There are two ways to try and discern who are the REAL front-runners in the GOP presidential sweepstakes.  Or at least the two candidates the media fear the most.

One is via the polls, which stubbornly persist in touting the two Rockefeller Republican contestants, Rudy Giuliani and John McCain.  The other is the media fusillades against Mitt Romney and the ball-shots against a candidate that, officially, is not yet a candidate.  I mean, unless it’s really Jeri Thompson that is about to take the plunge.

I don’t know about anybody else, but Joe Scarborough’s crack sounds a lot more “Bush league” than “Ready Freddie” hiring a few former Bushies.

UPDATE: Looks like the credible polls are starting to catch up….

Forgive me if I feel the overweening obligation to intervene here before the “boil Fred Thompson in boiling tar made from melting down old Bush-Cheney bumper stickers” mob gathers up the pitchforks and hissing torches, but aren’t some of us issuing forth angry words long in advance of careful thought processing?

Stipulated, we’re all PO’d at Dubya for whizzing in our faces on the immigration bill.  But is it really practical to dump on everybody who ever worked for the man’s administration?  What’s wrong with Mary Matalin, other than her taste in men?  Wasn’t Lawrence Lindsey one of the architects of the Bush tax cuts?  Not every “Bushbot” is a, well, “Bushbot”.  Many are simply successful GOP operatives who helped bring about a two-term Republican presidency.  Given how comparatively late in the game Thompson is jumping in, doesn’t he have to make a virtue of necessity and take the best people still available?

Go ahead and rule out anybody who worked for Bush41, or anybody named Bush.  Ditto any “Bushbot” that has had any hand in formulating this White House’s immigration mis-policy (that’d eliminate Karl Rove, for example).  But given the sheer number of worker bees that have buzzed around the Bush43 hive this decade, to blow Senator Thompson out the nearest airlock on the grounds of taking on some of them starts sounding less like anti-Bush antipathy than hostility to the Republican Party in general.

With all due respect to Andrea and Shane, they and others fixated on G-Dub’s betrayal have got to move on and not let it poison what chances there are of nominating a conservative nominee and helping him wage the uphill struggle of keeping Hillary’s big, meaty caboose out of the Oval Office.  If that means Fred Thompson and tolerating the morphing of some Bushkins into Thompsonians, for heaven’s sake, buy it!  Insisting on making the perfect the enemy of the good will always put both out of reach.  These days that’s not an affordable indulgence.

Hooo, boy. Here we go…

An item at The Politico touts the fact that Fred Thompson’s campaign team is taking shape.

And it’s loaded with Bushbots.

Is anyone else finding this to be disconcerting? Are we all so hungry for honest LEADERSHIP, we’ll fall for what might very be a facsimile? Someone (forgive me) ACTING the part?

As I’ve pointed out in a previous post, I’m not yet sold on this non-candidate-candidate. Caution lights are flashing. And now this? Is that a warning bell I’m hearing now?

An observation by Evrviglnt posted at Political Vindication and cross-posted at Heading Right (below this post) echoes my thoughts:

Just when you thought you’d had enough of the Bushes and their wholesale dismantling of the Republican Party, here comes George P. Bush emailing everyone to donate to Fred’s campaign!
(snip)
The article from Politico offers a few names that have quietly joined the team. Mary Matalin; unpaid advisor, Lawrence B. Lindsey; Bush 43 economic advisor, Thomas J. Collamore; a former aide to the vice president H.W. Bush, Michael Turk, who helped Bush 43 in his reelection campaign and Tim Griffin, who was involved in the scandal over those fired federal prosecutors…

I understand there are some good people who have worked for these ingrates, but I’m not in a forgiving mood right now. We gave them our hopes and our support, they gave us Bill Clinton and Nancy Pelosi.

As time passes I may become more forgiving, but if Fred is going to impress me, he’ll have to outrun the Bushies first.

Yep. My sentiments exactly. What are YOU making of it???

*****

Also posted at The Radio Patriot

Folks are really excited about Fred Thompson shuffling into the presidential race, and I can’t blame them - he’s a breath of fresh air in a stale room. Cruising through the conservative blogs offers an insight into what Republicans are hungry for - and beyond issues of trust and ideology - it’s mostly about change. This party has had enough of the Bushes, from the one term Bush 41 and all of his lackeys - right through to the son - who ’s first act was to rehire all those lackeys still living. Looking at the two administrations is like playing that matching card game with your three year old. I was going to start a new blog to register my frustration at seeing the same old faces, but MoveOn.org was already taken!

But Fred’s gotten in late and, to his own way of seeing things, is picking through the leftovers to build a campaign brain trust. Just when you thought you’d had enough of the Bushes and their wholesale dismantling of the Republican Party, here comes George P. Bush emailing everyone to donate to Fred’s campaign! Thanks George - but isn’t there anyone in this country not named Bush that could have done the same thing? Can you imagine the reaction of campaign contributors getting solicitations from a Bush right now - after the immigration brouhaha? You might as well send an illegal immigrant to knock on every door!

The involvement of a Bush family member highlights a stream of former Bush-Cheney aides and supporters who are signing on with Thompson, in some cases quietly.

The article from Politico offers a few names that have quietly joined the team. Mary Matalin; unpaid advisor, Lawrence B. Lindsey; Bush 43 economic advisor, Thomas J. Collamore; a former aide to the vice president H.W. Bush, Michael Turk, who helped Bush 43 in his reelection campaign and Tim Griffin, who was involved in the scandal over those fired federal prosecutors. There are certainly more who we won’t hear about until Fred’s got his hand on the bible on a cold January day.

I’m not the only Republican who goes Turret whenever I hear the name “Bush.” There is no coincidence that these two presidents effected an end to conservative movements in their time. They have done more to undermine our philosophy than any rapacious Democrat ever could have hoped to. I understand there are some good people who have worked for these ingrates, but I’m not in a forgiving mood right now. We gave them our hopes and our support, they gave us Bill Clinton and Nancy Pelosi.

As time passes I may become more forgiving, but if Fred is going to impress me, he’ll have to outrun the Bushies first.

Evrviglnt

Hat Tip: The Politico

Today at noon my guest will be the beautiful and mysterious Neo-Neocon, who is also a member of the Sanity Squad .

We will discuss political change and changers. Please join us!

Cross-posted at Fausta’s blog