05-13-2007, 03:12 PM
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#24 (permalink)
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Banned
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Okay, now we know that Fred Thompson is a serious candidate....it is reported that he went before the "higher body" and delivered a "secret speech".....what is it with this party and it's candidates? Do they really think that speaking secretly before a Bob Jones/South Carolina fundamentalist christian centric, secret political group dominated by right wing billionaires, will influence "moderates" to support their candidacies? Sheesh !!!!!
Quote:
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2...nough-meeting/
May 12, 2007, 9:17 pm
Fred Thompson’s Just-Secret-Enough Meeting
By Sarah Wheaton
Fred D. Thompson, the “Law & Order” star and subject of much speculation about his presidential ambitions, is practically above our head right now, speaking to a secretive group of conservative heavyweights and activists.
The Council on National Policy is so secretive, in fact, that they kicked us off the entire floor of the Ritz-Carlton here in Tysons Corner, Va., before we could even try to get in to the closed-press dinner where Mr. Thompson is speaking right now. The former Tennessee senator is considering a bid for the Republican nomination, and his current popularity in the polls —ahead of many of the declared candidates — is a reflection of both admiration he holds within the party and the base’s dissatisfaction with the current crop of candidates.
We did, however, catch Mr. Thompson in the elevator on his way up to a private meeting with a select group of the council. He declined to talk, saying he was at the “behest” of the group and its schedule.
Tonight’s speech was anticipated by some political observers as a second chance for the former Tennessee senator after a speech to Orange County, Calif., Republicans on May 4. Robert D. Novak, the conservative columnist, called the speech “lackluster,” and others criticized it as too low-key and plagued by technical problems.
An associate of Mr. Thompson said the speech was “completely different” from the Orange County address. It would focus on “the rule of law and how that comes into play in civil society,” he said. Mr. Thompson would also discuss his experience guiding John Roberts, now the chief justice of the Supreme Court, through the confirmation process.
As was the case before his speech in California, there were rumors that Mr. Thompson would announce his candidacy. The associate said those were not true, adding that the speech is “not political.”
A prepared text is not available, aides said, because Mr. Thompson speaks extemporaneously from notes.
Formed almost 26 years ago by the Rev. Tim LaHaye, the author of the “Left Behind” series about an apocalyptic Second Coming, the Council for National Policy includes high-profile figures representing the spectrum of the conservative movement, such as Dr. James C. Dobson of Focus on the Family, Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association and Grover Norquist, the anti-tax lobbyist.
Then-Gov. George W. Bush met with the group in 1999 to seek its approval of his primary campaign. Wary of the top-tier Republicans, the council heard earlier this year from Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas, former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas and Representative Duncan Hunter of California. In each, members found something left to be desired in terms of both politics and policy.
The group’s meetings, held about three times yearly, are highly secretive. Not only is the press barred from attending, but the bylaws also ban members from discussing the meetings beforehand or afterward.
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