KCOL's Fallen called GOP's Thompson “somewhat reassuring” after he described “mushroom cloud over an American city”

Written by Media Matters Staff

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On June 6, after playing an audio clip of potential Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson describing the possibility of terrorists “get[ting] their hands” on nuclear weapons and “ultimately ... see[ing] a mushroom cloud over an American city,” co-host Gail Fallen of Fox News Radio 600 KCOL called Thompson “very presidential” and “somewhat reassuring.”

From the June 6 broadcast of Fox News Radio 600 KCOL's Mornings with Keith and Gail!:

FALLEN: Speaking of great perils that face the nation, Fred Thompson was asked about the war on terror -- oh, that's right, we're not allowed to call it the war on terror. How about if we come up with a new name? 866 triple 8 5449. How about the war on us and the rest of the free world by Islamic jihadists? No, that's a little bit too cumbersome. Maybe you can come up with something abbreviated.

Fred Thompson, though, addressing that issue and what needs to be done as we move toward the future. And he had just the most cogent response to the question. He said, “Think about it this way. We're dealing with people who have nothing but time.” I'm paraphrasing here. And he spoke very articutely, articulately about the mindset of the Islamist fanatic. And he said they sit around -- and they have been doing this for hundreds of years -- plotting and planning. Whereas in the United States, we plot and plan to the next presidential election. And I thought, what an interesting perspective to take.

THOMPSON [audio clip]: They're methodically going around trying to undermine our allies and attack people in conventional ways while they try to develop non-conventional ways and get their hands on a nuclear capability and ultimately to see a mushroom cloud over an American city.

KEITH WEINMAN [co-host]: Your, you, your impression of Fred Thompson last night was interesting.

FALLEN: He was very presidential, and somewhat reassuring. That was my initial response to him. If you, if you had a chance to see him I'd be interested in your take on Fred Thompson. Did he appear presidential? Does he have what it takes? I mean, it's funny, just my, my knee-jerk reaction was -- is that, for some reason, he was channeling [former President Dwight] Eisenhower to me.