Fred Thompson put me back to sleep: Tries to explain his "bunch of kids with IED's" comment
By John Amato Saturday Nov 03, 2007 4:15pm
I tried getting through the first half of Meet the Press with Fredrick of Hollywood, but I kept nodding off. Kinda like Fred did during his answers to Timmeh. Margaret Carlson sure gets fired up for him though.
Hollywood Fred says that now we have to stay in Iraq because of perception. PERCEPTION! Wake up Fred! This isn't a LAW & Order episode. Oh, and he thinks making IED's is child's play and they've demoralized us in Iraq.
THOMPSON: ...and I said, and I said—well, let me finish. I said the United States of America could not be perceived as having been run out of Iraq with our tail between our legs because a bunch of kids on the border there making improvised explosive devices...
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MR. RUSSERT: You made a comment the other day in South Carolina, said, “Fred Thompson said the Iraqi insurgency is made up of ‘a bunch of kids with improvised explosive devices,’ and suggested that the appearance of losing to such an enemy would harm U.S. national security.” As you know, we’ve lost 3,834 kids; 28,385 wounded or injured, 65 percent of them by these improvised devices.
MR. RUSSERT: It’s more than just a bunch of kids.
MR. THOMPSON: Yeah. Well, that’s, that’s not exactly what I said. I mean, I, I don’t minimize the fact that, that we’ve got terrorists coming in from Syria, from, from Iraq—I mean from Iran and, and other places, in Saudi Arabia, pouring in there. We, we have Sunni-Shia violence; there’s no question about that. I’ve never disputed that. Al-Qaeda, although I think they’re back on their heels now, still strong there, there’s no question.
What I said was, the—when I’m talking—I was talking about will and unity and the perception that we’re going to have around the world. The fact that friends and foes alike are looking to see what kind of a, of a, of a determination that we’re going to muster in, in dealing with this thing.
MR. RUSSERT: But you should not trivialize...
MR. THOMPSON: And I said..
MR. THOMPSON: ...and I said, and I said—well, let me finish. I said the United States of America could not be perceived as having been run out of Iraq with our tail between our legs because a bunch of kids on the border there making improvised explosive devices. The—as they’re going to recruit future al-Qaeda young men, they’re not going to get into the nuances of the various factions that are our enemy down there. They’re going to go say, “Look, you can do, you can do exactly what your brothers did. You can be a part of us. We brought them down. We brought the United States of America to its knees.” And, in large part, it is because of young people making—they call them improvised for a reason. I mean, they’re, they’re pretty low-tech kind of operations by people probably with not much education, and they can be taught to do this, and they’re causing great damage to us. And you go to places, Brook Army Medical Center and so forth, they don’t handle no one—nothing but burns and amputees, and you see what’s, what’s, what’s been done there. They’ve, they’ve, they’ve demoralized us in many respects. They’ve hurt us badly. There’s, there’s no question about that. It should not be minimized.
But the point being, these young people that I’ve talked to know what they’re doing, and they know that they’re doing something good for their country, and we need to understand that, too. And we cannot let the perception be, and the new potential recruits for al-Qaeda be convinced of the notion that these young people like this can bring us down.
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Even Nixon thought "Hollywood" Fred Thompson was an idiot.
Yet again, he goes out of his way to prove it...
I want 'Turkey Kneck Thompson' for my ReThug nominee.
My fukin' pekinese has more brains than this fuckhead.
And....
He was a Senator!
Why am I not surprised.
THE TRUE ‘LEGACY’ OF FRED THOMPSON: AN ACTOR WHO CAN’T PLAY A CANDIDATE ON TV
if it takes you a minute to explain one sentence youre in trouble..
Why doesn't everyone just let this poor SOB just rest in peace?
Someone can wake him up in Jan 2009 and let him know that "he didn't win!"
Then he can yawn and go back to being the non-entity he so richly deserves.
What does it say that our country has sunk so low as to seriously consider someone with this little qualification for high office...let alone the Presidency.
