As always, it seems, my pick for President is not my first choice, but is the lesser of all the other evils.  I have not had a candidate that I whole heartedly supported since Reagan - and I didn’t even support him in his first run; he earned my respect and support during that term.

Of the Republican front runners, I can still see myself supporting Rudy or Romney, though I have reservations about each.  I think that Rudy is finding that being America’s Mayor is not the same thing as being President would be, and I honestly think he is losing the “fire in his belly” for the run.  Don’t get me wrong - I still believe that he could take the race if he wanted it, and do a great job.  I just don’t think that in his heart of hearts he really wants it.  He’d be a tremendous Attorney General or FBI director, though.

I have serious issues about Romney’s flip flops, and looseness with the facts.  While this is not a deal killer, it does prove that he is more of a politician than a leader.

Of the others; I cannot support John McCain.  I am very unhappy with his Senate record, and his constant pandering to the Left.  But I might be able to get over that, if not for one glaring item from his past:  He was held as a POW in North Vietnam for 5 1/2 years.  Now, please don’t misunderstand me on this:  I have unbounded respect for John McCain for his service to this nation, and for the sacrfice that he made for us.  I believe that this nation owes him a a debt we can never repay for his service and the hardships he endured for us.  But I believe that very experience should - no, must - disqualify him from the highest office in the land.  It is inconceivable to me that someone who has been through that kind of hell would be entrusted with the command of our military forces, and the war that we now find ourselves in, for the future of western civilization.  I do not believe that a man who has suffered what John McCain has can make the decisions necessary to fight and win this conflict.  He deserves, and has every right to expect, our respect, admiration, and support.  But he cannot be allowed to be the commander in chief.

I was OK with Mike Huckabee when he was the odd ball dark horse, back there with Ron Paul.  This is a big tent party, and we need people from across the political spectrums.  I have no problem with Huckabee’s religious perspective, anymore than I do with Romney.  My problem with Huckabee is that he is NOT a Conservative.  Take away the Religious component of his persona, and he would be giving Hillary, Obama, and Barbie a run for their money for the Socialist vote.  Of all the people running for President on the GOP side, Huckabee is the most French (in the Welfare State, Big Government, Cradle to Grave, Nanny State meaning of the word).  Huckabee would make GW Bush look like a domestic policy genius.  Couple of links:  here, here, here.

I actually supported Ron Paul in a previous run for the White House, when he had changed to the Libertarian Party.  I was a Libertarian for many years, and still consider myself more Libertarian than anything else.  But I have grown up over the years, and come to realize that the Libertarian Party, like so many others, does not have a firm grasp on the realities of how people tick.  They can see part of the picture, but not the whole gestalt.  They appeal to certain aspects, and get support from those people who the mesaage resonates with.  But they will never be a majority party.  The Libertarians, strangely enough, have the same blind spot that the Democrat party has on Human Nature:  they both believe that if we just leave other nations alone, or are nice to them, they won’t hate us.  This is in full view of all evidence to the contrary (indeed, the Europeans hated us long before GW Bush - and always will.  They will never forgive us for saving them from the Nazi’s…  And the Jihadi’s will hate us until we convert or die, or become dhimmi).  I won’t even bother with Paul’s ties to white supremecists groups.  You can read your fill on that over at LGF.

Fred Thompson is not Reagan.  He is not perfect, and he has made mistakes.  But he is now - and has for years - said the right things, and voted the way he talks in the Senate.  I like the vast majority of his stands on this issues; and he is upfront with those stands, and unwavering.  He has realistic and achievable plans to fight this war; constructionist views on the courts; reform of the tax code; and much more.  Unlike most of his opponents, Fred’s positions are spelled out. 

In the end, the most important thing is that I can personally feel GOOD about voting for Fred.  He isn’t my dream candidate - be he is the best in the race today, and he should have the support of anyone that considers themselves a patriot, a small goverment conservative, or a constitutionalist.