Fred! announcing?

[Andy]

Fred Thompson (aka Fred!) pre-emptively cutting off the legs of media parasites who would want to dig up this dirt and sling it against him announced today that he has cancer (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,265271,00.html), and is in remission.

"I have had no illness from it, or even any symptoms. My life expectancy should not be affected. I am in remission, and it is very treatable with drugs if treatment is needed in the future — and with no debilitating side effects,"


A sign that he's about to officially announce he's going to run?

If he does, Rudy's toast in getting the nod for sure.

[MNeedham73]

Is it too early to keep my fingers crossed?

[tke711]

Probably, but I'd love to see him run as well.

I'm not even sure I'd vote for him, but he'd sure make things interesting and force other candidates to be a lot more honest.

[ethics]

Too many voters would think cancer = weakness.

[Andy]

There's got to be a new Fred-ism in there somewhere.. "Fred Thompson had cancer once.. then he stared it down until it gave itself cancer and died."

I'll give him this much, he's got charisma, intelligence and a no-bullshit demeanor.

All 3 have been lacking for quite some time on Pennsylvania ave.

[mikeky]

I admire his pragnatism:

But other people have a right to look at it and weigh in and I have a need to factor that into my decision in terms of the reaction I get of that," he said.

[Stiofán]

Hasn't hurt Rudy.

[Andy]

As seen on Leno..

:biggrin:


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[ethics]

Approaching this from a medical point of view, I bring you Medpundit:

This morning Fred Thompson, my good friend and colleague of many years, made it known that he has slow-growing marginal zone lymphoma - a disease that has never made him physically ill and for which he has a good prognosis, according to his doctor.

Could it be a this type of marginal zone lymphoma (http://www.virtualcancercentre.com/diseases.asp?did=750#What_is)? Seems likely (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/12/us/politics/12thompson.html?em&ex=1176523200&en=812b491fe3c1cd73&ei=5087%0A):

Dr. Cheson said he first examined Mr. Thompson on April 7, 2005, about six months after the former senator had noticed a lump under his jaw. Pathologists at the National Institutes of Health ultimately determined that it was a marginal zone lymphoma, which is an unusual type of a common cancer and affects the immune system.

Dr. Cheson said that he could have withheld any therapy for months because the cancer was slow-growing. But Mr. Thompson chose to receive radiation to the neck "because he did not want to have a visible lump in his neck given his high profile," Dr. Cheson said.

When enlarged lymph nodes progressed in the groin and other areas, Mr. Thompson decided "he wanted to get the disease out of his system," Dr. Cheson said. So in April 2006, Dr. Cheson prescribed Rituxan (http://www.gene.com/gene/products/information/oncology/rituxan/index.jsp?hl=en&q=Rituxan&btnG=Google+Search), a recently developed form of antibody drug that produced "a complete remission."

That would suggest a Stage III (http://www.virtualcancercentre.com/diseases.asp?did=750#Progression_of). We don't know if he had any symptoms that would help to categorize it further, but it's a less reassuring prognosis than what the news reports make it out to be. It isn't the most indolent of the indolent.

[Stiofán]

I think you are trying to find something not there. The doctors I've heard speak on it have described just as he did.

[ethics]

Sydney IS a doctor. Just one of many.

[Arc]

That would suggest a Stage III (http://www.virtualcancercentre.com/diseases.asp?did=750#Progression_of). We don't know if he had any symptoms that would help to categorize it further, but it's a less reassuring prognosis than what the news reports make it out to be. It isn't the most indolent of the indolent.

Yeppers.

[Stiofán]

Sydney IS a doctor. Just one of many.

Doesn't matter what anyone says in this world, somebody will always attack it. I guess that's just part of human nature.

I guess this guy is a doctor too......

A doctor for former Sen. Fred Thompson announced Wednesday that the possible presidential candidate was diagnosed in 2004 with a form of lymphoma -- a cancer that begins in cells of the immune system -- and that it is currently in remission.

"Right now, he has no evidence of disease," said Dr. Bruce D. Cheson, head of hematology in the division of hematology/oncology at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington. Many such patients "can live a normal life span," he said.

Cheson described his 64-year-old patient's disease as an "indolent lymphoma -- slow growing." (Watch the doctor talk about living "as normal as possible" )

Patients with this form of disease "can live a normal, productive life, often dying from unrelated causes," Cheson said. He described Thompson's prognosis as "very favorable."

