Fred Thompson Throws His Hat in the Ring for GOP Presidential Race (VIDEO)

It is widely believed that the news is arriving a day late and a dollar short.

Photo courtesy: I'm With Fred - Friends of Fred Thompson

(SALEM, Ore.) - Fred Thompson has been a fairly active candidate for a guy who hasn't officially been running for president. The Washington lobbyist and “Law & Order” actor's bid for the Republican nomination for president was formally announced Thursday, but it is widely believed that the news is arriving a day late and a dollar short.

The undeclared campaign has already taken a beating as it officially enters the Republican race, with top aides departing, fund raising goals falling short, and the LA Times' revelation that in 1991, Thompson lobbied on behalf of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association.

Then a complaint was filed with the Federal Election Commission, alleging that Thompson was ignoring “the letter and spirit” of the law by running a full-blown campaign without formally declaring his candidacy, the Economist reported.

In May, things looked much brighter for Thompson. He was in the spotlight with conservative voters as he avoided a challenge to debate the issue of health care by producing a video that appeared on YouTube.

Thompson has been a critic of Michael Moore for his trip to Cuba and visit with Fidel Castro during the recording of his documentary on health care, "Sicko," so Moore responded by challenging Thompson to a health care debate.

The actor didn't take the bait for the debate, but he put on a sizzling performance in a response video, telling Michael Moore that he doesn't think he has time for him, but asking the controversial producer about another filmmaker, who Castro had locked up and subjected to "devastating electroshock treatments" in a mental institution.

Insiders say that was his time to jump and formally declare his bid for the presidency. But change in public sentiment can be quick and Thompson's window of opportunity to maximize his potential may have closed, many sources report.

Frederick Dalton "Fred" Thompson was born August 19th, 1942, and he has led a distinguished career as a politician, lawyer, lobbyist, and character actor. He served from 1994 to 2003 as a Republican U.S. Senator from Tennessee. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a Visiting Fellow with the American Enterprise Institute, specializing in national security and intelligence. He resides in McLean, Virginia near Washington, D.C.

Thompson has performed as an actor in film and on television for many years. He is known for his portrayal of governmental figures, but best known for his role in the long-running NBC television series Law & Order, where he played New York City District Attorney Arthur Branch. Thompson joined the cast in his final months of his U.S. Senate term in 2002.

It is no secret that Republicans are faced with many conflicts in their choices for a candidate and Thompson brings to mind many qualities reminiscent of a GOP hero named Ronald Reagan, so time will now be the judge of this actor turned politician who many see as a worthwhile candidate.

It is now up to Thompson and his staff to find the necessary strategy, having emerged from a real sand pit as his choice to run without an official candidacy has kept him out of the debates, but not out of the public eye and not without his share of critics.

Supporters say it has been difficult to watch the other GOP candidates position their campaigns in Iowa and New Hampshire, while Thompson's campaign has seen key players turn over and a questionable infrastructure persists.

This is the Fred Thompson video responding to Michael Moore's challenge to a debate on health care:

Video

This is the Michael Moore appearance on Jay Leno with his "Sicko" health care presidential candidate challenge:

Here is an ABC News report that discusses both Thompson and Moore in the healthcare debate challenge:

Here is an interview with Fred Thompson and Chris Wallace from FOX News Sunday:

Videos courtesy of YouTube, ABC News, The Jay Leno Show and Fred Thompson.

For more background, here is another story Salem-News.com published about Fred Thompson May 31st, 2007: Actor/Politician Fred Thompson May Run for President in 2008