Politico is reporting that former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN) is planning to announce his bid for President of the United States on or around the 4th of July. Thompson has been touted by many Republicans as the last best hope for the GOP. Some are not convinced that Thompson is not any different from the current crop of big-government conservatives that currently run the GOP and currently hold the top three positions in the GOP Presidential polls. Since there is really no consensus on who Fred Thompson is, or what his impact might be, I have conducted an analysis of his political positions and votes as they pertain to all three parties. (Some of these may overlap)

What Republicans will like about Thompson:

--Would like to impose a two-year limit on welfare benifits for recipients who are able to work
--Would like to slightly increase spending on national defense, law enforcement, and drug interdiction
--Supports decreasing the Captial Gains Tax, Cigarette Taxes, Income Taxes, taxes on domestic and international businesses, and would also support eliminating taxes on savings and investment
--Terrible ratings with the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and the Brady Campaign
--Would increase penalties on the selling and trafficking of illegal drugs
--Believes congress should eliminate federal funding to facilities that provide abortions

What Republicans will hate about Thompson:

--Voted for McCain-Feingold
--Believes that a woman should be able to seek an abortion under any circumstances as long as it is in the first trimester
--Is not "Christian enough" for James Dobson and the religious right

What Democrats will like about Thompson:

--Believes that a woman should be able to seek and abortion under any circumstances as long as it is in the first trimester
--Is not "Christian enough" for James Dobson and the religious right

What Democrats will hate about Thompson:

--Supports decreasing the Captial Gains Tax, Cigarette Taxes, Income Taxes, taxes on domestic and international businesses, and would also support eliminating taxes on savings and investment
--Terrible ratings with the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and the Brady Campaign
--Supports eliminating government regulation to encourage investement and economic expansion in the private sector
--Wants to allow the natural cycle of the market to create jobs without government intervention
--Supports school choice programs so that parents receive vouchers that can be used to send their children to participating schools.
--Believes congress should eliminate federal funding to facilities that provide abortions
--Wants to decrease spending in federal health care programs and research

What Libertarians will like about Thompson:

--Supports decreasing the Captial Gains Tax, Cigarette Taxes, Income Taxes, taxes on domestic and international businesses, and would also support eliminating taxes on savings and investment
--Terrible ratings with the Brady Campaign
--Supports eliminating government regulation to encourage investement and economic expansion in the private sector
--Wants to allow the natural cycle of the market to create jobs without government intervention
--Supports school choice programs so that parents receive vouchers that can be used to send their children to participating schools.
--Believes congress should eliminate federal funding to facilities that provide abortions
--Wants to decrease spending in federal health care programs and research
--Would like to limit the growth of government to 2%
--Is not "Christian enough" for James Dobson and the religious right

What Libertarians will hate about Thompson:

--Would increase penalties on the selling and trafficking of illegal drugs
--Voted for McCain-Feingold
--Would like to slightly increase spending on national defense, law enforcement, and drug interdiction

Overall, I think Fred Thompson could easily win the GOP nomination. The fact that he's not the poster boy for the religious right and the fact that he tends to favor free-market reforms as opposed to government "solutions" could attract many Libertarians and independents who lean libertarian. Then again, the fact he supports market-based solutions as opposed to big-government might scare off some Republicans. Unless the Democrats field someone other than Clinton, Obama, or Edwards, I don't see Thompson pulling a lot of votes from the Dems.

As of now, Fred is my second choice. Besides Ron Paul and possibly Jim Gilmore, he is the ONLY Republican I can support. If any other GOP candidate gets the nomination, I'll either vote Libertarian (if they actually nominate someone besides Doug Stanhope) or I'll leave it blank.