Fred Thompson at his Best

H/T to redstate, haystack and tennyson

Right now we live in times of great challenges. There are key issues that will forever shape the face of the world we live in and the nation that our children and grandchildren grow up in.

(1) The Threat to Western Civilization Posed by Radical Islam

We have to recognize the degree and severity of the threat posed by Radical Islam. They have already killed thousands of us and, if allowed to, would kill millions. They see this as a many centuries struggle. We must be resolved to fight this war as long as it takes so that they do not achieve their hopes and dreams. They are willing to sacrifice millions of people to see the end of Western Civilization and we must understand this. We must be unrelenting in our advance and be fully committed to winning this long war.

The consequences of failure are an end to life as we know it today.

/snip

I truly believe that we are at a crossroads as a country on these issues and others. But, we are not without a guide in this journey. We have something we can look to.

(4) The Wisdom of the Founders

We should turn our thoughts and attention back to out two founding documents - the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. In the Declaration we find our common values - a nation under God where our rights our given to us by our Creator.
It is not in the powers of men or government to take them away. Governments and men are to uphold and defend these rights - that is why they are instituted. We are to be a free people - holding properties, participating in free commerce, respecting the liberties of others, and fostering a culture of Life.
It is in our founding.
We are not just given principles by our founders, but a form that tries to ensure that those principles will be made manifest and maintained for generations to come. That is where we must look to the Constitution as a system designed to ensure and guard those liberties for a long, long time.
With its clear sets of checks and balances, separation of powers, and delineation of power and responsibility of Federal and State governments, it gives us a rich and true guideline for guarding and nurturing the rights of a free people into a prosperous state.

(5) Eternal Truths and a New American Political Coalition

Many things are changing in this world, but we must also remember that there is much about man and human nature that does not change. Our founders understood this and we must understand it again. We must rise to this time and these challenges. With a common commitment, we can build a new coalition of Republicans, some Democrats, and many Independents to our common American creed.

That is what I think is possible. Challenges that are great but that can be overcome together by an attention to the wisdom of those that came before us. We have faced it before in wars, depressions, and many other times. We can and must face up to this again. We are the hope of the Western World. It is our calling and duty to respond.
Thank you all.
I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and will do my utmost to fulfill the mission ahead of us.