Actor and former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson -- whose potential candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination has drawn more attention than some of the declared candidates -- Friday urged a continued military presence in Iraq as a barrier to even further destabilization in the Middle East.
"I don't think it's any question that if we leave Iraq before there is some semblance of stability brought about in that nation ... that the world is going to be a more dangerous place," Thompson said, adding that "as long as those brave people on the front lines who are making our sacrifices for us ... say that they have a chance, we need to give them that opportunity to make that work there."
Thompson, speaking before about 450 people at the annual Lincoln Club of Orange County dinner, warned that failure to stabilize Iraq would lead to more troubles in the future.
"Under the worst set of circumstance there, we're going to leave a new haven for terrorism; we're going to leave an area of the world that becomes more and more nuclear," he said. "Those Sunni nations surrounding Iraq will respond to what Iran is doing ... and the whole place will be nuclearized, and that will be bad for us."
Thompson, who spoke for more than 30 minutes, strayed far from prepared remarks he had posted earlier in the day on his blog at ABCRadio.com.
In his speech he mentioned the names of some of the icons of conservative Orange County politics, including John Wayne and Ronald Reagan, whose political career was launched and supported by the influential Lincoln Club.
Thompson's appearance came a day after 10 announced Republican candidates took part in a nationally televised debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library near Simi Valley.
That Thompson and not one of the current candidates was the featured speaker at Friday's dinner at the Balboa Bay Club & Resort had more to do with timing -- and money -- than anything else, said Lincoln Club President Richard K. Wagner. The dinner, he said, was not a fundraiser.
"A lot of them are going through fundraisers right now, and money is king," Wagner said, adding that he expected the major Republican contenders to eventually speak before the club.
Thompson, best-known for his role as Dist. Atty. Arthur Branch on television's "Law & Order," is being closely watched by the Republican candidates. He has not built a campaign structure, but his high media profile and distinctive Southern drawl would probably catapult him into the top tier.
