FRED THOMPSON ON FNS. First up on FOX News Sunday with Chris Wallace was the candidate most dismissed by MSM pundits and news reporters, Fred Thompson. Wallace asked him about the headlines in Iowa about Fred allegedly telling a crowd that he lacks fire in the belly and does not even want to be President. Smiling, Thompson responded that this was a case of “journalistic malpractice,” creative reporting. He said that he had said that he did want to be President and that is: “why I’m doing what I’m doing.” [See Erick’s story from yesterday.]

Wallace asked Thompson about his standing in the polls in Iowa. The Real Clear Politics average has him a distant third, behind Huckabee and Romney by a 2-1 margin. Thompson explained that RCP included an outlier in their average, one which had him at about 5%. Thompson is confident that it is much closer than this.

Thompson pointed out that the Rasmussen national poll had him six points from the lead.

Wallace asked Thompson if Mike Huckabee is prepared to be President. Thompson didn’t take the bait, but he declared that America needs someone who “understands the world we live in.” We do not need someone with a “blame America first” mindset, he said, adding that Huckabee had sent an apology to Pakistan for Benazir Bhutto’s death.

Wallace asked Thompson if Mitt Romney is prepared to be President. Thompson didn’t take the bait, but he reminded us that Romney has changed his mind on matters which are core to conservatism. Romney, he said, has “changed his basic philosophy,” offering the examples of taxes and immigration. Thompson added that “it’s hard to pin Mitt down on what he actually believes.”

Thompson discussed his own national security bona fides.

Wallace asked Thompson if he should have entered the race earlier, as the pundits maintain. Thompson said no, he got in the race when people traditionally get into the race. When this process is over, he said, we can all second-guess, adding that right now, “it looks like the timing is really good.” This was the way they did it in Tennessee, he explained.

DAVID YEPSEN ON FNS. David Yepsen is the political guy at Iowa’s Des Moines Register, and the networks dust him off every four years to talk about these caucuses for a few weeks, with Chris Wallace and FOX being no different on this score.

Of note, Wallace pointed out that Mitt Romney is running the only negative ads in Iowa. He asked if there were any truth to the “truism” that negative advertising backfires in Iowa, and Yepsen shot that one down: “Negative ads do work.” He added that Huckabee is “taking a pounding” not just from Romney, but also from some 527s.

Yepsen said that there were “three tickets out of Iowa,” and he thinks John McCain might take the third ticket out. Then he suggested: “Ron Paul is the wild card.”

MIKE HUCKABEE ON MTP. On NBC’s Meet the Press, host Tim Russert began by talking to Republican Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee. The candidate had dropped nine points in an MSNBC/McClatchy poll of Iowans. Huckabee offered that the polls were “all over the place,” some have him leading, others trailing. To his credit, he did not burst into laughter when Russert, with a straight face, uttered the name “McClatchy.” Let alone MSNBC. Russert asked if the commercials regarding Huckabee’s record might have had some influence. Huckabee said that with the relentless attacks “and they were relentless” and the fact that he was outspend 21-1, “it’s pretty amazing that I am where I am.”

Russert asked if Mitt Romney had said anything about Huckabee which was untrue. Huckabee started the list. Mitt claimed that Huckabee had reduced Meth sentences in Arkansas when the truth is that he signed a bill in 1999 which doubled Meth sentences, which are four times greater than those in Romney’s Massachusetts. Huckabee said that Romney accused him of giving “special breaks” to illegal immigrants. Actually, it was a bill concerning the children of such people who had “earned” scholarships, and it never made the legislature. Romney accused Huckabee of increasing spending “by some ridiculous amount,” and even the New York Times “took him apart” on this false claim. Huckabee said that Romney’s claim about tax increases was wrong because the tax increases in Arkansas were either court ordered or approved by the voters, such as the one to improve roads. Huckabee said that he left Arkansas with good roads, while Romney’s “were a mess” in Massachusetts. Romney claims that he did not raise taxes, when actually he did raise taxes in the form of fees by a half-billion dollars.

