Republican Fred Thompson to announce candidacy for US president

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Republican Fred Thompson, whose entry into the US presidential race has been long anticipated, will officially launch his candidacy Sept. 6 in a webcast on his campaign site, followed by a five-day tour of early primary states. Thompson, 65, an actor and former senator, brings to the eight-man Republican field a right-leaning Senate voting record with a few digressions from Republican orthodoxy and a healthy dose of Hollywood star power. He is hoping to attract conservatives who are lukewarm about the current crop of candidates for the 2008 election. "I believe that there are millions of Americans who know that our security and prosperity are at risk if we don't address the challenges of our time; the global threat of terrorism; taxes and spending that will bankrupt future generations, and a government that can't seem to get the most basic responsibilities right for its citizens," the "Law & Order" actor said in a statement Thursday that laid out themes of his campaign.