NBC: WH contacted Fred Thompson re: a senior adviser position; he declined

[sabra]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3626796/

<snip>

As far as the buzz about White House staff changes goes, NBC's Rosiland Jordan reports that per one source close to former Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker, Baker recommended to White House chief of staff Andy Card earlier this week that Card bring in former Sen. Fred Thompson (R) as a senior adviser -- and that the White House then contacted Thompson, who turned down the invitation to join the Administration. The source doesn't know why Thompson declined, Jordan reports.

[Cocoa]

1. First Jessica Simpson

now Fred Thompson. :-)

[MrModerate]

5. Keep in mind, though that they're both . . .

"Entertainers," and so not to be trusted. In fact, as celebrities, they're not allowed to even have political opinions.

[wallwriter]

18. Um, Thompson is a former Senator...

[Gormy Cuss]

20. And Republican made man since the Nixon era.

He participated in the Watergate hearings as a young attorney.

On edit: I just realized he worked with Howard Baker then, too.

[MrModerate]

28. And very entertaining when he was playing that role! n/t

[Turn CO Blue]

29. He's also an actor, hence the "entertainer" reference

<http://www.filmbug.com/db/326518-9>

(snip_
Fred Thompson, former United States Senator, prosecutor and accomplished film and television actor, recently joined the cast of the Emmy Award-winning drama series Law & Order as the newly-elected District Attorney, Arthur Branch. Fred Thompson's service in the United States Senate was a continuation of a distinguished career across both the public and private arenas

(snip)
... feature roles in Cape Fear, In the Line of Fire, Die Hard II, and The Hunt for Red October. He has also guest starred on the television series, China Beach, Wiseguy, and Matlock.

[tanyev]

7. Maybe they should ask Jessica.

She can give the nation daily updates on the tuna alert status.

[MrModerate]

2. Unwillingness to board a sinking ship, perhaps? n/t

[Don Claybrook]

6. He knew he'd be a figurehead

He would've been trotted out regularly to blow sunshine at the public, all the while being completely cut out of any sort of decision-making. Letting him in all all of their various criminal enterprises is the last thing they'd risk at this point. I think Thompson understood this. And no, he also doesn't want to be on a ruptured ship that's taking on water at an alarming pace.

[Pirate Smile]

3. LOL. Well, now we know they are searching for someone to come in

and babysit the "adults".

[Atman]

4. Thompson is an idiot, but he's not stupid

He still wants to be able to land an acting gig every now and then. There is no future in Fascist propaganda films.

[mattclearing]

8. LOL...watch them all scatter.

[Skink]

9. Good career move.

[BootinUp]

10. Pretty bad when you can't get that whore

to come to the party.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

11. Mr. Rodgers is no longer with us. So, that leaves,

Paul Reubens for domestic issues?
Charlton Heston for foreign affairs?
Ken Lay to replace Snow?
Pat Robertson for HHS?
Mary Carey for Dept. of Homeland Security?
Lord Voldemort for FEMA?
Alice in Wonderland for Iraq Reconstruction?
Inspector Clousseau for SecDef?
AL Franken for White House Press Spokesman?
Vladimir Ulyanov "Nikolai" Lenin for the New Vice President?

[sabra]

12. where does Britney Spears come in to play? LOL

[ChairmanAgnostic]

13. She replaces Condi Rice.

She will be at least as aware of her impact. After all, she can read her audience.

[hadrons]

14. great going Howard Baker ....

recommending someone who doesn't want the job ... nice to know that he's showing the same incompetance out of office as he did in it

[Beetwasher]

15. LOL! Can You Say RADIOACTIVE?

No one wants to hitch themselves to this trainwreck.

[ProfessorGAC]

16. That Was The First Word I Thought Of Too, Beet!

Reading the OP, i thought "More radioactive than Fermium!" GMTA!
The Professor

[soleft]

17. Maybe he was too excited about Stephanie March's return to L&O

Conviction is part of the franchise whether hit's got L&O in the title or not.

[central scrutinizer]

19. Like a game of hot potato

"I don't want it!! Here, catch!!"" Maybe they should get all of these washed up scumbags together and play one round of musical chairs. The one left standing HAS to take the job.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

21. actually, fred is not the lightweight actor that some people take him for

I've seen him live, questioning witnesses and I was shocked. he really knew the subject matter, he was well prepared and he treated the witness politely, yet got what he wanted out of him. Forget the actor label, he actually cared about serving the public.

Why would the White House pick him? NOT because the guy is good, (which he is, even if I disagree with some of his political stances) but because he looks good on TV. that would be the only reason they would want him.

"Just take this script, and read, Fred"

Ole Fred was not born yesterday, and last time i checked, he dried himself, even behind the ears. He would not stand for being a puppet. And he also has major policy differences with the Bushistas. He also sees the rats about to jump ship.

[longship]

31. I like Thompson

Although I disagree with him on policy and politics, he's an honorable person.

And, I love him in L&O where he goes head-to-head politically with Sam Waterson (who is an unabashed liberal). One wonders how much of this going off-script. It makes for some good TV (if that exists). L&O is one of my guilty sins. Lenny Briscoe lives.

[npincus]

22. So much for Chimpy's denials

[johnfunk]

23. Hollywood Fred knows a dead-end loser when he sees one!

Thompson shows more wisdom than he did as a senator.

[Lugnut]

24. Smart man

Nobody in their right mind would board a listing ship.

[DeepModem Mom]

25. This post selected for DeepModem Mom's journal's...

personally recommended threads. Very interesting!

[Dulcinea]

26. Playing Arthur Branch on "L & O" is a much better gig, I'm sure.

Besides, he has more power in the imaginary DA's office than he would in Bushworld!

[tridim]

27. I see.. a preemptive "spend more time with my family" defense

It's political suicide to join BushCo at this point and all these potential "senior adviser" types know it.

[grytpype]

30. Why did Baker propose Thompson without clearing it with him first?

Kinda strange.

[dave123williams]

32. He bowed out of politics after his daughter died. It was that, plus...

....the fact that he had become very vocal on not being able to stomach the corruption of the Congress any more. You have to understand, Thompson is a good man; while I don't agree with a lot of his religious beliefs, his history as a politician is pretty sterling:

"he served as co-chief counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee in its investigation of the Watergate scandal. He was responsible for Baker's asking one of the questions that is said to have led directly to the downfall of President Richard Nixon – "What did the President know, and when did he know it?"

In 1977, Thompson took on a Tennessee Parole Board case that ultimately toppled Tennessee Governor Ray Blanton from power on charges of selling pardons. The scandal became the subject of a book and a movie titled Marie (1985) in which Thompson played himself, supposedly because the producers were unable to find a professional actor who could play him plausibly. This film launched his acting career. Thompson would go on to appear in numerous motion pictures, including The Hunt for Red October (1990), Cape Fear (1991) and In the Line of Fire (1993). Even more than most actors, Thompson's roles are generally portrayals of characters who are very similar to his real life persona."

He's not going to work for Bush, because if you take a piece of shit and put a suit and tie on it, it's still a piece of shit.