I just watched in three times and I STILL have no idea what the fuck he's talking about; furthermore I'm bored.
Reminds me of a classic scene from the Woody Allen movie "Sleeper" (1973). In short, it's a Rip Van Winkle-esque tale about a man (Allen) who falls asleep and doesn't wake up until 200 Years in the future.
In one scene, a technician in the year 2173 is showing Woody some 1970's artifacts that they've been unable to identify. One of them is a Howard Cosell video:
TECH: We weren't sure what to make of this, but we've developed a theory. We feel that when a member of your society was found guilty of a crime, he was forced to watch this.
A classic scene, and you could easily apply that same theory to everytime Fred opens his mouth. He almost looks like he's boring himself.
every time i hear a midwest accent talking about politics i die a little inside
Ya know what the coolest thing about old Droopy Dawg http://pierre.equoy.free.fr/blog/images/droopy-i-m-happy.jpg running for pres is? He's off Law And Order, and Jack McCoy will be the King of the Prosecutors.
Simon @ 7:
Thompson's from Alabamba, dude. He's a Southerner all the way. Hillary on the other hand...never quite shook that Chicago accent. :-p
Funny how the talking heads show will put on anyone in the race for the election,
but will perform acrobatic evasion to keep from putting Dennis Kucinich or Ron Paul on these shows. And Paul has outraised even the McCains, the Thompsons, and even Romney (adjusted for Romney's self-contributions)
the media must preserve the oligopoly.
every time i hear a midwest accent talking about politics i die a little inside
[Deleted. Personal attack-Sitemonitor]
Yea Simon, I remember that the hearses just had to roam the streets picking up bodies every time Hubert Humphrey used to go into it in one of his long speeches.
It IS incredible that someone as butt-stoopid as Thompson is still being considered a serious candidate by the press. I think everyone with a clear mind has given up on him, but there he is at the debates and on TV.
I think Freddie the Mumbler and Fumbler along with John McKrusty the Klown need to waddle to a bus and for the good of the country, GO HOME FOR CHRISTS SAKE.
I saw a Republican focus group on C-Span last night. Nine out of twelve said they would vote for Thompson if they had to choose between Thompson and Giuliani. Asked why they would do so, none of them could say with any conviction or clarity. Most of them liked and trusted Thompson but didn't know why. The Republican voter scares me.
His explanation worked for me the first time I heard it.
There are young guys over there as brainless as some folks right here, present company included, who are stupid enough to be recruited by terrorists...it's all very clear to all but the Darwin's Nominees'. Which reminds me to ask some of you, did you apply for your membrship awhile ago or are you newly recruited??
Those bunch of kids would make mincemeat out of Fred Thompson in a matter of minutes unless he had a bunch of other kids protecting his old dumb sheltered ass. He might just be more out of touch than any other Republican I can think of, and THAT's saying something!
We... getting run out of Iraq
has he got a mouse in
his pocket
heh...
Hey people. Stupid doesn't mean you'll lose an election. Case in point. Reagan. Case in point. Bush. Need anyone say more?
The Ghost of Mike Royko @ 11:
yikes..[Let's not feed the flames]...
gbear @ 12:
sorry theres just something about that accent and talking about important things that just dont go hand in hand...im being stereotypical..so sue me.
Layne @ 9:
alabama ,midwest,cowboy twang... you got what i meant [Deleted. Personal attack-Sitemonitor]...
The Mujahideen helped to get Russia out of Afghanistan, why would the US fare any better? I'm damned sure the Mujahideen don't believe Regan brought them down.
uneducated? dude - thats one of the enticing factors of joining Al Qaeda... broke kids get a chance to get an education. albeit, an education mired in propaganda and classical conditioning but still... your average Al Qaeda "kid" is doing immensely more unique and clever things with basic electronics and explosives than some dumb MTV watching, semi obese, alpha male wannabe from a typical American cul de sac.
