(Actor Fred) Thompson joins effort to fund defense of Cheney's former aide

[sabra]

http://www.southernstandard.net/news.php?viewStory=29463

Thompson joins effort to fund defense of Cheney's former aide

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.

Actor and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson has signed up to help raise at least $5 million for the legal defense of Vice President Dick Cheney's indicted former chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

Libby is facing trial in January on five counts of perjury, obstruction and lying to the FBI about how he learned of the identity of covert CIA officer Valerie Plame and what he told reporters once he learned the information from Cheney, the State Department and the CIA.

Thompson is one of 27 prominent Republicans and Bush administration supporters on the advisory committee for the Libby Legal Defense Trust. The trust has raised about $2 million toward the $5 million goal, said trust spokeswoman Barbara Comstock.

Thompson, best known as a district attorney on NBC's "Law & Order," was a senator for eight years through 2002. He knew Libby from serving on the Senate Intelligence Committee and dealing with top White House staff, Comstock said.

[GrpCaptMandrake]

1. Rat bastard

was a Nixon-enabler during his early years as minority counsel staff during Watergate.

A dog always returns to its . . . well, just too early for that kind of imagery.

[Hepburn]

24. Ditto....a real rat bastard! n/t

[AndyA]

2. Call or write to NBC and its advertisers - do not watch Law & Order

Let's put some pressure on them, hit them where it hurts with a big ratings drop!

[Roland99]

20. I'm trying to think if there's anything I *do* watch on NBC....

SNL when I get the chance.

Otherwise...nope.

I'm CBS (CSI, Without a Trace), ABC (Lost), and FOX ("24")....and, of course, PBS (which is showing the Best of Monty Python with interviews of surviving cast members...pretty good stuff)

[merwin]

22. Sorry, can't do that. There's nothing that could get me to NOT watch

Law & Order. :-) His character on that show is respectable, and it's a very liberal TV show. We'd be going backwards if we started boycotting left-leaning TV shows because a Republican happens to be employed by one of them.

It's the same idea as boycotting Simpsons becuase it's on FOX.

[depakid]

26. It's a liberal TV show?

All I've ever seen (when I can stomach it- which is rare) is potental defendants being berated until one of them finally confesses or they get the goods.

People must like it though, it's been on for about as long as I can remember....

[LostinVA]

30. And, he got Elisabeth Rohm let go

Her character was gay, and the scuttlebutt is that's why.

[merwin]

33. Isn't that the point of a legal show?

In any case, it's the commentary during the show that is liberal. There are characters like Fred Thompson's character who are Republican (although he plays a very soft-spoken, likeable conservative on the show), but there's a lot more characters who make very hilarious jabs at things like the patriot act, bans on gay marriage, etc.

[melody]

27. The RW tries to boycott SVU because of Belzer

Surely one thing balances the other.

Richard Belzer is worth ten Fred Thompsons.

Anyway, in the words of one of Thompsons' previous characters, Wiseguy's Knox Pooley, far right wing nutjob snake oil salesman -- it's never the noun, it's always the verb: sell.

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. Why doesn't that son of a bitch ever play the role of a corrupt

politician? Have you ever noticed that? He's always playing the part of the guy who's career was left unblemished because Oliver North took the fall for him. So he walks around untarnished being the image of decency and morality.

[Atman]

4. Have any of them helped raise money for the homeless or health cllinics?

What a horrible, horrible thing to do with your power, your money and your time. You have this ability to influence a great number of people, and instead of standing up and speaking up about the injustices to real American citizens hurt by Bush's policies, this fat ass good-for-nothing "actor" wastes our oxygen raising money to help defend a treasonous, anti-constitution fuck like Scooter Libbey. How do these people sleep at night?

[tsuki]

5. He's a good reason not to watch L&O. n/t

[saigon68]

19. THAT SHOW SUCKS

ALL THEY DO --- IS BEAT UP A BUNCH OF INNER CITY BLACK GUYS

[NaturalHigh]

28. LOL - Have you ever actually watched the show?

[Divernan]

6. No way all that money is needed for "legal defenses"

How many decades do they expect this case to last? Keep in mind that neocons have access to prime "private" investment opportunities paying 20-30% return. Figuring a max of 3 lawyers and supporting paralegals and administrative staff, the interest alone on 5 mill. will see them holding their strategy meetings in Grand Cayman. So what arrangements are made for disposition of the remaining funds/trust when the last appeal has been taken? Probably will go directly to Libby - so it is basically bribe money to guarantee Libby keeps his mouth shut to protect Cheney.

[Captain Hilts]

7. Good point. Is he an actor or a right-wing toadie? Pick one, Fred! nt

[MsMagnificent]

17. Maybe they'll finally have a replacement for Ron Silver!

As that was the best the Repukes could find: a loser actor, and loser spokesman!

