Fred Thompson

crowd __PUNCT__ fred __PUNCT__ fred __PUNCT__ fred __PUNCT__ fred_thompson __PUNCT__ thank you veri much __PUNCT__ i appreci it __PUNCT__

wow __PUNCT__ thank you __PUNCT__

thank you for that warm recept and for who you ar and what you do __PUNCT__

i can't tell you how happi i am to be here __PUNCT__

steve buyer __PUNCT__ i wish i could claim a littl credit for anyth you have done my friend __PUNCT__

i can't tell you how much that introduct mean to me __PUNCT__ but just tell me on thing __PUNCT__ when pat leahi is make a bad face __PUNCT__ how can you tell __PUNCT__ i sure that will be taken in the spirit that it is given __PUNCT__

steven thank you so much __PUNCT__ you meant so much to thi state and thi countri __PUNCT__

i want to thank mike mcdaniel __PUNCT__ rex earli __PUNCT__ chairman rai clark __PUNCT__ and all the distinguish guest here thi even __PUNCT__

my old friend dan burton __PUNCT__ it seem like i run into folk from indiana everywher i go in my life __PUNCT__

david mcintosh is now a great friend and great advisor __PUNCT__ and he and hi wife ruthi be here mean a whole lot to me __PUNCT__

i want to mention my old friend dan coat __PUNCT__ too __PUNCT__

i want to tell you __PUNCT__ after i left the senat __PUNCT__ on of the most reward thing that i got to do wa __PUNCT__ after presid_bush call me up and help chief_justic justic_john john_robert get on the suprem_court of the unit_state __PUNCT__

dan coat help judg alito __PUNCT__

i don't know how dan feel about it but i guess that he feel just the wai i do __PUNCT__ that thi wa on of the most import_thing we have done in our career __PUNCT__ put two new judg on the suprem_court that decid case and don't decid on caus __PUNCT__

thei decid two litig base on the law and thei be good solid conserv judg __PUNCT__ i convinc __PUNCT__ for the durat __PUNCT__

we just need anoth on or two __PUNCT__

you know the last time i wa here __PUNCT__ i wa so impress that a scant ten_year later i wa invit back __PUNCT__

i delight to be back __PUNCT__ my wife jeri send her regard __PUNCT__

she a depaul grad __PUNCT__

she at home tonight with hayden and sammi and she send her best regard __PUNCT__

i happi to be here with peopl who have their prioriti straight __PUNCT__

that hasn't alwai been the case in my career __PUNCT__

i rememb when i first start in the unit_state state_senat and give my first speech on the floor of the senat __PUNCT__ i wa talk about have congress abid by the same law as everyon els __PUNCT__ which wa a novel idea even back then __PUNCT__ and with senat grasslei we got it done __PUNCT__

took it on __PUNCT__ made my first speech __PUNCT__ of cours there wasn't hardli anyon els on the senat_floor at the time __PUNCT__ nobodi listen to each other for these thing __PUNCT__ but there wa on older gentleman listen who i will not name that wa listen __PUNCT__

came up to me afterward and said __PUNCT__ fred __PUNCT__ that wa a pretti_good speech __PUNCT__ and i said __PUNCT__ why thank you senat __PUNCT__

and he said __PUNCT__ well i just have on question __PUNCT__

so i rais to my full statur with my littl pocket constitut in my vest pocket __PUNCT__ readi to answer anyth he might have __PUNCT__ and he said __PUNCT__ tell me __PUNCT__ wa that a real submarin you us in __PUNCT__ hunt for red __DATE__ __PUNCT__ so i understood the prioriti right off the bat __PUNCT__ but i do rememb my earli_dai in the senat fondli __PUNCT__

in fact you can alwai tell new member of congress becaus everi onc in awhil thei slip up and accident spend some of their own monei __PUNCT__

thei get over it __PUNCT__

i wa at a littl function earlier todai __PUNCT__ and a ladi came up to me and told me that her son is come home after __NUM___year in iraq __PUNCT__

and she sai to me __PUNCT__ you know __PUNCT__ you don't get a lot of recognit __PUNCT__

but we go to tonight __PUNCT__

everyon in the room __PUNCT__ if you have a rel or a love on serv their countri in the arm_forc __PUNCT__ would you pleas stand up for a round of applaus __PUNCT__

