Political Punch

Thank you Jake for such an articulate reporting of the facts of Senator Thompson's answer to a question. "Disdain for the process" has nothing whatsoever to do with his willingness to serve his country and to make a difference. Way back in March Fred Thompson said there were some things he would like the opportunity to do to help the country get back on the right track; and, he knows the office of the presidency is the best chance to work on those things. He cares deeply about the country and the people and wants to leave it better for his kids and all coming generations. We need him!

Thanks, Jake, for an honest treatment of Fred Thompson's actual words. I remember the days of Howard K. Smith (when I was a little boy); I also heard him speak in person when I was in college in the mid 1980s. He was one of the most fair and evenhanded newscasters on TV, and you would do well to imitate him. It looks like you're already well on your way!

Jake Tapper this is the first story I've read of yours that seemed fair. I hope I can see more reporting from you like this in the future. Just lay off the the non gotcha stories that you've done as of late. They make you look pityful when you bring up a gotcha with no real gotcha in it till you point people in a direction to try to get them to believe that there was a gotcha.

Great and fair reporting in this article hope to see more. Remember lots of people that are turning off Fox and looking back to who they used to trust in news. ABC news has a great chance right now to pick up people sick of lieing and word twisting for political purpose. You can either be a great and fair writer of news that will be respected or you can be the laughing stock of the world and be called a Fox wanna be. The choice is yours. You've proved your both! Now prove you can grow to be that reporter that reports with consistency and truthfulness and be the journalist that writes articles like the one I just read.

Fred Thompson is the best man for the job. See career politicians that dream of being president will say and do anything (just look at Hilary) so you really do not know where they stand. In Fred you see a man of integrity and honesty, the only negative anyone can come up with is he does not show the energy, well first if thats the only thing they can come up with then does that not show how solid he is.

As far as Ron Paul he is part of the Blame America First crowd, and I would not be surprised to find out he is getting most of his support from Libs trying to split the republicans.

So as a Country lets stand behind the best man for the job Fred Thompson. We need a man like him that will do the job of bring the country together and stop the lies that this country is liberal.

this country has more conservatives then any thing else the only problem is our press and teachers were take over by libs.

The press now push Huckabee because the figure he is the easiest for the libs to defeat in aa general election.

People of America stand up and vote your heart, Do not be bribed by lies of Free Healthcare or anything else, because nothing is free and definitely not free when a libs offers it. (Solution to Healthcare is Tort Reform)

Investigate the Candidates on your own do not go by the main stream media. nor any liberal Socialistic postings.

Vote for Fred Thompson for you will see he is the right man for the job, He is the only Candidate that posted he ideas straight forward, he is the only one that is straight forward.

Excellent article, Jake. This is exactly why I support Fred!

Jake,
Thank you for reporting a fair and accurate story. I plan to find a different news source other than Fox News for the coming year. I will be looking your direction more often.

I think Fred has the right attitude. He desires to serve as President and bring this country together to make the needed improvements that will Provide for future generations. He is displaying concern for military families and the desire to support our military and our veterans. He is committed to secure the borders. He has been consistent concerning his values, votes, speeches, we can look at this man and know that we can trust him to make decisions based on the law and the core values in the future rather than polls.

I dislike the irritating lies and bickering between candidates.
I dislike having candidates flip-flop on issues based on a poll. I am irritated by the biased press coverage.
I hate seeing millions of dollars being spent on campaigns that could do so much to help the people of this country.

I appreciate the ability to vote, the ability to study the candidates and make decision based knowledge. I appreciate the freedom to participate in the process but I agree with Fred I dislike the current election process.

We dont "WANT" Fred Thompson to be President !!

WE "NEED" FRED THOMPSON FOR PRESIDENT !

Fred Thompson will... Protect our Borders Kill the Terrorists and Punch the Hippies !!

Jake Tapper you are the bomb. Is there any way you can gibe Jill Lawrence over at USA Today a refresher course in journalism? I will be listening to your stuuf more from now on. You seem to know what you are doing.

I would MUCHprefer a passion to serve the nation versus a personal fire in the belly to be President...

