Report from the Fred Thompson bloggers' brunch

Blogging from the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota.

This morning I had the pleasure of being in the audience when former Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN) spoke to an small but spirited group of bloggers at a brunch on the top floor of the Crown Plaza Hotel in St. Paul.

Thompson spoke for a little more than 15 minutes. Erick Erickson of Red State introduced the former Law and Order star, and Thompson, who was once one of John McCain's rivals for the Republican nomination for president, made it very clear--he strongly supports McCain.

Thompson hit the ground running. Knowing bloggers' interest in providing different perspectives in providing the news, he said, "We need some new media, real bad." He went on to explain that the New York Times, which has three stories about Bristol Palin's pregnancy on its front page "wouldn't know a scandal if it was walking down main street under a search light--except when it's a Republican."

But then he added, "We're here for about something else. I'm here to talk about John McCain." Thompson went on to say that he was asked what did he learn during his presidential campaign. He said his reply was, "The main thing I learned was never underestimate John McCain." Thompson, who will speak in front of the delegates at tonight's Republican National Convention, says he will talk about McCain's "remarkable story of courage and character."

Thompson served in the US Senate for eight years. In the question and answer session, Thompson, speaking of Obama, told the bloggers, "You don't get experience by being in the Senate, you don't get foreign relations experience, you don't get foreign policy experience, you don't get national security experience by being in the Senate." He went on to talk about the partisan back and forth that regularly takes place on the floor of the upper chamber. He didn't say it, but I will. Not much gets done. Thompson went on to say that governors, alluding to McCain's vice presidential pick, "make an ideal vice presidential nominee."

Chicago area blogger Anne Leary of Backyard Conservative asked a question about regarding the mainstream media's reluctance in reporting Barck Obama's still-unexplained ties to former Weather Underground terrorist Bill Ayers. Thompson knows this territory well, and bemoaned that the media understands the story, as well as the "feverish attempt to squelch the conversation (by the Obama campaign) on a radio show there in Chicago."

The show Thompson was referring to was Milt Rosenberg's Extension 720 program on WGN-AM. Six days ago Obama's cyber and telephone goons attempted to disrupt the appearance of the National Review's Stanley Kurtz, who led the charge to allow public access to the project Ayers worked on and Obama led for a while, the Chicago Annenberg Challenge.

I hope he brings up this disgusting episode tonight in front of the delegates and a national television audience.

Related post:

Stanley Kurtz and Milt Rosenberg follow-up

Technorati tags: democrats Barack Obama Obama Politics Bill Ayers terrorism Weather Underground Chicago radicals Milt Rosenberg blog Fred Thompson Tennessee RNC St. Paul twin cities