The diagnosis was made late in 2004, when Thompson sought treatment for a 3.5 centimeter by 4 centimeter (roughly one inch by 1½ inch) lump under his left jaw and the biopsy came back positive, Cheson said.

Thompson was initially treated with radiation to his neck, "merely because it was bothersome to him to have a lump there."

"The indolent, or slow-growing lymphomas are very treatable, but rarely if ever curable," Cheson said. "Therefore, his likelihood of recurring is high, but this may not happen for a number of years."

Should the disease recur, Thompson could be retreated with chemotherapy, the blood expert said.

There are about 63,190 cases of malignant lymphoma -- also called non-Hodgkin's lymphoma -- diagnosed each year in the United States, said Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, in a telephone interview.

The disease causes about 18,660 deaths each year, he added.
Disease should not stop presidential bid

About Thompson's consideration of a possible presidential bid, Cheson said: "I would strongly encourage him, if this is what he wants to do, to go ahead with it. His disease and eventual treatment for this disease should not impact on his ability to perform this job."

Some 22 percent of people with the disease have the type of lymphoma that typically follows a benign course, Lichtenfeld said.

Thompson appears to have that type, suggesting that "his outlook is, in fact, excellent," he said.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/04/11/thompson.cancer/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Again, you'll always find someone who wants to disagree with any statement.

I have some experience with this type of cancer, one of my best friends from high school was diagnosed at age 31. He went through both radiation and chemo, plus it was some time ago that this occurred when treatments were not as good. He's suffered auto-immune effects from the chemo, namely some pretty bad systematic arthritis, but so far no relapses 16 years later.

[ethics]

Stio, the medical angle is really not that important to me. I just re-posted what Sydney added to the list. That's all. :)

Again, you'll always find someone who wants to disagree with any statement.

NO!?!

[Stiofán]

Stio, the medical angle is really not that important to me. I just re-posted what Sydney added to the list. That's all. :)


Have it your own way, but I'd rather think of you as one of those media parasites who would want to dig up this dirt and sling it against him, as Andy writes. :P

[ethics]

Sydney is a centrist, and she likes Thompson. Never assume. :P

[Stiofán]

I don't worry about Sydney, whoever that is. I worry about your evil soul.

[ethics]

Yes, pray for me.

[Stiofán]

Fortunately my brain is predisposed to prayer, and to pray for you.....maybe Steve is right, must be a mental illness!

[Stiofán]

Thompson takes the next step and announces formation of a Presidential election exploratory committee.

That is all.

[tke711]

Looks like he's planning to announce his candidacy on the 4th of July (http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=DCBA6912-3048-5C12-001E175D988ABC3A).

That should pretty much scare the crap out of all the other candidates, on both sides. :)

[jfcjrus]

Looks like he's planning to announce his candidacy on the 4th of July (http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=DCBA6912-3048-5C12-001E175D988ABC3A).

That should pretty much scare the crap out of all the other candidates, on both sides. :)

I agree.
I don't know an awful lot about this man, but I LIKE what I do know, which is more than I can say about ANY other candidate so far! ;)

We've got a LONG way to go to Nov-2008!
His entry into the game should make it, at least, more interesting.

Regards,

[ethics]

That should pretty much scare the crap out of all the other candidates, on both sides.

As of now, he will get my vote.

[tke711]

As of now, he will get my vote.

Me too, and I don't even agree with some of his politics. He's actually too far right for me, but at least he's no bullshit and calls it has he sees it. Which is something that is SOOOO missing from politics.

Edit: And of course, his liberal enemies will use the old "not another actor" line, forgetting that acting was/is really an accidental career for him. See his wiki page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Thompson) for his bio.

[Andy]

Thompson, the "Law & Order" star and former U.S. senator from Tennesseeit should now read.. former "Law and Order" star.. (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i7d307780238908794c651a30e62f8d1d)

and although he told me he has not made a firm decision about his political future, he felt that given the creative and scheduling constraints of the upcoming season, he asked to be released from his responsibilities to the show,It's looking like he's getting all the ducks in a row.

[Swamp Fox]

Fred has announced he WILL be running. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6708609.stm) Onto the breach!

[ethics]

Awesome!