LMAO

Edit: Strike the laugh (what is the HTML for strike-throughs?), make that a:

*snicker*

[magellan]

8. Well, that's it for Law & Order in THIS house (nt)

[oasis]

9. Presidential prospect to bigtime loser, Fred Thompson. The "Fred

Thompson Hearings" on campaign contributions were a flop and soon after,his political stock went south.

The Fred Thompson Story: From Stud to Dud.

[NaturalHigh]

10. He's one of my favorite actors...

and Law and Order is my favorite show. Does everything have to be about politics? Can't we just enjoy something once in a while, or are we expected to be looking for things to piss us off all the time?

[Dutch]

13. I enjoy him in L&O, too

Yes his politics are loathsome, but then we already knew that. It's still a good show and he's still good in it.

[UTUSN]

11. Margaret CARLSON's ex-crush sure has done damage to us

with his so-called "moderate" "middle-of-the-road" image. I don't know whether Margaret ever got cosummated, but she was ga-ga over him. When he retired and she did a farewell "interview" (read, "drooling") with him, her Cap Ganger Mark SHIELDS said, "Thank you, Margaret, for that, uh, hard-hitting interview."

[Captain Hilts]

29. He was doin' his "pollster," KellyAnne Fitzpatrick. I hadn't heard the...

Carlson link!

And I live in DC damn it!

[JI7]

31. Fred Thompson is fucking nasty, i don't get the "he is hot" stuff

i know about Margaret Carlson's crush. but i also read about how he is seen as a hot guy. EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

and the woman he married looks like she would be his granddaughter. here is a pic from their wedding



for someone who didn't know about them and seeing their pic for the first time, most would think it was the bride and her father.

[UTUSN]

34. & Margaret would be slitting her veins over this pic n/t

[Nikki Stone 1]

12. I love L&O, but this will give me reason to boycott

kick

[onehandle]

14. I stand with criminals. Go Fred, Go! Waste GOP cash on this schmuck!

The more you spend on defending your party's criminals like Libby and Delay, the less you spend fighting Democrats in the Fall!

2006 Democratic Congress = 2007 Impeachment.

[zann725]

15. Poor, "rich" little Scooter. All his 'wittle rich "base" scurrying to save

his quiverying 'wittle ars from Fritzie and Justice.

Wouldn't it be nice if all those TRULY innocent inmates wrongly sitting in prison, accused of crimes they never even imagined...yet with none of Scooters web-site richie-rich's to anty-up "top dollar" defense by the Million...will rot in prison forever...if not executed first...as was recently that certain elderly, disabled Death Row inmate in "liberal" California recently NOT 'pardoned' by compassionate conservative, Gov. Ahnaaald.

In White Collar world however, there is no crime not "defendable" by the best-est lawyers. THAT, my dear friends, is Capitalism at its "best"...as O.J. Simpson case proved so well 10 years ago.

And if ever they are "temporarily" sanctioned minorly, white-collar criminals laster emerge...i.e. Ollie North as "top" talk show hosts, or G. Gordon Liddy. In Nixon's later years, his much-lauded appearances on talk shows in such hot demand...somehow "overlooking" any long-since forgotten little high crimes and misdemeanors.

[leesa]

16. If he's this stupid, how does he remember his lines? Or does he just like

crime and treason?

[Tippy]

18. Fred has been busy lately helping out his partners in crime ...

In more ways then one.....

Last Tuesday for the lack of something better to occupy my time I tuned into a rerun of Law and Order..and to my amazement there was Retired Senator Thompson singing the praises of why the wire tapping of our citizens is a good thing...It keeps us safe form those Terrorists don't you know...If you missed it you can check the web site for when it will be re-aired....It was on at least 3 times this week..

The episode is titled "City Hall "

Law & Order - City Hall A shooting takes place at City Hall killing a councilman and injuring a water inspector, and the Detectives assume the politician was the target.
< http://www.tnt.tv/title/?oid=545159 >

[Norquist Nemesis]

21. Hey! Where's Ben Stein's money???

Or is he really smart enough to know when he's being swindled.

Thompson's been inserted in power-broker activities quite a bit. Wasn't he out trotting Alito around (or maybe it was Harriett :shrug:). They must be desperate.

[Catherine Vincent]

23. This guy is better off as an actor.

I don't like his politics but I like his acting. He should stick with it.

[Radio_Guy]

25. Contact the advertisers!

We need to do to Law & Order when the freepers did to Book of Daniel.

[Henny Penny]

32. I disagree...

We cannot have a situation in a free society where actors may not express their political views without fearing for their careers.

Do we really want a return to McCarthyism?

You would do better to write to this guy explaining why Scooter might deserve to go to prison.