I am GLAD that FRED THOMPSON being a moral, honest, and principled man would rather be CALLED to serve as President by the people, and his peers, versus being DRIVEN by a "FIRE IN THE BELLY" to fullfil some "life-long" personal ambition to be President as the media keeps HARPING at...

FRED THOMPSON is the ONLY candidate who has pointed out that during WWII the US spent 38% of our GNP fighting the NAZIs & JAPANESE IMPERIALISM & EXPANSION, and that in contrast we are currently spending less than 8% of GNP to fight the GLOBAL WAR against ISLAMO-FASCIST & JIHADIST who have been shouting DEATH TO AMERICA,killing serveral THOUSANDS of US citizens and soldiers in the past 30 years and secure AMERICA...

FRED THOMPSON is the ONLY candidate that has called to RAISE a "Million man standing Army" above and beyond current troop numbers TO FIGHT this evil, JUST LIKE WE DID IN WWII .....

FRED THOMPSON is the ONLY candidate again who has called for immediate enforcement of current laws and immediate building of the DOUBLE BORDE FENCE as already passed into law to stop illegal immigration & SECURE THE BORDERS NOW ! ! !

FRED THOMPSON is the ONLY candidate with detailed policies willing to take on the tough problems like Social Security for the future NOW...

FRED THOMPSON is the ONLY true federalist runnig for President who wants to give us more control to govern ourselves in our daily lives to the state and local levels as set forth by our founding fathers in the Constitution, and STOP the UNCONSTITIONAL hi-jacking or trampling of these powers by the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT....

WE NEED FRED THOMPSON FOR PRESIDENT IN 2008....

GREAT ARTICLE, THANKS...

Thanks for making the effort to find the truth behind the story and not simply looking for a catchy "sound bite."

Honest, unbiased reporting is too rare in this competitive, 30 second news market. Continue to strive for the quality of reporting that was common 40 years ago.

Much thanks to Jake and to ABC!!

Best bit of journalism I have read in recent times. Actually reporting the news and not editorializing. I hope to see more of your accurate reporting. Thank you Jake!

In looking at all the negative and positive feedback, on this piece - I see how "decided" people truely are. They no longer retain the ability to keep an open mind, and select a presidential candidate, based on the expectations they're about to fill. Qualifications? Attitude? Who's to say? Some of the very best presidents that have ever served in this country's history were men of integrity, honor and discernment.... not career politicians or men who are looking to accomplish a 'life-goal'.
Keeping the process simple and at face-value can surely purify any voters selection & final choice.

Let's go back to when the job sought the man and not the man sought the job. This could be clearly shown if our ballots had
"None of the above" on it. This election has brought back the saying "A pox on both both parties". There is too much lying, self-aggrandizement, and preoccupancy
with tearing the other individuals apart
rather then stating what the candidates
stand for or against and letting the voters choose from that.

Saying that you're interested in being president but that you're not interested in running is like saying they should just give him the nomination. Who expects to get something without working for it? This isn't the lottery. It's that kind of "I'd rather not have to go to all that effort" mentality that kept him from entering the race with everyone else, and that's kept him from rising any higher in the polls.

As I have said before and will continue to say, it's either Fred and Rudy or Rudy and Fred in '08. It certainly isn't those dem clowns.

Nice to hear a reporter actually report objectively for once. The process has been contaminated with journalist malpractice. Instead of reporter objectively, the media is trying to choose our candidate for us. They are constantly manipulating the truth to further their own agenda at the expense of the good of our country. The best candidate for president is Fred Thompson, hands down. He is the man with the most integrity in the race. He is a true and consistent conservative who will be a genuine leader, and not let himself be pulled down into the disgusting state that politics has entered in recent years.

Jake -
This is an excellent piece. Good job. It's called journalism and it really isn't hard for other "reporters" to do it right, as you have done. You are a clear credit to your profession.

People like you, Jake, should be running these news organizations.

Amazing. I might come here more often.

I thought that john caselli's comment that "George Washington didn't lust for the job either, just like Fred, he will serve if called" missed a big difference between how we elected our presidents in 1789 and 2007. First of all, notice the length of the process: the election is not until 2008! Secondly, the early nation's legislatures chose the Electors, not the various states' people at the bequest of their legislatures, as it is now. As a result, the process was much more informal and much shorter. The main thing that took time was the travel distance from state to the Capital.