Observers say he could pose a threat to all three of the main contenders for the Republican nomination, Senator John McCain, former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

GOOD! Let's have a straight talker instead.

[Andy]

Fred!

Now is the inevitable media witch hunt under the colonoscopy microscope to try and see if he beats puppies or rapes alien corpses in a closet somewhere.

You know, that MSM treatment no Democratic candidate will ever have to worry about.

I can hear Jack Cafferty's forehead veins bulging already.

[tke711]

Awesome!


GOOD! Let's have a straight talker instead.

Yep! And I would think that the other side of the isle is also scared shitless. Not necessarily because they are afraid of losing to him, but because he will call bullshit, bullshit.

Win or lose, having Fred enter the campaign is good for Americans. I can just see him now calling everyone on their doublespeak, generalities, and just general bullshit forcing the other candidates to actually take and fully explain their stance on issues.

[jfcjrus]

Yep! And I would think that the other side of the isle is also scared shitless. Not necessarily because they are afraid of losing to him, but because he will call bullshit, bullshit.

Win or lose, having Fred enter the campaign is good for Americans. I can just see him now calling everyone on their doublespeak, generalities, and just general bullshit forcing the other candidates to actually take and fully explain their stance on issues.
Good grief Sir, the necessity of adhering to such directness would absolutely cripple today's politicians!
(And I would, truely, pay money to see that!!! ;) )

I've been whinning that all this campaigning for Pres '08 a year and a half before the vote is crazy.
But, perhaps I was wrong.
Because if Fred enters, and does what we expect him to do, it could get VERY interesting, not to mention entertaining!
Ya know, if he survives the crucible, I think I'd concider voting for him over any of the other current contenders.

Platform: No Bullshit.
I like it.

Regards,

[tke711]

I guess he stated that he'll be running an "unconventional campaign". I can't wait to see what he means exactly with that. :)

[mikeky]

I think that means he'll threaten to kick your ass if you don't vote for him. Or if he's busy, get his second stringer Chuck Norris to do it for him.

[Biker]

I guess he stated that he'll be running an "unconventional campaign". I can't wait to see what he means exactly with that. :)

That means he watched Dean carefully last election and knows the power of the internet. That little tidbit he did for Michael Moore was done within hours of Moore giving the challenge. Imagine what he can do when he REALLY wants to make a difference?

[drntdrtydg]

Fred!

Now is the inevitable media witch hunt under the colonoscopy microscope to try and see if he beats puppies or rapes alien corpses in a closet somewhere.

You know, that MSM treatment no Democratic candidate will ever have to worry about.

I can hear Jack Cafferty's forehead veins bulging already.


Hahahaha OMG that friccan hilarious. Alien corpses.....
:haha:

[drntdrtydg]

I think that means he'll threaten to kick your ass if you don't vote for him. Or if he's busy, get his second stringer Chuck Norris to do it for him.

I bet it means he's going to use things like U tube and other inexpensive forums on the internet.

[Swamp Fox]

Hahahaha OMG that friccan hilarious. Alien corpses.....
:haha:

There was this National Enquirer story during the Bush Sr/Clinton election, which stated on the front cover that the Roswell alien met Bush and decided not to vote for him. Bush Sr, in a TV interview, was a good sport and said he felt betrayed by that friend. I guess that's why he lost the election - Clinton got the alien abductee bloc. :)

[Coot]

Fred reads GA. ;)

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[LissaKay]

Fredisms ... you want Fredisms? FrankJ (http://www.imao.us/) has Fredisms!

AWESOME FACTS ABOUT FRED THOMPSON (http://www.imao.us/archives/007449.html)

* Fred Thompson has on multiple occasions pronounced "nuclear" correctly.

* Fred Thompson has blasted more people in the face with a shotgun than even Dick Cheney.
He's Fred Thompson. You're nothing.
* The masked executioner of Saddam Hussein: Fred Thompson.

* Not only does Fred Thompson cut taxes, he cuts tax collectors.

* Fred Thompson is the only person to have ever bested Miyamato Mushashi in a duel. The reason Musashi is so vague about the book of the void is because the fifth ring of combat is really Fred Thompson.

* The reason Fred Thompson didn't want to stay in the Senate for long is because all the extra scrutiny kept him from doing his favorite hobby: Prowling the streets at night killing drug dealers.