__PUNCT__ applaus __PUNCT__ we need to be remind everi dai that if we were not the land of the free __PUNCT__ if we were not the home of the brave __PUNCT__ we would not be the unit_state of america_todai __PUNCT__ and we would not be the countri that ha shed more blood for the caus of freedom for other peopl than ani other nation in the histori of the world __PUNCT__

and our detractor and critic need to rememb that about our young_peopl in thi countri __PUNCT__

i appreci steve go back in histori a littl bit __PUNCT__ appreci the introduct __PUNCT__

you never know who know you and who doesn't __PUNCT__

how much you outta kind of bring_peopl up to date on yourself __PUNCT__

i talk to a ladi at the airport the other dai and it wa five minut befor she realiz i wasn't dr __PUNCT__ phil __PUNCT__

but as he ran through that littl histor journei for me __PUNCT__ a lot of memori came back __PUNCT__

my folk come off the littl countri farm there __PUNCT__ instead of go to school __PUNCT__ thei went to work __PUNCT__

best parent anyon could ever possibl have __PUNCT__

i still have my mama back in tennesse __PUNCT__

and becaus of their appreci for educ allow me to do the thing that steve talk about __PUNCT__

and i still wonder what thei were think as thei watch their teenag kid go off and marri and start hi own famili __PUNCT__ and work hi wai through school __PUNCT__

want to go to the unit_state state_senat __PUNCT__ put everyth els asid __PUNCT__

want to balanc the budget __PUNCT__ cut_tax __PUNCT__ want to reform_welfar and for congress to live under the law that everybodi els doe __PUNCT__

those ar the kind of thing that i talk about in __NUM__ and still the thing i talk about todai __PUNCT__

i got to go to the senat __PUNCT__ went from __NUM___point down to __NUM__ point ahead on elect_night against a popular incumb congressman __PUNCT__

wa abl to carri tennesse twice by __NUM___point in a state that bill_clinton carri twice __PUNCT__ and i feel_pretti proud of that __PUNCT__

but i feel even more proud to be a part of a team that wa abl to do the thing that i talk about __PUNCT__

but i put term_limit on myself __PUNCT__ and after __NUM___year i decid that it wa time for me to move on __PUNCT__

i could have run again consist with my term_limit pledg i could have run on more time but i decid not to __PUNCT__

peopl ask me why in the world would you leav the unit_state state_senat when you were unoppos after what it take to get there __PUNCT__ but i alwai tell peopl that after __NUM___year in washington i long for the realism and sincer of hollywood __PUNCT__

got to co __PUNCT__ sponsor the homeland_secur bill and get that pass __PUNCT__

took two tri and had an elect in the middl of it __PUNCT__

the democrat didn't want the presid to have the flexibl in time of emerg to move peopl around and the feder_employe union fought it but we were final abl to get that done __PUNCT__

i got to serv on the intellig committe __PUNCT__

got to travel in variou part of the world and meet with world_leader __PUNCT__

but sometim the most import_thing in your life happen under your own roof __PUNCT__

and shortli befor i left the senat i marri a wonder ladi __PUNCT__

and not too long after that we found out that we were go to be parent __PUNCT__

and jeri had never been marri __PUNCT__ never been a mother and my children were grown __PUNCT__

and it wa a littl bit of a surpris __PUNCT__ but i knew from the first instant that anoth wonder chapter wa open in my life __PUNCT__

you can't look at that first sonogram and ever be the same again __PUNCT__

so when all thi polit talk start some time_ago __PUNCT__ and all the back and the forth and the process question and the flak and all of that stuff __PUNCT__ jeri and i talk about it sever time __PUNCT__ and kept come back to the question __PUNCT__ what kind of question __PUNCT__ what kind of world ar these kid go to grow up in __PUNCT__ what kind of countri ar thei go to grow up in __PUNCT__ and how mani peopl get a chanc to do someth about it __PUNCT__ so that littl journei kind of give a background as to why i here tonight __PUNCT__

everybodi ha their own littl journei __PUNCT__ and we all have a lot in common __PUNCT__

i don't know about the particular but it all ha to do with love of countri and the kind of world thei want to leav behind __PUNCT__

the first oblig that everi gener ha is to leav thi place a littl bit better than when we found it __PUNCT__

that what our parent did __PUNCT__

it what our grandpar did __PUNCT__

and it abov all what we got to do __PUNCT__

my friend __PUNCT__ i feel like these next few year ar go to bring decis that we go to have as a peopl __PUNCT__ certainli on the presid desk but also on the peopl desk __PUNCT__ decis that ar go to effect the futur of our countri for mani mani gener to come __PUNCT__

and i simpli believ on our present cours that we ar go to be a weaker and more divid nation than what we have been __PUNCT__

and i do not sai that lightli __PUNCT__ but i think it the truth __PUNCT__ and i think the american_peopl ar readi for the truth __PUNCT__

to me __PUNCT__ there ar a lot of issu __PUNCT__

good know we ar not depriv of issu or solut that peopl have __PUNCT__

there ar about three thing that underli everyth els __PUNCT__

on of them is nation_secur __PUNCT__

our countri is in danger and it go to be that wai for a long_time to come __PUNCT__

