See previous: Fred!, Fred!!, Fred!!!

Below the fold:

• Fred to announce on Leno?
• Fred Thompson predicts immigration reform bill will fail
• Tolerating Trafficking

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Fred to announce on Leno? 
Don Surber

Fred Thompson will announce in June that he’s running for president, reported Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post.

The buzz continues to grow that Thompson will indeed join the race sometime before the end of June. At last week’s Republican debate in South Carolina, flyers were handed out in the media filing center that had a glossy picture of Thompson and touted endorsements from the likes of Reps. Gresham Barrett (SC.), Jeff Miller (Fla.), Don Manzullo (Ill.) and Steve Buyer (Ind.). The flyer was sponsored by the Draft Thompson effort.

Hmm. And as previously reported he’ll appear on the Tonight Show on June 12.

My advice: Pull a Schwarzenegger and announce on Jay Leno. That way, people will actually be watching the show. It will generate more buzz. And best of all, no meddling reporters to ask annoying questions at a press conference. ...

Fred Thompson predicts immigration reform bill will fail 

CHICAGO - The immigration reform bill worked out late last week by Senate Republicans and Democrats likely will fail, former senator and possible presidential candidate Fred Thompson said here Sunday.

Thompson, speaking at the National Restaurant Association annual show, said the bill will not win the support of the American people because they don't trust senators' promises to block illegal immigrants from crossing the Mexican border into the U.S.

"Nobody believes them. It goes to the bigger issue of the lack of credibility our government has these days," said Thompson, who was greeted with hoots and applause from the 2,300 convention attendees who filled a ballroom at the McCormick Place convention center. Thompson also was harshly critical of China, saying the military and economic threat the country poses is among the critical issues - along with untamed growth in entitlement spending - that are not being dealt with while the U.S. is fixated on the war in Iraq.

"I call it 'The Day After Iraq,' " Thompson said. "It's not a pretty picture." ...

Tolerating Trafficking
Fred Dalton Thompson

I'm never particularly surprised when the United Nations seems to oppose human freedom rather than promote it. At least a third of its member nations aren't democratic themselves. Many that claim to be, are only barely so.

An organization that treats democracies and dictators equally cannot be expected to be a pure force for good. When Fidel Castro and Kim Jong Il have as much say in U.N. matters as the entire populations of Poland and New Zealand, you're going to have problems.

One was the Oil-for-Food scandal. We ought to remember that the U.N. let Saddam steal tens of billions of dollars -- money meant to be spent on food and medicine for his own people. Much of that money was used to pay off U.N. officials and buy support for Saddam's regime. 

Still, people keep telling me that the U.N. is a force for good -- and I'd like to believe it. The world could use an organization capable of dealing with international problems like slavery. According to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 people are sold across national borders annually. More are enslaved within nations. Most are women; about half are children, and the majority are sexually abused.

That's why accusations made by former U.S. ambassador John Miller are so disturbing.  ...