Fred just lost any credibility he may have ever had, with me, with this comment. the um... the most unique thing, the truly innovative thing, about IEDs, is their availability, their ability to be camouflaged, their cost-effectiveness... for him to dismiss IEDs, when IEDs are actually one of the most innovative guerilla/military inventions in the last 20 years... idiocy. do *NOT* put this man in charge of my nation's military!
ridiculously dismissive.
Thompson does not want the U.S. "... run [ning] out of Iraq with our tail between our legs..." Has Thompson been channeling the ghosts of the LBJ administration with that comment? That is what people like Walt Rostow and McNamara and McGeorge Bundy and Johnson used to say in order to make the American people believe that the communists were about to invade the shores of San Francisco if the U.S. were to pull out of Vietnam. One wonders how many more Americans must die in another senseless war- perhaps 58,000?- in order to satisfy the blood lust of warmongers like Thompson. Apparently the motto of the Republicans is that nothing works on the campaign trial like trying to increase paranoia among the American people. "Into the valley of death" rode the 160,000. Let us see if the American populace, unlike 2000 and 2004, will finally come to their senses by saying no to this endless and unnecessary buildup to war.
"I said the United States of America could not be perceived as having been run out of Iraq with our tail between our legs because a bunch of kids on the border there making improvised explosive devices…"
I love when these chickenhawk Republicans talk about not "leaving Iraq with our tail between our legs". Combat dodging conservatives: Forever brave when someone else's lives!
Oh what a typical chickenhawk!
Quite a difference in Russert's approach and um...tolerance with Thompson's silly answers. He was loaded for bear in the Dem debate in Philly against ahillary Clinton. Timmeh is a tool of the right wing, and doesn't bother to hide it.
Winghunter @ 15:
In case you did not know, most of the people fighting the insurgency are from Iraq and are not associated with Al Quieda. In 2005 close to 95% of insurgents were non-Al Queida and from Iraq. The U.S. invaded their country. Many of them are not too happy about it. How would you feel if someone invaded our country? You know, the lesson you were supposed to learn in kindergarden, put yourself in the other person's shoes...? Maybe we should have asked the Iraqis if they wanted to be part of a great Democratic experiment before we went in there and tried to shove it down their throats. Heck, even William F. Buckley said invading Iraq would be a big mistake because we would be unable to reverse the tribal mentality that has been there for over 2000 years. Support the troops, bring them home. Will Iraq be a blood bath if we pull out? Yes. Has the Bush administration put our troops in an unwinable situation? Yes. Is it the troops' fault? No! Could we vaporize the whole country? Yes. Would that help us? No. Did the Bush administration screw up? Yes, big time.
Simon @ 19:
Simon - judging from your post at #21 seems to me you're the touchy one, and a hick too since you can't tell the difference between a southern and midwestern accent.
[OK we all get it. Simon made a mistake. Could we stick to the topic of the thread? Sitemonitor]
Thompson's through. (And I had such high hopes for him.) Hey winghunter@15 - you got it the first time, explain it to me.
Al Qaeda
After shrub getting in twice, I'll never again over estimate the judgement of the repugs. Fud Thompson's got plenty of repug mojo as far as I can tell.
[Deleted. Flame war ending now-Sitemonitor]
I really don't get why this guy is running for president at all. With Giuliani, Romney, McCain, Hillary I can see the ego-driver it would provide.. but Thompson looks so LOST.. he strikes me as the kinda guy who should spend his days fishing and mumbling about immigrants.
Mr. fred should just realize that he had his chance to convince the US that he was the second cumming of ronald reagan and that he failed miserably at it.
Time for him to go back to whatever he was doing before he partially woke up...
Ruthless People @ 29:
yawn
Am I the only one that had a flashback to the movie "Being There?"
Fred Thompson = Chauchy Gardener- except even more clueless.
Simon @ 36:
Sorry sitemonitor....now what was the topic of the thread?.....oh, that's right. Fred Thompson. Grandpa almost put me to sleep, no wonder I wondered off.....