i do not think we have come togeth as a nation and come to term with the length and durat and expens and commit that it go to take to meet the threat that we have in islam_terror and radic __PUNCT__

we ar deal with peopl who look upon thi as someth that ha been go on for hundr of year and thei ar plenti readi to have it go on for anoth coupl hundr_year to go on slaughter innoc_peopl in the process __PUNCT__

thei think thei ar on track __PUNCT__

the look histor at thing and see that for __NUM___year thei have been attack us all over the world __PUNCT__ our embassi __PUNCT__ the world_trade_center __PUNCT__ the uss cole __PUNCT__ on and on with littl respons __PUNCT__

and thei alreadi defeat the toughest enemi __PUNCT__ thei sai __PUNCT__ and that is the soviet_union in afghanistan __PUNCT__ and thing ar just rock along now __PUNCT__

and thei look on iraq as a current front in the war __PUNCT__ not the war __PUNCT__ but someth to be dealt with befor thei move on __PUNCT__

we got to do better __PUNCT__ more commit __PUNCT__ more unit __PUNCT__ more unifi than we ever been befor __PUNCT__

and yet you look at our respons some time as a peopl and that not the messag we send out __PUNCT__

whether you look at budget prioriti __PUNCT__ our situat in iraq __PUNCT__ which some peopl appar think that all there is __PUNCT__ get out of there and our troubl will be over __PUNCT__

whether you look at our border situat and that we can't or won't stop illeg_immigr from come across our border when in the past few year we pick up thousand of peopl from terrorist state alon __PUNCT__ when we onli catch __NUM__ out of __NUM__ __PUNCT__

in the era of the suitcas bomb when a small_amount of materi could wreak_havoc on thi countri __PUNCT__

when you look at our court_system which doe not make a distinct between terrorist and an averag crimin in the us court system __PUNCT__

and warn them of their right and you can't prosecut them unless you do __PUNCT__ and have you tell them everyth in open court and give them discoveri so thei have access to and can take advantag to all that inform __PUNCT__

we ar often time in our system not act like we ar seriou __PUNCT__

the debat with regard to surveil __PUNCT__

some peopl have a lot of problem with us surveil intern telephon convers when al quada suspect ar allegedli on the other end of the line __PUNCT__

but yet it done begrudgingli in increment with great debat and fanfar __PUNCT__

it an indic to friend and foe alik that our memori of 9/11 and of whet been happen to us for a long_time ha not had full impact yet __PUNCT__

the second thing that concern me is that we ar do steadi damag to our economi __PUNCT__ and if we don't do thing better it go to result in econom disast to futur_gener and we ar go to leav thi place weaker for futur gener __PUNCT__

and a break of that commit to leav thi place better __PUNCT__

we ar spend their monei __PUNCT__

we ar spend lot of their monei __PUNCT__

and instead of have a convers togeth __PUNCT__ democrat and republican togeth about what we can do __PUNCT__ instead of us it as a battl in __NUM__ second televis ad __PUNCT__ we ignor the most import_part of that convers __PUNCT__ the peopl who can't be presid __PUNCT__ our grandchildren __PUNCT__

the peopl who haven't been born yet __PUNCT__

thei don't have anyon speak of them in mani case __PUNCT__

oh our economi is good now __PUNCT__ there no question about it __PUNCT__ i think that the greatest stori never told and presid_bush doe not get enough credit for hi persist as far as tax_cut ar concern __PUNCT__

if there on thing that should be agre upon among everyon in thi countri is the growth effect of tax cut __PUNCT__

and you can't solv ani of thi without econom_growth __PUNCT__

regardless of what administr you look at throughout histori the result ha alwai been the same __PUNCT__

but __PUNCT__ when you look down the road a littl __PUNCT__ you see that befor veri long we be us up the social_secur surplu __PUNCT__ you know the on that in the lock box that everi politician in washington ha the kei to __PUNCT__ that lock box __PUNCT__

we live off the fact that we bring in more in social secur tax than we spend __PUNCT__ but that go to revers itself __PUNCT__

at a time when the demograph will shift and there will be fewer and fewer worker __PUNCT__ at a time when the cost of healthcar will like continu to go up __PUNCT__ all those thing_work togeth will inevit lead us to an unsustain situat __PUNCT__

that not my opinion __PUNCT__ not origin __PUNCT__

look at the write of the gao __PUNCT__ a non __PUNCT__ partisan organ __PUNCT__ david walker the comptrol ha been go around the countri with peopl from a conserv think tank and a liber think tank __PUNCT__ good_peopl in both organ __PUNCT__ all three of them sai the same_thing __PUNCT__

and that is __PUNCT__ what we do is unsustain __PUNCT__

and do you hear anybodi talk about that __PUNCT__ it not go to happen befor the next elect __PUNCT__

