CHICAGO -- Former Senator Fred Thompson strolled onto the stage and approached the podium as the keynote speaker at the 88th annual National Restaurant Association (NRA) Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show in Chicago on Sunday like he was grabbing the next bar stool over from each and every one of the more than 2,000 audience members. Welcomed, appropriately, by the theme from TV's Law & Order, thelawyer-politician-news analyst-actorand possible presidential candidatewas every bit the raconteur, and he proceeded to launch into an hour-long biographical chat that covered all of [image-nocss] those aspects of his long and unusual career.
Self-described country lawyer Thompson served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Tennessee from 1969 to 1972. In 1973, he was appointed by Senator Howard Baker to serve as Minority Counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee from 1973 to 1974. His book At That Point in Time chronicles his involvement in the scandal of the century.
His film career began in 1985 with Marie, in which he played himself. The movie dealt with a high-profile 1977 corruption case, in which Thompson and his firm took on the case of Marie Ragghianti, who headed up the state's parole board. It ended with Tennessee Governor Ray Blanton going to jail for corruption. Serpico author Peter Maas wrote the book upon which the movie was based.
He has also appeared in many other films, including The Hunt for Red October, Days of Thunder and Die Hard II and the TV series China Beach, and he currently plays District Attorney Arthur Branch on NBC's Law & Order.
Thompson was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1994 (R-Tenn.), taking Al Gore's seat, and served until 2002, choosing not to run for reelection. I put term limits on myself, he said. After eight years in Washington, I longed for the realism and sincerity of Hollywood.
Thompson also currently serves as a political news analyst and commentator for ABC Radio.
Praising the restaurant industry for its expertise in dealing with real people and for being a major engine of the U.S. economy, Thompson focused briefly on the timely issue of immigration. He speculated the immigration bill now in Congress will not pass, and that it is not supported by the American people, who do not trust Congress to do the right thing. It goes to the bigger issue of the lack of credibility our government has nowadays.
He also touched on the hot button of obesity. While he acknowledged that posting nutritional information on menus and packaging is a good idea, he said, It's not up to the restaurant industry or politicians to tell people what to do with their own habits.
Thompson has said that he will make an announcement in June about whether he will declare as a candidate. The crowd of restaurateurs and restaurant-industry suppliers loudly applauded the possibility of a Thompson run for the presidency. Promising that he wouldn't be coy with a group that has been so hospitable, he said that he is playing by his own rules and will announce his candidacy only if he is convinced that it is what people want and that is the right thing to do. I don't want to beat my head against a stone wall for no reason. He said he wants to be responsible, not hopping out there with a bunch of talking points.
To illustrate that point and to give some indication as to the kind of candor he might bring to an election bid, when asked for his opinion about Indian gaming during the question and answer session following his speech, he said, I'm not going to do a soft shoe on something I know very little about.
He also said that whatever candidate is elected, he hopes that they win the presidency while still deserving to be president.
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