Fred Thompson's Got Sarah Palin's Back

One year ago I was excitedly awaiting the official start of the Fred Thompson campaign. It started...sort of...and then never went anywhere. Too bad, because the guy is a great communicator and would have been a great president.

His skills will be on display tonight as he takes the stage at the GOP Convention to talk about John McCain and condemn the attacks on Sarah Palin:

Fred Thompson will forcefully defend the selection of Sarah Palin tonight in a speech Republicans are characterizing as "red meat." He will argue that the feeding frenzy over Palin's is the result of "panic" from the Democrat-friendly mainstream media.

"What a breath of fresh air Governor Sarah Palin is. She is from a small town, with small town values, but that's not good enough for those folks who are attacking her and her family. Let's be clear, the selection of Governor Palin has the other side and their friends in the media in a state of panic. She is a courageous, successful, reformer, who is not afraid to take on the establishment."

Thompson will also criticize Barack Obama's answer on abortion from his recent appearance at Rick Warren's Saddleback Church. Warren had asked: "Now, let’s deal with abortion. 40 million abortions since Roe v. Wade. you know, as a pastor I have to deal with this all of the time. All of the pain and all of the conflicts. I know this is a very complex issue. 40 million abortions. At what point does a baby get human rights in your view?"

Obamas responded: "Well, I think that whether you are looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity, you know, is above my pay grade."

Thompson will criticize Obama for dodging the issue: "We need a President, and Vice President, who will take the federal bureaucracy by the scruff of the neck and give it a good shaking. And we need a President who doesn't think that the protection of the unborn or a newly born baby is above his pay grade."

The bulk of Thompson's speech will be a testimonial on behalf of John McCain, his character and his leadership. John McCain has "the kind of character that civilizations from the beginning of history have sought in their leaders."

Fred'll get 'em.

Thompson will be followed by Joe Lieberman, the lifelong Democrat now Independent Senator from Connecticut. Some are comparing this speech to Dem Senator Zell Miller's speech at the 2004 convention, but I doubt it will have the passion and fire that Miller showed when he crossed the aisle and endorsed President Bush. We'll see.