December 30, 2007
Thompson: "Not Particularly Interested In Running For President"
AMES, IA – With four days until the Iowa caucuses, Fred Thompson continued his bus tour across the north central part of the state on Sunday, and he was asked to answer the same question he faced when he entered the race nearly four months ago: Does he really want it?
Yesterday several journalists traveling with Thompson wrote stories about a response that Thompson gave to a 'fire in the belly' question. According to a transcript of the answer posted on the campaign's website Saturday night, Thompson's response included this line, along with a longer explanation about why it is unfair to criticize his desire to president:
"I'm offering myself up," Thompson said. "I'm saying that I have the background, the capability, and the concern to do this and I'm doing it for the right reasons. But I'm not particularly interested in running for president, but I think I'd make a good president. Nowadays, the process has become much more important than it used to be."
For journalists following a candidate who has been fighting the perception that he's not all that excited about running for president, hearing that he's "not particularly interested in running for president" was understandably newsworthy. Yet the Thompson campaign took issue with the way that the media represented his response, specifically targeting this article on USAToday's website as selective and unfair.
The campaign quickly issued a response to the article on its blog: "It is clear that there are those in the media who will exact a high price for candor and from those whom they consider to be insufficiently ambitious. But it is with increasing amazement that we see that those who are willing to slant or leave out important parts of a story to make their point."
Today on the stump, Thompson wasted no time before addressing the ambition issue during his first stop of the day, telling a crowd of less than 100 supporters, "I dance to no man's tune other than my own."
"They talk about who's got the most fire in their belly and personal ambition and things like that," Thompson said. "And I say, 'Well, you know, I've got ambition. It's not personal ambition. I don't thirst for the name of president. I really think we can do some wonderful things if we work together, we could achieve the presidency, but by making it on that basis and not a personal basis it allows me to be freed up a little bit.
"I always say what's on my mind and do what's on my mind and speak the truth," he added. "I leave it up to the good people of Iowa to judge what the proper characteristics are of what you're looking for in a President of the United States."
(NBC/NJ's ADAM AIGNER-TREWORGY)
Speaking to reporters after his event he called Saturday's story "journalistic malpractice" due to the reporters' failure to put his quotes in context. Yet he said, "Overall, I think that, you know, I don't have anything to complain about. Have [reporters] been fair always? Of course not, but I'm sure other people can say the same thing."
Even in context his response from Saturday seems to do little other than bolster his reputation of being unenthusiastic, and surely the campaign wishes it could shift the topic of conversation to other issues before Jan. 3.
Speaking with NBC/National Journal on his bus after the event, Thompson indicated that his opponents' lack of foreign policy experience is something he has tried to drive home with Iowa's caucus-goers.
"[Huckabee] certainly doesn't have any foreign policy experience, I think that's evident and historically accurate," Thompson said. "I think we're going to be in a time that needs a steady hand on the plow, and somebody who knows the kind of world we live in today and the kinds of threats we face…I've been talking about this for some time now, and talking about it in Iowa. [Huckabee and Romney's] records are clear. They have things to offer but foreign policy is not one of them."
Posted at 08:56 PM
Comments
Very good, because nobody in this country is particularly interested in voting for him.
Janice | 12.31.07 01:09 PM
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I guess the media is not that interested in telling the truth. This is a deliberate misquote of Thompson. The full quote is:
"That is a very good question... Not because it's difficult to answer, but because I'm gonna answer a little bit of a different way than what you might expect. In the first is wanting the opportunity. I wouldn't be here if I didn't. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't. I grew up in very modest circumstances. And I left government and I and my family have made sacrifices for me to be sitting here today. I haven't had any income for a long time because I'm doing this. I figure if you're gonna be clean, you have to cut the [unintelligible] off. And I was doing speaking engagements, and I had a contract to do a TV show, I had a contract with ABC radio like I was talking about earlier and so forth... I guess one would have to be a total fool to do all of those things and to be leaving his family, which is not a joyful thing at all... if you didn't want to do it.
But I am not consumed by personal ambition. I will not be devastated if I don't do it. I want the people to have the best president they can have. (applause) When his talk first started it didn't originate with me. There are a lot of people around the country and both directly and through polls... liked the idea of me stepping up. And of course, you always look better at a distance, I guess. (laughter) But most of those people are still there and think it's a good idea.
I approach it from the standpoint of a deal... Of kind of a marriage. You know, if one side of the marriage has to be really talked into the marriage, you know, it's probably not going to be a very good deal for either one of them. But if you mutually think that this is a good thing — in this case, if you think this is a good thing for the country, the you have the opportunity to do some wonderful things together. I'm offering myself up. I'm saying that if I have the background, the capability and the concern to do this and I'm doing this for the right reasons... but I'm not particularly interested in running for president, but I think I'd make a good president. Nowadays, the process has become much more important than I think it used to be.
I don't know if they ever asked George Washington a question like this. I don't know if they ever asked Dwight D. Eisenhower a question like this. Nowadays it's all about fire in the belly. I'm not sure that in the world we live in today, it's a terribly good thing for a president to have too much fire in his belly.
I approach life differently than a lot of people. People, I guess, are wondering how I've been as successful as I've been in everything I've done. I've won two races in Tennessee by twenty points in a state Bill Clinton carried twice. I had never run for office before. I've never had an acting lesson, and I guess that's obvious. (laughter). When I did it, I did it. It wasn't just a lark. Anything worth doing is worth doing well. I've always been a little more laid back than most. I like to say I'm only consumed by very few things, and politics is not one of them. The welfare of my country, and my kids and grandkids, growing up, is one of them. (applause)
If what people really want in their president is a super type A personality, someone who has gotten up every morning and gone to bed every night and been thinking about, for years how they can be president of the United States... someone who can look you straight in the eye and say they've enjoyed every minute of campaigning... (laughter) I ain't that guy. (more laughter) [To questioner] So I hope I've discussed that, or I haven't talked you out of anything. I honestly want... I can't imagine a worse set of circumstances than achieving the presidency under a false pretenses, especially if you feel the way I do. I've gone out of my way to be myself, because I don't want anybody to think they're getting something they're not getting. I'm not consumed by this process, I'm not consumed with the notion of being president. I'm simply saying I'm willing to do what's necessary to achieve it if I'm in sync with the people. And if the people want me, or somebody like me, I will do what I've always done with everything else in my life. I will take it on and do a good job. You'll have the disadvantage of having someone who probably can't jump up and click their heels three times, but will tell you the truth. And you'll know where the president stands at all times."
MatthewN | 12.31.07 05:22 PM
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I really love their response... blame the media for reporting what someone says.. LOL ""It is clear that there are those in the media who will exact a high price for candor "" LOL. they are basically saying that they expect people to only report things when they knew it is a lie, because they don't want you to report the truth...
Steve Talbert | 12.31.07 05:39 PM
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I admire Fred for his honesty. I have always thought that anyone who truly desired the office of the President wasn't in the race for the right reasons. The job is a hard one and will need someone of his caliber to take on the challenges we face as a nation and get us back on track. I can completely understand his reluctance to express a desire for the office given the amount of personal sacrifice it will demand. No doubt that Fred has the experience and the ability to get the job done. That is why he should be running, not simply because he wants to be President. (or the first female, the first black in the office) The man or woman that we elect should be of the highest caliber we can get to step up and offer the dedication and committment that it will demand of them. It is up to us to disire the candidate in office and not for the candidate to desire the office. I am with Fred.
James Ballou | 01.02.08 02:52 PM
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