* Every night before going to sleep, Osama bin Laden checks under his bed for Fred Thompson.

* Fred Thompson took over what was Al Gore's Senate seat, thereby dramatically reducing the Senate's carbon footprint. Fred Thompson then created carbon offset offsets by wastefully burning hippies.

* The Fremen consider "Fred Thompson" a killing word.

* Fred Thompson reconsidered running for reelection after 9/11 but later decided to handle things on his own. He was soon seen entering the Middle East with a bottle of tequila in one hand an a handgun in the other. They're still counting the dead.

* Though Fred Thompson left the Senate in 2003, Harry Reid still hasn't stopped wetting his pants.

(click for the rest (http://www.imao.us/archives/007449.html))


Lots more HERE (http://www.imao.us/archives/cat_fred_thompson_facts.html), with a new one added daily


My fav Fred quote (until the next one):

"A nation without secure borders will not long be a sovereign nation ... No matter how much lipstick Washington tries to slap onto this legislative pig, it's not going to win any beauty contests."

Fred Thompson: Comprehensive or Incomprehensible? (http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YjEzYTc5YjA2ZGNiZjlmZDJkMTllYmE4MjE3ZmY1OTY=)

This just in: see Fred! address a GOP Fundraiser from yesterday on C-SPAN tonight (6/3) at 9:30pm eastern

[tke711]

Fred's now got his official website up:

imwithfred.com (http://www.imwithfred.com/)

[Steve]

Here's my prediction:

Fred Thompson will be the next election's "Ross Perot".

[tke711]

Nah, I don't think he'd run as an independent. If he doesn't get the Republican nomination, he'll just be done, IMHO.

[tke711]

Wow...if this (http://www.townhall.com/blog/g/cca4e1a9-15c2-441d-830f-f01547bb1689) true, Fred had a great first day with his official website.

# Averaged close to 1,500 people per hour signing up as friends
# Averaged $12,000 per hour in contributions
# Raised more than $220,000 dollars via the website
# Seen just under half of the Friends send a message to others asking them to sign up or give.

[LissaKay]

Fred! will be Twittering too: http://twitter.com/fredthompson

[MNeedham73]

He was on Jay Leno last night. The more I read about him and hear from him, the more I like him.

I found this quote amusing:
"I often say after eight years in Washington, I longed for the realism and sincerity of Hollywood."

LOL, that's pretty bad.

[ethics]

If anyone wants to see the video, it's here. (http://www.news2wkrn.com/vv/2007/06/12/early-report-from-the-fred-thompson-tonight-show-appearance/)

[Andy]

Via Hotair..

Seems the DNC blog had to shut down their comments on the Fred! thread (http://virginiavirtucon.wordpress.com/2007/06/12/dnc-closes-blog-comments-after-discovering-members-agree-with-thompson/) due to.. *gasp* members actually agreeing with Fred.

Free speech is NOT alive and well within the Democrat Party. The DNC had to close the comment section on their blog post regarding Fred Thompson. In an attempt to bash Thompson, the DNC posted The Fred Thompson “Dummies Guide to Diplomacy”. (http://www.democrats.org/a/2007/05/the_fred_thomps.php) It blew up in their face.

Reagan Democrats.. then next swing vote??? :thumbsup:

[MNeedham73]

Hmm, anyone else besides me think this could come back to haunt him (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/11/AR2007061102078.html) at all?

By all accounts, Fred D. Thompson will soon be running for president, portraying himself as a Washington outsider on the campaign trail. But over the past three years he showed up every two weeks or so at a lobbying and law firm in downtown D.C. to plot how best to persuade Congress to help a British company.
His main assignment: to use his connections to then-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) to extract information about goings-on inside Congress and use it to benefit his multibillion-dollar client.
In exchange for this insider wisdom he was paid a cool $760,000.
Even casual observers of the presidential race know that in recent years Thompson, a Republican former senator from Tennessee, was a lobbyist between his acting gigs. What is less widely known is what he did in D.C.

[Andy]

If they're going to dig up things on him lobbying (which is perfectly legal btw.. well, at least if you're a Dem it seems) when he wasn't even in office, I have to wonder if he'll toss it back at them with the fact he probably spent more time in DC when he wasn't even in office than most current elected officials do.