Fred Thompson?

The (as of now) brief Wikipedia article on Fred Thompson's political positions makes him almost seem like a decent candidate, a more moderate Ron Paul who supports federalism, gun rights, and stronger border control, and is a skeptic on global warming. He also seems to be correct, at least rhetorically, on free trade.

If he takes a Chuck Hagel-ish attitude toward the War on Iraq, he may very well be preferable to any other candidate of either major party aside from Paul, and unlike Paul would get media respect and have a better chance of winning. But foreign policy and the "War on Terror" sections of the article are currently stubs. And the main Wikipedia article on Thompson suggests he is just another tool of the Media-Political Complex (i.e., the Establishment) who was wrong on Iraq from the outset.

All this is to say that Wikipedia doesn't have all the answers all the time. Other evidence suggests Thompson doesn't have a clue about Iraq or the American people's opinions on it.

Which means he's just like all the other Republicans - aside from Paul.

By the way, I wonder if we should stop calling the Iraq business a "war" and call it for what it is: an occupation. Militarily, we defeated Iraq in conventional war, but how do you "win" an occupation, let alone "lose" one. Do you "lose" when you pull out?

But how is that losing? The USA dsuccessfully defended South Korea 55 years ago - and we're still in South Korea. The USA beat Japan 62 years ago, and we're still in Japan. Likewise, the USA beat Germany 62 years ago, and we're still in Germany. The USA lost in Vietnam - and we're not in Vietnam. Are we really worse off for that?

The Military-Industrial Complex (i.e., the Establishment) actually likes the idea of occupying the world, and wants America to be in Iraq permanently. Of course. It means jobs for them and their friends.

The only losers are taxpayers and human progress, as resources are diverted to productive activities (such as technology that improves are lives) to unwanted goods (such as technology that destroys lives).

It appears that Ron Paul understands the big picture, and the Fred Thompson does not.