So nowadays the "process" is so competitive (sometimes) that a person can't just sit back and be chosen on the basis of merit. Energy must be expended. George Washington was a general whose reputation was well established. He had no need to campaign.

Be thankful that few have a monopoly on power. The Clintons and the Bushes are enough monopoly for this nation, thank you.

George Washington didn't lust for the job either, just like Fred, he will serve if called. All the others, except Ron,want to BE president instead of DOING president. Jake Tapper has done a fair job of reporting, too bad he is one of the very few at ABC.

If Fred Thompson is telling the truth, then my whole clan will go for him as he's the exact opposite of Her Majesty Queen Senator Hillary Clinton who's been dreaming to be President since day-one of her marriage to Bill Clinton. What will happen to the great USofA if Hillary got elected and do the same thing as what Bill did - having an affair with a male intern? My God, help and save USA!

Thanks for a NEUTRAL report Fox! It's about time! Jake I applaud you to say what was unbiased. If more of fox was to do the same then the credibility of fox would improve!

I think we all know why we are disgusted with the process. I support Fred and I will but I am afraid not many will understand considering how the process has become so messed up!

Good Luck Fred and all USA and thanks Jake!

I am glad to hear that Fred is not caught up in the process. I think he would make a good president - and we need someone that can hold power lightly with an open palm. The alternative, Her Majesty the Queen Senator Clinton, is not above anything to get that power - and the other republican candidates seem to be moving to her mold to get the power for themselves!

Go Fred! I will support you!

Fred gets cranky when you wake him from his nap. Leave him alone and he'll leave you alone.

I'm SOOOOOO sick of hearing how we need a president who will take us in a NEW direction. I'm pretty proud of the course we have chartered during my lifetime. The best part is - I get the FREEDOM to choose my direction. That is Thompson's endearing ambitions - more freedom for ME to build MY life and achieve my dreams which makes room for OTHERS to build theirs. ROCK ON FRED!

This guy wants the presidency served up to him on a platter, because he thinks the country should trust his own belief that he'll make a good chief.
But if he'd rather run away from the process of getting there, how does he plan to handle international politics, negotiations and the like, which is as much about process as the eventual outcome? Just whip out his six-shooter and threaten everyone who doesn't come around to his position in 5 seconds?
The only difference between a dictatorship and a democracy is how the decisions are arrived at. If Fred wants to be a regal chief, he's in the wrong country. Things are done differently around these parts.

" WERE ARE THE PRO LIFE'S RUNNING FOR
THE HOTSEAT??/?

Of course Thompson has disdain for the process; his disdain for those he would govern is equally strong. And his remarks equating the selection of a president to the selection of a spouse are nothing short of side-splittingly hysterical. So, by his standards, we should be shopping for a trophy chief executive at least 30 years younger than the average voter?

Why would anyone think Fox News is actually "fair and balanced"? They are trying to exclude the candidate with the largest single day fundraising total in presidential election history from their New Hampshire debate... Ron Paul.

Kudos to ABC News for allowing John Stossel to interview Dr. Paul at length and posting it on the internet. They would do the country a huge service by actually airing some or all of these interviews.

Allan --

You never thought you'd hear FOX news twist the facts? Like they do repeatedly every single night? LOL! You deserve to be misinformed if this is the first time you've picked up on it!

FOX is not a legitimate news organization nor do they deserve any respect.

Great Article - but FOX is back at it. My email to them is below - I guess I'll start watching ABC again!
EMAIL TO FOX NEWS==============
I never thought I would hear FOX News twist someone's statements as maliciously as you did when you smeared Fred Thompson at the end of your noon (Eastern) news report. Fred's statement, "... I am consumed with the notion of what's going to happen to my kids, my grandkids and my country, and that that's why I was running for president" was clearly intended to emphasize with personalization that his focus is the well-being of the people of this country, not political games. You chopped apart his sentences - leaving the word, country, out completely - distorting his intent and misleading your viewers by portraying Fred as an old man who is uninterested in the presidency and only interested in sitting at home with his family.

