it struck me and my executive producer Gary Schreier as we greeted him this week: He came alone.

Alone -- no handlers, no enablers, no key people, no any people.

Just Fred, by himself.

And Gary and I are thinking, hey this guy is tracking sometimes second in GOP polls for president.

For president! Of the United States!!

And we're looking for his entourage, his hangers-on, you know, the guy who holds his briefcase.

Another, his cell phone, still another his coat.

Someone who polices his words, advises him on statements to the press.

Nope. No briefcase guy. Or cell phone dude. No policy wonk or statement checker.

No people at all.

Get this: I had more people than he had people.

Which tells you something about Fred, I guess: The image things that seem to matter to others don't much matter to Fred.

Surely, I'm thinking to myself, this will all change if he runs for president. Even the loserest of candidates has loser lemmings. Lots of them!

But I wonder: Maybe Fred would be the guy who puts less stock in handlers and more in himself.

He'd be different, that's for sure. His people weren't saying that --- Fred was. Before he shook my hand after our interview and walked out of this building... alone.