Novak Does A Solid For Fred

Novak’s column in the Post today is all about showing conservatives that Fred Thompson really could be their guy.

I met Fred Thompson in 1974 when he was Howard Baker's 31-year-old minority counsel on the Watergate investigation. I considered him cool, careful and conservative. He still is, and that is how he would run for president, which appears in the offing.

I’m really wondering why Novak likes Thompson? Just because he was conservative in 1974 (which meant something different than it does today) doesn't mean he might not be a bit more wobbly today. This is a guy who has spent a lot of time with homosexuals and liberals in the world of theatre after all (I'm just assuming). I'm sure being surrounded by loose women, cocaine and Dick Wolf hasn't changed his opinions on anything since 1974.

I would have expected Novak to be a tiny bit more cautious in promoting Thompson. Novak’s column is doing two things really; one telling people Thompson could be their conservative candidate and the other saying he really is serious about running.

But it he? I kind of doubt it. I think he’s flirting with the media attention the same way Al Gore is. He wants to be drafted but he isn’t really certain he wants the hard work of running.

What’s particularly interesting to note is that Novak raises that Thompson’s already got a rap against him for what you might call “laziness.”

The rap is that he does not burn the midnight oil -- the identical criticism of Reagan. That carping may betray resentment that Thompson has emerged as a full-blown contender without backbreaking campaign travel and tedious fundraising.

Or maybe it represents a real concern that Republicans, after watching a distant CEO president (Senor Above-it-All) wreck their party, actually want to bring in a guy with strong opinions of his own and someone who will do the work of reading briefing memos. You would think that Republican donors, no less than Democrats, don’t want to hand a nomination, much less a presidency again to someone who seems lazy and isn't all that certain he wants the job.