Your contorted representation is without excuse. There is no connection between your report and the reality. No literate person could have mistakenly interpreted the meaning of his statements. This was plainly willful and plainly dishonest. If you think you viewers are the type to tolerate willful deception, or too dense to see through it, you are sadly mistaken. Either you are fair and balanced with everyone or you are not fair or balanced at all.

Even if you don't care about being fair to Senator Thompson, you had better start caring about being fair and honest with your viewers. And you had better consider how your dishonesty reflects on every other reporter and commentator affiliated with FOX. No one watches FOX to be lied to. You owe it to them to make it right.

Wow, Jake, you actually did the research and reported the facts instead of taking out the list of old tired "Fred facts" (which are fiction) and choosing 3 or 4 to flesh out in some snide make-it-up- as- you- go manner and twisting a couple of truncated quotes. How do you ever propose to get your Jason Blair/Dan Rather Award for Journalistic Creativity? Good going, guy, hope to see more of you.

THANK YOU JAKE..FOR SHOWING THE TRUTH AND NOT BEING AFRAID TO DO SO!

It is refreshing to see there are still honest reporters out there like you that show the truth for a change. And to show that Fred does get it!

thank you Jake!

GO FRED!

Thank you Jake. I appreciate you taking some of your unethical media peers to task. That is the type of writing that our forefathers had in mind. Like Fred, you are honest and it will rile some people up.

THANK YOU for trying to set the record straight! YOU are a fair and balanced journalist!

Jake, if this sort of fairhanded reporting keeps up, general faith in the media might be restored.

Thank you.

Jake, conservatives are more than happy to give reporters from mainstream media outlets an "attaboy" when they report fairly, as you have done in this report.

Thanks.

Thank you ABC and Jake Tapper for a refreshingly honest report.

Your grandpa would have voted for Ron Paul if he were stuck with this line-up and the recent doings in the GOP - his being a once-Libertarian puts him the closest to being an honest Republican of old, rather than this new "conservative" nonsense that really represents religious interests. I may not agree with Paul's every stance, but he does, in fact, represent what the GOP USED to be, and I miss it. If he wins, so does our Constitution!

The reporting on this story is not good. The headline makes it sound like Fred Thompson is dropping out of the race and then the actual quote is very different.

However, this is just an ad hominem attack by Fred Thompson against the other candidates. He would portray himself as above the fray, called to action, when he has as much a political being as any other candidate.

Fred Thompson would do better to discuss his actual qualifications for the job rather than trying to be coy while attacking his opponents.

I'm sure his comments were well meant, but I have to admit that our current President didn't have a lot of interest in the job at first, and that was reflected in his pre-9/11 attitudes. I think a "healthy" preoccupation with wanting to be President (whatever that is) would be best. I want someone that wants to put the country on a new direction (which will take a lot of work).

That's right...those with the "fire-in-the-belly" are NOT the right people for the job; that's what George Washington would have said. Washington himself did not want to be President; he had to be talked into it - asked by others - and that's WHY they trusted him to do the job, because he didn't want it. I am currently planning to vote for Ron Paul, but this statement of Fred Thompson's is quite nice to read; it's the sort of thing that makes one look at one's choices all over again. Perhaps they could get together on a ticket...?

BULLY! IT'S REFRESHING TO HEAR SOMEONE HONEST, WITH NO AGENDA! I WOULD VOTE FOR A MAN LIKE THIS IN A HEARTBEAT. PLEASE KEEP ON RUNNING FRED, WE NEED YOU!!!

Jake,

Nice job on this article. Fred's attitude and feeling regarding the awesome responsibility of becoming and being our President is absolutely balanced. This is one of the few articles that explained that balance properly. No one who really understands the responsibility would really WANT the job of President. Fred got into the race because enough people told him they thought he was the right man at the right time - and Fred agreed. The question is whether enough other people are going to figure that out.

"He also said -- and this isn't new -- that those who have had fire-in-the-belly for the job for the job aren't necessarily the people who should be entrusted with the job."

Huh?

wow , at last a mainstream news organization accurately reporting the news and not editorializing .......thnx ABC !