He said that he raised taxes for “educational purposes” and for roads. (I take it, then, that he opposes abolishing the Department of Education.)

Foreign affairs. Huckabee said that in light of the events of the past few weeks, some of his remarks regarding Pak seem “almost prophetic.” Russert grilled him about his pledge to use military strikes within Pakistan to rid it of al Qaeda. Russert averred that he would then destabilize the Musharraf regime and turn Pakistan over to the Taliban. Huckabee said the strike would not an effort to destabilize Musharraf. He predicted that the past week’s activities would lead to a greater accountability of how our aid checks to Pakistan are being spent.

Russert asked him if it was worth destabilizing Musharraf to capture Osama bin Laden. Huckabee challenged the assertion that the U.S. strike would destabilize Musharraf. He said that if he were President, he would weigh all the information to determine whether it were worth the risk of destabilizing Pakistan if we could possibly “save American lives” and “take out al Qaeda’s number one operative.”

Huckabee explained his “close the borders to Pakistani illegals” comment in reaction to Bhutto’s assassination by saying that he was trying to make the point that what happens in the world affects us here in the U.S. and that he wants to stop Pakistanis from crossing our borders with shoulder filed missiles in their briefcases.

When asked for an example of the President’s “arrogant bunker mentality,” Huckabee said it was Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld ignoring the advice of the generals and “arbitrarily” sending too few troops into Iraq. Huckabee pointed out that he’s been more consistent in his support of the President when they agree, such as with the Surge. He said that Mitt Romney has been a “latecomer” in supporting the surge.

Huckabee defended his faith nicely against Russert’s attacks.

It went on for a while. Russert’s questions, while not softballs, were not as tough as some of the questions I’ve seen asked here at RedState. Huckabee did not implode, by any stretch, and handled himself well.

OBAMA ON MTP. Russert next grilled Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama. Russert showed the Olbermann/McClatchy poll, and Obama said that he’s getting great crowds. Obama said it is understandable if the Pakistani elections “are delayed slightly.” He said that “we” should reinstate an impartial judiciary in Pakistan. By “we,” I’m sure Barry means the United Nations and not the United States, and Russert did not ask Barry how many Blue Helmets he would commit to this reinstatement. Barry said that the government of Pakistan must “appear legitimate.” To whom? Maybe the U.N., maybe the U.S., perhaps France.

Russert asked Obama if he believes that Hillary’s vote to invade Iraq led to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan last week. Barry answered no. “Of course not.” (Team Barry had evidently said of Hillary that by going into Iraq, we were distracted from Afghanistan and fighting al Qaeda.) Russert formulated that the war in Iraq had distracted us from Pakistan which led to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. Obama said he’s not drawing a causal relationship.

They went over that old stuff about Bill Clinton telling Charlie Rose that a vote for Obama is “rolling the dice” because of his inexperience. Obama pointed out the similarities with Clinton in ‘92.

Obama didn’t hurt himself, I don’t think. Ask a Dem.

HILLARY ON TW. On ABC’s This Week, host George Stephanopoulos first talked to his former boss’ wife, Hillary Clinton. Hillary took credit for many things which happened during the Clinton Administration, such as the peace deal in Northern Ireland and keeping the peace with the PRC as a “spokesman in Beijing.” She said that though she did not sit in on all of her husband’s national security meetings and did not have a security clearance, she was privy to “classified information.” (This is a violation of federal law.)

So she played a major role in the Clinton Administration, she said.

If elected, though, she promised that her husband Bill would not be allowed in on any meetings and would have no formal role. She promised that she would rely on him only as a wife might rely on her husband.

So he would play no major role in the 2nd Clinton Administration, she said.

She’s not afraid of a loss in New Hampshire, she said, because her husband did not win a primary until Georgia’s.