these ar thing that cannot be settl or decid or cure by a presid __PUNCT__ cannot be settl __PUNCT__ decid or cure by a polit_parti __PUNCT__

it go to have to be done by the peopl __PUNCT__ which lead me to my third point __PUNCT__

at a point when we need to be unit __PUNCT__ and come togeth with a littl common_sens and honest convers about what the problem is __PUNCT__ which everyon know incident __PUNCT__ have the gut enough to deal with it and sai we won't us it as a polit hatchet against each other __PUNCT__

at thi time we ar probabl more divid than we ever have been befor __PUNCT__ well in a long_time __PUNCT__

at a time when we see a converg in these problem and all the other chicken that ar come home to roost like energi like healthcar __PUNCT__ and in congress despit the great fortitud and work of some ha the lowest approv_rate in histori __PUNCT__

you know __PUNCT__ in order to have leadership you have to have somebodi to follow __PUNCT__

how do you have anyon follow if the peopl don't have ani confid in what be said or who sai it __PUNCT__

we can't go down that road forev __PUNCT__

and we see the govern that is now incap of do some thing that ar common issu that govern ha to deal with __PUNCT__

we want a limit_govern __PUNCT__

we want a govern strong enough to protect us but we want a compet govern that is abl to do those thing that govern ought to be abl to do __PUNCT__

time after time we appar unabl to unwil to do that anymor __PUNCT__

just a coupl of thought as we go on thi journei togeth __PUNCT__

the main_thing i think that we need to think about __PUNCT__ is what ar the principl we ar go to oper __PUNCT__

you know a __NUM__ or __NUM___point point_plan is great __PUNCT__ aha i have a __NUM___point point_plan __PUNCT__ i better than him __PUNCT__ alright that great __PUNCT__ but what ar the underli principl __PUNCT__

when the plan go asund __PUNCT__ when you can't get agreement on them __PUNCT__

i think we should rememb our first principl __PUNCT__ or what i call our first principl __PUNCT__

i don't think the declar of independ and the constitut ar outmod document __PUNCT__

the declar tell us that our right come from god and not from govern __PUNCT__

the constitut ha a framework that is set up not as some kind of result of bureaucrat handl but as someth that is design with feder __PUNCT__

feder encourag limit nation_govern __PUNCT__ promot experiment and competit between the state and diffus power and promot freedom __PUNCT__

those ar not outmod thought __PUNCT__

but you find everi good_idea that everyon ha now ha to be feder __PUNCT__

i proud that on __NUM__ or __NUM__ occas there wa __NUM___vote in the us senat and i wa the on __PUNCT__ becaus i said thi ha been the state __PUNCT__ purview for __NUM___year __PUNCT__ why is the feder_govern govern_involv in thi when it can't do what it suppos to be do right __PUNCT__ and it an adher to the principl that underli everyth we do in thi countri __PUNCT__

the rule of law __PUNCT__ not someth somebodi make up becaus thei decid the social_polici is not someth to their like __PUNCT__ but the rule of law that peopl can reli upon __PUNCT__

that what it suppos to all be about __PUNCT__

market __PUNCT__ respect for privat_properti __PUNCT__ free_trade __PUNCT__ competit between our citizen __PUNCT__ competit around the world __PUNCT__

thi work to our benefit __PUNCT__

not onli ha thi made us the most prosper nation in the world __PUNCT__ but it made us an exampl for everi other nation in the world who ever tri __PUNCT__

becaus nobodi who ha ever tri it ha been unsuccess in term of prosper for our countri __PUNCT__

but mainli what we have to do is what other have done in time past __PUNCT__

and that is to come togeth __PUNCT__ recogn the problem __PUNCT__ talk about improv __PUNCT__ work togeth __PUNCT__ rememb that there more that unit us than divid us __PUNCT__ and take on the tough job and get to the other side of the mountain wiser and stronger than when we start __PUNCT__

we know how to do that __PUNCT__ we done that so mani time befor __PUNCT__

and everi time we done it __PUNCT__ we been success __PUNCT__

and in my final moment here __PUNCT__ i know some might sai __PUNCT__ well fred __PUNCT__ you haven't done much talk about the republican_parti tonight __PUNCT__

my friend __PUNCT__ that exactli what i been talk about __PUNCT__

becaus that what i think the republican parti believ __PUNCT__ that the tradit of what we have stood for __PUNCT__ that the kind of thing we must stand for __PUNCT__

if we do that we will be success we will deserv to lead thi nation __PUNCT__ we will lead thi nation __PUNCT__

and most import of all __PUNCT__ it will make for a stronger __PUNCT__ more secur __PUNCT__ more prosper unit_state of america __PUNCT__

i look forward to work with you __PUNCT__ thank you veri much __PUNCT__