FRED HITS GRAND SLAM IN S.C. DEBATE

Republican Presidential hopeful Fred Thompson hit a grand slam during Thursday night's GOP debate in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. An animated, assertive Thompson came out swinging, and apparently it paid off handsomely.

Fox News, which co-sponsored the debate, put together a focus group made up of highly likely GOP primary voters to watch the forum together by television in Charleston, SC.

Before the debate, only 3 of the roughly 30 citizens who made up the focus group stated that they supported Fred Thompson. After the debate, the overwhelming majority stated that Thompson won the debate and that they liked what they saw.

When asked who was the biggest loser in the forum, almost every single one said, 'Ron Paul.'

Small focus groups made up of Republican voters are much more reliable in their assessments than the unscientific and asinine polls that are taken immediately following the debates, polls which are open to persons who may not be Republican and who will not be voting in the primary.

Thus, no matter what Fox's poll or anyone else's poll may say, the people who count--those most likely to vote in the GOP primary on Jan. 19--are the only ones who matter.

And these are the very ones that Fred Thompson won over on Thursday evening.

One of the reasons cited by the focus group as a factor in giving Thompson such a favorable rating in the debate was the manner in which he went after Mike Huckabee's record as Governor of Arkansas.

In our view, such a thing was long overdue. Huckabee has essentially misrepresented himself around the country in many various ways, including his background--claiming he 'has a theological degree.' We have already totally discredited that claim right here on the Liberty Sphere.

But beyond that, Huckabee has a penchant for glossing over the bare facts that he raised taxes, increased the size and scope of government, and supported giving tuition breaks to illegal aliens.

Thompson outlined each of these aspects of the Huckabee record, making it clear that although the former Baptist preacher can turn on the charm and make people think he walks on water, he actually has a very public record from his days as Governor of Arkansas that anyone can research for themselves if they are interested in the truth.

And that record shows that Huckabee is no Ronald Reagan conservative except for abortion and gun rights. Outside of those two issues, Huckabee is a big government Republican who will raise taxes and increase the size of government at the drop of a hat if he thinks it is 'necessary to improve lives.'

That philosophy is called 'liberalism.'

But it took Fred Thompson to bring the ugly truth about Huckabee to the national stage, since nobody else was willing to do so.

The South Carolina Republican Primary is still 9 days away, and it is still way too early to tell who will win. But if the skeptical GOP focus group is any indication, Fred hit a grand slam on Thursday night that may well propel him to the top of the heap on Jan. 19.

It's about time.