Thompson in The O.C.

As a followup to yesterday's bit on the prospects of "Curly Sue" star Fred Thompson, here is his speech to the Lincoln Club of Orange County.

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Godspeed, Steve Fossett

Reports today say millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett has gone missing after going airborne from a private airstrip on Monday morning.

Fossett has set 93 Aviation World Records and 23 sailing world records in his various journeys to accomplish what no other human being has before. Most notably in my mind was Fossett's completion of the first solo non-stop flight around the world in his Global Flyer in 2006, assisted by a crew from my alma mater, Kansas State University.

Anyone who can spend more than 20 hours in any plane has the tip of my hat. Fossett was up in the air for more than 67 hours on Global Flyer.

The always intriguing Fossett has also broken 11 world records for gliders, of which four still stand today. Not bad for a former commodities broker.

Overall, Fossett has set more than 115 records in five different sports. He is also one of the most recognizable members of the modern Explorers Club.

Some people might think you have to be crazy to do the sorts of things Fossett has done. I don't necessarily disagree, but I can't argue with crazy in the name of human achievement, especially when the only people he puts in harm's way are himself and his willing crew.

But I think whatever the outcome of this current event, Fossett can be viewed as a positive figure rather than how some would characterize him: a careless, eccentric millionaire who pushed things to the limit one time too many.

It's no secret that Fossett has done so many of these things for his own reasons � "I've never tired from the satisfaction of getting to the top of a mountain" � but is a person of great personal achievement so bad a character for the impressionable to look to for inspiration?



Godspeed, Steve Fossett, wherever you are.

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From 'Sex and The City' to the White House

I'm not the best at keeping out of political discussions.

As much as I like to sit back, listen and absorb everything around me, it's hard not to get involved sometimes.

This was the case last week concerning Fred Thompson.

I seem to run in circles that don't understand how a former lobbyist and TV character actor has a snowball's chance in a bid for the White House.

Sure, you won't see me campaigning for him, but Fred Thompson seems to have the pedigree of a GOP presidential hopeful.

First and foremost, Fred Thompson makes a number of conservatives feel good, in much the same way George W. Bush makes them feel good about having a good-old boy type leading the country. It's also very similar to the way Ronald Reagan made conservatives feel good about America in the throes of the Cold War.

Take this recent write-up from the Mortimer Zuckerman-owned New York Daily News as evidence of the perception Thompson has built about himself:



"Thompson is absolutely pro-life, period, no waffling about it... He is solidly pro-Second Amendment, period, no dithering... He's a gung-ho war on terror man, a no-nonsense border security man."

In a race where Mitt Romney has been the toast of the anti-rights abortion crowd -- might I remind you Romney, until 2004, was at least somewhat pro-rights -- Thompson helps the populace paint the political portrait of America with generous amounts of black, white and nothing else.

Don't forget: Thompson has had his persona on display for TV viewers as varied as the millions who have watched "Matlock" to the devotees of HBO's "Sex and The City."

Let's examine some of Thompson's credentials with specificity:

-- Thompson, only a year ago, was a fill-in for radio wunderalt Paul Harvey. Short of going golfing with broadcast behemoths Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly and Hugh Hewitt, there are few ways to win over Middle America via association than helping deliver The Rest of the Story.

-- After serving as campaign manager for former Senator Howard Baker, Thompson was added as minority counsel for the Watergate hearing, doing his best to seem like he wasn't a lapdog for Richard Nixon. Well, maybe lapdog isn't the right phrase.



Examinations of Thompson's book on the subject, as well as testimonials from those involved, seem to point to Fred being an outright mole for the Nixon White House, letting the president's lawyers know when the committee obtained potentially damning evidence. Believe it or not, there are still people in love with Nixon, and when they hear this about Thompson, I can only imagine this tidbit has an effect similar to Cupid's arrow.

-- In modern times, Thompson has continued his defense of the undeservingly defensible with his push for pardoning I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney.

-- Thompson says immigration reform begins with "securing our nation's borders," as he stated earlier this year in a speech before the Lincoln Club of Orange County.

Thompson's had plenty of practice, playing everyone from himself to (shock) the President of the United States on film and television. After a few years of playing essentially the same character over and over, I imagine Thompson can convey (or fake) the needed gravitas one usually garners through decades of public service (or from having scriptwriters pen every word that comes out of your mouth).

I will not be the first to defend Fred Thompson, but I certainly see how his credentials have a lot of people happy they don't have to settle for the likes of Mitt Romney or Rudy Giuliani, or support a second-tier candidate like Ron Paul or Mike Huckabee.

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