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Thompson is off and running, officially

DES MOINES, Iowa - Fred Thompson hit the campaign trail Thursday, telling supporters that he's the Republican running for president who can best sell a traditional values, limited government and strong defense message to mainstream America.

A few hundred supporters and fans gathered in a dimmed mid-sized hall at the Polk County Convention complex, many wearing Thompson stickers and holding miniature American flags.

Many in the audience were primed for his visit, having seen him Wednesday on Jay Leno's TV show, and they ate up his message.

Some, however, thought it was short on specifics.

In his speech - the first since announcing he would seek the GOP nomination for president - Thompson said that "the American people have opened up a door of opportunity" for him, and he promised to campaign on "the same common sense, conservative beliefs" he held when he served in the Senate.

"I am not here today because I had a lifelong ambition to hold the office of the presidency, nor do I think that I have all the answers for the problems that face this country," Thompson said. "I am a man who loves his country, who is concerned about her future and knows that in the next year it's going to require strong leadership."

In the few hours since his announcement, Thompson has found support for his candidacy.

Since 12:01 a.m. Thursday, Thompson's campaign has raised more than $300,000 in Internet contributions as 150,000 people watched a video of his announcement.

"We're very pleased," said campaign manager Bill Lacy.

Reagan memories

Many in the audience Thursday said they had committed to Thompson before hearing him speak. And while some insisted that it was his record as a senator that sold them, others said they were wooed by his persona as a television actor or by what they saw as his similarities to President Ronald Reagan, who also had been an actor.

"I kind of fell in love with Mr. Thompson on the TV screen," said Caleb Christine, 26, a factory worker and Army reservist who served in Iraq. "I'm a definite Law & Order fan."

Christine said he became curious about Thompson as a political figure when Thompson helped John Roberts, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, win Senate confirmation two years ago.

"So all of my knowledge is pretty recent about him. But once I started reading more about him and studying more about him, I really just fell in love with the politics he's got, how confident he is and how straightforward he is with the public," he said.

Having announced his presidential bid months after eight other Republican candidates entered the race, Thompson told the Iowa crowd, "The preseason is over. Let's get on with it!"

But his speech, which ran a little over 20 minutes, glossed over policy. Here is where he stands on a sampling of issues:

-Abortion: Says constitutional right to abortion should be overturned. Says states should decide abortion policy, indicating he would not support a constitutional abortion ban. Previously stated support for right to early-term abortion.

-Death penalty: Favors.

-Environment: Questions whether global warming caused by manmade activity is real. As senator, supported opening Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.

-Gay rights: Would let states decide whether to sanction civil unions. Supports federal action to protect states from having to recognize gay marriages performed in other states. As senator, voted against legislation to prohibit job discrimination based on sexual orientation.

-Gun control: Hostile to many gun control proposals, including mandatory background checks at gun shows. Supported campaign finance changes that gun groups and other activists saw as an infringement of speech rights.

-Immigration: Opposes the conditional path to citizenship for illegal immigrants laid out in legislation that President Bush supported. Previously supported selective expansion of legal immigration.

-Iraq: Supports Bush's course in Iraq and said in June he still believed it was right to invade.

FOCUS ON GIULIANI: Filmmaker Robert Greenwald, who was behind documentaries that bashed Rupert Murdoch and Wal-Mart, is now focusing on Rudy Giuliani. He launched an "online viral video campaign" Thursday about the presidential candidate timed to coincide with the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attack. The videos attack Giuliani by saying he failed to prepare New York City for a major disaster, ignored sick ground zero workers and profited financially from his association with the tragedy. The Giuliani campaign questioned Greenwald's motivation and timing. "It's unfortunate that a conspiracy theorist so disconnected from reality would launch a politically motivated hit video to coincide with the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks," said spokesman Mike McKeon,

ENDORSEMENT: The Transport Workers Union of America endorsed John Edwards, saying the former North Carolina senator was the most electable of the Democratic presidential candidates. Edwards accepted the endorsement in New York, surrounded by several union members. "It's because of you that people can move around the city of New York, that people can move around America," he said.

[Last modified September 6, 2007, 23:37:40]