From that same show, Carlson on Fred Thompson:
CARLSON: He does look like the dad. He has everything that Pat says. He`s handsome, he`s charming, he sounds like a president, he looks like a president, but Pat says he might not have the fire in the belly. That could help him, not having the hunger, not being willing to do anything could help him.
(CROSS TALK)
CARLSON: It could help him. And, you know, he`s smart. He`s articulate. He knows his lines. He can hit his mark. Few people could start --
MATTHEWS: Let me ask you. We`re having debates. MSNBC is going to have debates coming up within a month or so. They`re going to have debates around the country. Is the season still open for him to get in, right now?
BUCHANAN: It is open right now. But I think these guys that are saying they are going to wait until September and October may be waiting to long. That`s taking a big risk.
MATTHEWS: You think his door is open now?
BUCHANAN: I think his door is open now, yes.
CARLSON: The theme song of Republicans should be "Some Day My Prince Will Come," and they`re waiting and they`re hoping. And so Fred Thompson is not late at all. His moment is here.
MATTHEWS: Some day he will come along. Do you think he`s coming now?
CARLSON: I think he`s coming soon.
MATTHEWS: I notice it used to be you had to look like an anchorman to get the presidency. You needed to have a big thick head of hair. And he and Giuliani and McCain -
BUCHANAN: He looks like a big truck driver.
MATTHEWS: With a semi behind him.
BUCHANAN: Looks like a teamster, sure, a southern guy, a teamster. He`s in from Tennessee. He`s perfectly positioned, I think, but the question is, does he get in and is he really ready to do battle? Iowa, those things are very hard to do, Chris.
MATTHEWS: OK, you put him up against Hillary in the general election, who wins?
BUCHANAN: He wins.
CARLSON: Agreed.
MATTHEWS: Margaret Carlson? This is treason! Margaret, the sisterhood`s at stake here. You said it so quick.
BUCHANAN: Al was on the phone.
CARLSON: I don`t see anyone in the field now who can --
MATTHEWS: Billie Jean is on the phone. Billie Jean endorsed the other day.
CARLSON: Oh, now that you have the tennis queen on, I`m sure she`ll win. No, but the red pickup truck, the aura. He`s smart. He has experience. He did --
MATTHEWS: You know what I like about him? I interviewed him when he was running for the Senate. He was the underdog out in Tennessee, in Nashville. I said what hotel are you staying at. He said what hotel are you staying at. We were both at three-star hotels. He comes over, meets me for breakfast, no entourage, not another single person with him. This is when you fall in love with politicians. Maybe it`s rehearsed, but --
And I said -- well, I`m doing a column in those days. I said what about your divorce? You want me to write about that? He said, I prefer you wouldn`t. I mean, I just like the fact that he has a little unhappiness in his past, maybe some misbehavior problems, but he just says, you know, I`d rather you didn`t.
CARLSON: For the press, he would be the new McCain, because he does seem honest and open.
Flashback.
On the Republican side, Sen. Fred Thompson is said to have hurt his vice-presidential chances when his name was linked romantically to that of Margaret Carlson. The Time columnist and "Capital Gang" regular is reportedly too liberal for George W. Bush. Thompson's standing was not enhanced when gossips said he was simultaneously involved with another woman.
And:
The New York Post, of all venues, reported recently that the Tennessee senator had of late become something of a sex object for "Capitol Hill hotties," one of whom complained about "all these other women" who wouldn't leave the senator alone. "I can't get up to get a cocktail at a party without coming back and finding some girl sitting at my chair," the woman was quoted as saying.
Margaret Carlson, the writer for Time and host for CNN, is described this way: "She calls his apartment all the time. It's the joke all over Washington that Margaret has this huge crush on him. And Fred is clearly not interested." (To which the gallant Thompson responded: "I generally don't comment on these matters, but as it relates to the statements made about my friend Margaret Carlson, I should be so lucky.")