You must realize that anyone under 60 is a young person to Thompson.
I gotta ask a dumb question. Was there some chemical used on the set of Law and Order? Some chemical that would cause boring behavior? I never saw the show 'cause I don't watch teevee (except for Mystery!), but isn't the guy he worked with the guy that started Unity 08? Sam Waterston?
it hurts my head listening this guy explain anything. I rather watch Colombo on a fishing expedition up the danube river. Really Fred, just give it up. Go back to your tea and whiskey, and playing a politician TV, at least there you had someone write you a script to follow. Seriously, I would not trust this guy making scrambled eggs, let alone attempting to run the country.
I could only take a couple of minutes of his boring blather.
I thought he was way over his head like w.
Fred needs to see the film Meeting Resistance !
Carrot and Shtick @ 22:
I'm with you on that! I said that it was a fools errand to attack those people from the day bush dropped the first bomb on Afghanistan. They've been known as the most fierce and resourceful fighters in the world since the earliest British colonial days.
Yeah Russert. 3,834 "kids" dead and 28,385 wounded or injured thanks in no small part to media whores like you.
A man who considers the people we are fighting against and dying as just a bunch of kids with a can of gas and a fuse is not fit to run this country....the end!
May I quote Clark Griswald:
what a cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, four-flushing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, dickless, hopeless, heartless, fat-ass, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey shit he is. Hallelujah. Holy shit. Where's the Tylenol?
Simon @ 4:
He can't help himself. He's a BS artist. Probably genetic.
whoever gets squeamish about midwestern accents. It's southern or Texas voices that get to me. And I'm both Southern and Texan. That slightly exaggerated man voice that tells everyone - I'm not very smart and I talk jist like you do. Live in the midwest and so far the only midwestern accent I hear is Hilary's Illinois twang. It is only irritating because I don't like her. Bush's accent is irritating because - he is a terrible human being in my eyes. Most of these candidates simply have eliminated their own accents. You get a twinge of Boston from Dodd. Kucinich - well he talks like every peace activist I've ever known. That's a good thing. Obama - no accent. Thompson - Bush imitator without the oil. McCain - slight western twang. Romney - what do robots sound like? Richardson = just a touch of southwest, tough of Latino. We could go on. Their accents are irrelevant - even when irritating. About as irrelevant as their stands on abortion, gay marriage, and terrorism. You could program these guys to say what they say. We have no idea what their real beliefs are. And for the most part - neither do they.
John your right I did try to listen to Fred of Hollywood speak and he did put me to sleep except when he said something that didn't make since. Tim did the best he could to build up Fred but that wasn't enough. Fred should hire one of the script writers who are on strike he needs help. Most people still don't know that Fred is a candidate for President.
Blah blah blah ...
Fuck Dick Wolf for ever employing this asshole. If it weren't for the welfare job this guy couldn't make jokes about the troops in public
Yikes! I saw this interview this morning and was astounded out how inarticulate this man is. He really sounds dumb.
He rambled incoherently and could not speak with clarity on any of his positions.
Roe Vs Wade decision he said he was against but failed to clarify whether he was pro-life of pro-choice. He simply said that it should be left to the States. He did say however that he felt it would be unfair for a teenager to be prosecuted, but.....blah blah blah....
ditto gay marriage- leave it to the States..... more blah blah blah
Thompson wants it every way. He doesn't want to alienate conservatives, the religious right or those with a little more progressive in their social policies.
So his policy is to leave everything to the States so he doesn't have to take the heat for anything.
WTF?
I say this as a outsider. I am not an American and I have absolutely no stake in your elections. This guy is a utter tool.
phuck timmeh, very very much!
PLEASE QUIT FUNNING ON POOR FRED. I'M GOING TO VOTE FOR HIM FOR PRESIDENT... HAVE YOU SEEN HIS WIFE?
ANOTHER BUSH IN THE WHITEHOUSE! I THINK HE HAS THAT WORN OUT LOOK FROM TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH HER.
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