JOHN MCCAIN ON TW. Steph opened the interview by playing a Romney ad attacking John McCain, followed by a McCain ad attacking Romney, both airing in New Hampshire. McCain’s ad pointed out that New Hampshire’s Concord Monitor had referred to Romney as “phony,” and Romney angrily accused McCain of a personal attack. McCain answered Steph by pointing out that he was only quoting an important New Hampshire paper and by welcoming Romney to national politics.

McCain added that, despite what Team Mitt claimed in its attack ad, he had never supported amnesty for illegal aliens. He pointed out that Romney was also attacking Huckabee “a fine person” in Iowa.

McCain would not himself say if he thought Romney were a phony, allowing only that the “voters will decide.”

McCain did not predict a victory for himself in New Hamsphire this morning, though he has done so in the past.

JOHN EDWARDS ON FTN Over on CBS, Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer interviewed 2008 Democratic Presidential hopeful John Edwards. Schieff asked Edwards about Bill Clinton’s assertion that Hillary’s the only Dem with the necessary crisis experience to handle the world today. Edwards disagreed. When he found out that Benazir Bhutto had been assassinated, he talked to the Pakistani ambassador to the United States and demanded to talk to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. Musharraf called him several hours later, and Edwards says he demanded this and that. He said that Musharraf gave in to each demand except for the bit about an international investigation into the murder.

Edwards wants the Pak elections to be held soon and be legitimate.

Schieff asked Edwards if it would be possible for Bill not to have an official role in a Hillary Administration. Edwards pointed out that Bill, on the stump for Hillary, talks about his views rather than hers. Edwards thinks Bill will play a role and suggested that Bill could play a role in his own hypothetical administration.

John Edwards thinks 527’s should be illegal, even if they air only positive advertising like the ones supporting him and run by his former campaign manager. He added that he has no control over any of this.

Schieffer accidentally called Hillary, “Senator Hilton.” You figure it out.

Edwards believes that corporate greed and corporate power have a hold on the soul of our democracy.

Asked what he’d do if he didn’t finish at least second in Iowa, Edwards said he’s moving and he’s moving in a positive way.

FRED THOMPSON ON LE. On CNN, host Wolf Blitzer first talked to Fred Thompson. First topic: Pak. Blitzer asked Thompson if he had confidence in Musharraf. Thompson explained that we had to have confidence in him in the short term, for stability’s sake in a nuclear-armed country. He said that “ultimately, the people of Pakistan are going to have to decide” about Musharraf, adding that things had been moving in the right direction there.

Thompson said that our foreign assistant to Pakistan should continue for the time being. “This is not time to be parsimonious about it,” he said.

Thompson expressed confidence in Pakistan to investigate the death of Bhutto, adding that he believes al Qaeda when they claim credit for the assassination. He thinks that Pak can handle this investigation without any outside nations coming in to “tell them how to do it.”

Blitzer played the quote “I’m not particularly interesting in running for President, but” and asked about it. Fred said that the media, but not Wolf, likes to pick out bits and take it out of context. Fred said that he was not interesting in the process of running, but then he listed the reasons why he wanted to be President.

Fred said that he has “a decent chance of coming in second” in Iowa. He’s touring 60 towns and villages, getting a chance to “spend time” with people. This has created “on the ground activity” and generated contributions.

Thompson is not going to change strategy or message. “There’ll be no change in Fred.” He said that he fills “pretty optimistic right now.”

HILLARY ON LE. Blitzer next spoke to Dem Hillary Clinton. She demanded that an “independent, international investigation” be launched into Benazir Bhutto. She demanded free and fair elections be held immediately, adding that she understands that it will take time for Bhutto’s People’s Party to select a successor. (Not really. It’s her son, Bilawal Bhutto. It is probable that her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, is pulling the strings. It should surprise few if Zardari is the eventual candidate, despite his criminal record.)

She will put conditions on U.S. funding to Pakistan, accusing the Bush Administration of giving a “blank check to the Musharraf regime.” She thinks Musharraf is not reliable.
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Have at it!