Fred Thompson Endorse Va. Sen. Ken Cuccinelli for Va. AG

Former GOP presidential candidate and United States Senator Fred Thompson announced his support this week of State Senator Ken Cuccinelli for the Republican Nomination for Attorney General of Virginia. In his endorsement, Senator Thompson said: "...one candidate stands out as the person dedicated to the First Principles on which our nation was founded. That candidate, Ken Cuccinelli, is the best choice for all citizens of Virginia to serve as the chief legal authority for the coming four years."

Thompson continued: "At a time in our nation when fundamental, Constitutional rights and protections are often ignored and twisted theories are contrived to circumvent the clear mandates of our founding documents, Virginia needs an Attorney General grounded in his faith and adherence to the core principles. Ken Cuccinelli is the person best suited to accomplish this for Virginia."

"We at FredPAC strongly endorse Ken Cuccinelli for Attorney General and urge all Virginians, regardless of Party or political persuasion, who value individual liberty and constitutional government to support his campaign."

Coming off a series of fundraisers held last week by former Arkansas Govenor Mike Huckabee, the Cuccinelli for Attorney General campaign has continued to build momentum as it nears the state convention on May 30th, in Richmond.
Reacting to the endorsement, Senator Cuccinelli said "I am humbled to receive the support of such a great leader as Fred Thompson. I am proud of all the support we have received spanning the Commonwealth, from unit chairmen to precinct captains to newcomers in the political process from every part of Virginia, all this support points to a winning effort in May and November."

Recap of the 2008 RNC Convention

From my perspective, the RNC Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul was much more successful than anticipated , especially following the "drama" in Denver. Kudos to Convention President and CEO Maria Cino and her staff who have been working in Minnesota for 18 months to prepare for this week.

My Top 5 highlights of the week:

No. 5 -- The Stage: Loved the simplicity of the stage, especially after seeing all the "fluff" in Denver the week prior. No gothic pillars, no fanfare, no loud colors -- just a simple stage and a BIG HD screen. A textbook example of K.I.S.S.

No. 4 -- Going on the Offensive Against the Media: It was nice to see speaker after speaker during the prime time speeches not beat around the bush when it comes to pointing out the obvious -- that the mass media are biased and liberal. It seemed to catch Anderson Cooper, Keith Olberman, Chris Matthews, and Tom Brokaw off guard.

No. 3 -- Mike Huckabee's Speech: Showed why he was such a force during the primary season. Extremely articulate, convincing and likable.

No. 2 -- Fred Thompson's Speech: Really did a fantastic job helping paint a picture of the character of Sen. McCain with a combination of humor and sincerity.

No. 1 -- The Speech: Still can't say enough about Wednesday night's speech. Only 1 million less viewers tuned in than the Obama speech in Denver (38M vs. 37M). It has been the talk of the carpool line, school pickup, neighbors, Irish Dance moms and dads, family members, et al. Even Michael Reagan wrote that he sees his dad in her.

You'll note that I did not include Sen. McCain's speech in my top five. He had a tough act to follow after Gov. Palin's night on Wednesday. McCain's speech seemed choppy in many places and the green background on the screen at the start of his speech made him look older than he already is, but he did put it together between 10:45 and 11:05 and ended nicely. He needed to get a C+/B-, which he accomplished -- not a "knock-your-socks-off" speech but also not a dud.

Now it's off on the campaign trail for both tickets, with the first debate set for September 26. Also looking forward to the VP debate -- Palin vs. "Plugs" -- on October 2.

Fred Thompson Hits a Home Run with RNC Convention Speech

At last night's RNC Convention "primetime" proceedings, former Tennessee Senator and GOP presidential hopeful (and Hollywood actor) Fred Thompson spoke to the Convention delegates and attendees, and America watching at home, about the character, leadership, and quality of Senator John McCain. He masterfully incorporated humor and sincerity into his 27-minute speech and left the audiences blown away (including me...).