Last week, I emailed Fred Thompson requesting an interview. In my correspondence, I gave him the URL of this blog (so that he could get a good feel for where I'm coming from), as well as the link to Reagan2020.org, where he can read the New Federalist platform first-hand.

Perhaps he is simply waiting until after he has announced his candidacy. Perhaps he gets swamped with emails every day. I don't look at the fact that I haven't heard back from him as anything personal. I'm not suggesting that he's avoiding my questions. After all, with his position on federalism, he'd probably consider most of them "softball".

Or, maybe he would like to see the questions first. Heck, I'm sure most of you would as well. Maybe the comment area for this post can become a place for refining the questions and perhaps their wording. Maybe Fred will come around and see them. Maybe he'll venture a few answers.

Or maybe another candidate will ...

Time will tell. In the meantime, here are the questions I would ask Fred Thompson:

Preface: First of all, I see no candidate anywhere that I could vote for ahead of Fred Thompson. He's got the Reagan optimism and the love of Federalism all in one package.

I'd love to do an interview with Mr. Thompson. Here are the questions I would ask.

I would, of course, start any interview by making sure Fred knew that I did have some concerns, and that this wouldn't necessarily be a bunch of softball questions, even if it is true that I hope to vote for him in 2008.

1. I'll start with some questions about Federalism. You've gone on record as supporting its reimplementation, which I strongly support. It's not much of a secret that those elected to office have disregarded their constitutional limitations far too often. Do you support the idea of requiring that no legislation be brought to the floor for consideration unless a majority of members of the body House/Senate) shall have signed a report giving specific citation and affirming detailed reasons why the proposed legislation is authorized to Congress by the Constitution?

2. How do you feel about a final sunset on past legislation to weed out all the unconstitutional stuff that's been passed, and re-introducing relevant bills under a Constitutional Authorization Report as I have suggested?

3. Do you think it's a good idea for the individual states to also implement the Constitutional Authorization Report concept?

4. Do you think an Oath of Office should be considered binding? If so, what provisions do you advocate for utilizing impeachment for those who have acted outside their constitutional limitations?

5. What do you think can be done about the annual media circus surrounding the President's State of the Union Address?

6. How do you feel about returning congressional authority to those entities delegated to it by the Constitution, such as the IRS?

7. How do you feel about requiring Presidential Orders to include a citation from the Constitution of the authority by which the action ordered is justified?

8. How do you feel about doing away with lifetime judicial appointments and instead replenishing the courts, say, every five years (on a rotating scale if ncessary)?

9. Would you support repealing the 16th and 17th Amendments?

10. Do you think it should be required that all voting machines provide printouts of the vote counts by individual vote, and a printed receipt to the voter?

11. What is your position on implementing English as our official language?

12. What is your opnion of Kelo v. New London?

13. After the Virginia Tech massacre, you came forward in defense of gun ownership and posession. I believed you missed the point, though, when you qualified your statements by saying that people "with training and legal permits" should be allowed to carry concealed weapons. The Second Amendment makes no such stipulation. Why do you?

14. If you were president, what would you advocate and/or do about the spread of nanny-state socialism in this country?

15. How would you go about getting the government out of the business of trying to micromanage the economy?

16. Do you support the Strategic Defense Initiative?

17. What positions will you take with regard to staying out of the World Court?

18. Many have suggested that the United Nations works against US interests. Would you advocate withdrawal from the UN?

19. The amount of taxpayer money spent on foreign aid is clearly out of control, and quite questionable in its constitutionality. What will your position be on stopping this?

20. What will you do to rein in the unconstitutional socialist programs of the last 100 years such as Social(ist) Security and welfare?

21. What will you do about other illegal federal intrusions into the rights of the States and the people, such as No Child Left Behind?

22. How quickly do you think the national debt could be retired?

23. Would you support replacing the federal income tax with a system in which revenues for the federal government would be collected and held in trust by the states?

24. Most of what I've asked so far is taken directly from things I've posted about the New Federalist Platform posted at Reagan2020.org. The toughest question I have for you, however, involves your support of John McCain's efforts to repeal the First Amendment with his pal, Russ Feingold. What exactly made you think it was ok to vote for this, and how has your reasoning changed in a way that makes it justifiable to vote for you after you voted as you did?

25. Finally, a question presented to me by a reader. It is a very important question to Americans who are in the know about how our government works. Would you return the government to the people by rescinding the emergency war powers mode that it has been quietly, but illegally operating from for the last seventy-five years?


These are the questions that are important to New Federalists and Americans. It's a pretty tough list, but I do believe Fred can deliver.

RWR