The minute I read this headline, I knew that Fredmentum had just gotten a huge boost. Will it be enough to help him win South Carolina’s primary? Possibly. Here’s the headline:

David Limbaugh Endorses Fred Thompson

Take a minute and let that sink in a bit. Then exhale. This isn’t the same as Rush endorsing Fred but it’s significant. It’s big. Now let’s look at what David Limbaugh said in endorsing Fred:

He will not respond like a puppet when a debate moderator tells him to raise his hand to signify a childishly simplistic approval or disapproval of a certain policy. He will not be goaded by interviewers into saying things he doesn’t feel comfortable saying. He won’t divide us with class envy or pretend we can be friends with rogue regimes or terrorists. He does not promise a chicken in every pot or pander to liberals on global warming.

It’s obvious that Limbaugh is pointing at McCain when he says that Fred won’t “pander to liberals on global warming.” It’s equally obvious that he’s referring to Gov. Huckabee when he that Fred won’t “promise a chicken in every pot.” Exposing Sen. McCain and Gov. Huckabee as liberals who don’t have a core philosophy. Reagan and Goldwater had a core philosophy. Fred does, too, because he developed his philosophies after reading Goldwater’s Conscience of a Conservative”, which should be must reading for conservative activists.

Here’s another section of Limbaugh’s endorsement letter:

Fred does not run from his record; more to the point, he doesn’t need to. He shoots straight without the constant self-serving reminders that he does, as in telling us he’s driving the “Straight Talk Express.”

More importantly, Fred is right on the issues, and there’s little doubt his positions are firm. Research his stances; read his position papers. You’ll find he’s very strong in all areas important to mainstream conservatives, including national defense, taxes, spending, life, immigration, federalism, appointing originalist judges, health care and education.

In those paragraphs, David Limbaugh said in detail what I said about Fred being the Gold Standard on the issues. Fred’s thought things through. Fred’s delivery isn’t to everyone’s liking. I’ve never taken a moment’s notice of that stuff.

I didn’t lose faith in Fred because I’ve believed steadfastly in the rightness of his thinking. Obviously, David Limbaugh sees in Fred what I’ve seen in Fred for a long time: Fred’s a true conservative and he’s the smartest man on the stage at the GOP debates. Think back a week when Fred took Gov. Huckabee to task on his record:

THOMPSON: He believes we have an arrogant foreign policy in the tradition of blame-America first. He believes that Guantanamo should be closed down and those enemy combatants brought here to the United States to find their way into the court system eventually. He believes in taxpayer funded programs for illegals, as he did in Arkansas. He has the endorsement of the National Education Association, and the NEA said it was because of his opposition to vouchers. He said he would sign a bill that banned smoking nationwide. So much for federalism, so much for state’s rights, so much for individual rights. That’s not the model of the Reagan coalition. That’s the model of the Democratic Party.

Huckabee’s campaign hasn’t been the same since. I agree with my friend King that that wasn’t scripted. Fred just decided that enough was enough. It was time to go on the offensive. There isn’t anything personal in Fred’s response. I suspect that that response played a big part in David Limbaugh’s endorsing Fred. People will notice after that.

The potential impact this might have on the race is immense. McCain and Huckabee haven’t really competed for conservative voters. Rudy hasn’t competed. PERIOD. This endorsement likely hurts Mitt the most. Mitt’s paid attention to conservatives but he hasn’t closed the deal with them. In fact, his win in Michigan was as much about a favorite son returning as anything else.

The bottom line is that David Limbaugh’s endorsement gives instant credibility that Fred’s a viable candidate for the nomination. Limbaugh’s endorsement will likely help Sen. Thompson in Saturday’s primary and with his fundraising. (I’ve long suspected that contributions wouldn’t flow in until they saw who was likely to claim the nomination.)

One last thing that’s got to be mentioned is that Fred’s repeatedly saying that we’re fighting for the heart and soul of the Republican Party has woken people up. Alot of conservatives sat out the 2006 election because they didn’t see much of a difference between the D’s and R’s. Now they’re seeing someone with a legitimate shot at grabbing Reagan’s mantle.

Fasten your seatbelts, folks. There’s alot left to this race.

Technorati: Fred Thompson, David Limbaugh, Reagan, Goldwater, Mitt Romney, John McCain, Election 2008

Cross-posted at California Conservative