Now that the entrance of Fred Thompson into the Presidential race seems inevitable, I want to state a few of the reasons why Romney is clearly the candidate to lead America, and to some extent, why we should all absolutely vote for him over Thompson (I have attempted to do this as respectfully as possible while recognizing I am still an advocate. Besides, Thompson would make a good VP for Romney to run with, although a lot of people would probably consider him too Dick Cheney-esque):

Leadership: In addition to his tremendous success in the private sector, Romney has demonstrated great capability as the leader of the Salt Lake City Olympics and as the Governor of the state of Massachusettes. He has the desire to get things done and it is equalled by his abilities. He is a natural leader. Thompson has represented his state as a Senator, but running a Senate office is not equal to running a state. Thompson decided he didn't want to be in politics shortly after 9/11 and instead pursued his acting career. He plays leadership roles normally, but he is typecast in that role, after all. Where Thompson is reluctant, Romney wants the opoprtunity to fix problems and help America face a new generation of challenges.

The Family: Romney is a family man in spirit, in practice, in public and private. His relationship with his wife is the kind that people should aspire to have. Those who have doubts about the strength of marriage in the world should gain hope from watching Mitt with Ann. Having lived through the Clinton years, I am proud to say I care about a man's personal relationship with his wife. I think it is the clearest demonstration of what type of person they are. In addition to Mitt's personal life, he has been a leader among leaders in defending the family from attack by those who want any commited relationship to be elevated to the level of traditional marriage. He has forcefully and artfully advocated for the fundamental rights of children, both unborn and born, to not be used as research material and to have the benefit of both a mother and father in their life. He has placed his personal values on the line as it were, and stood up over and over again for family values. Much has been made recently about the fact that Thompson divorced his first wife, was a bachelor for many years, and then married a much younger woman. I don't want to belabor the points made that Thompson is not the spokesperson for stemming the erosion of values in the country and world. My point is that Romney clearly is the candidate for those of us who want to have a standard bearer on the issues related to family and life.

Healthcare: Romney succesfully implemented a market based health care reform in Massachusettes that saved the state from socialized medicine while helping to insure the uninsured. Thompson doesn't seem to have any relevant experience in this area other than his lobbying efforts. The democrats are quickly making health care a centerpiece of their campaigns. We need Romney to articulate a better way than Hillarycare or Obamacare. Romney is the person to do that. His experience and understanding of the issues involved will help us save our medical system from those who think the federal government will run it better.

Foreign Relations: Romney has quickly shown his ability to master issues of international relations as well as thinking about solving them in creative ways. He has articulated with great ability the threat that Iran and Jihadists pose to the entire world. He has recently outlined his vision of foreign policy that would help America be a world leader through strength. Thompson did humorously bash on Michael Moore recently. I should add that Thompson has been invovled with some non-governmental organizations that focus on foreign policy.

Electibility: As a prosecutor, I often think about what the main points of attack will be from my opponent. Romney's main weakness seems to be from prejudice and ad hominem argumentation. On the issues, Romney will beat whoever he opposes on the democratic side. He is more qualified, more articulate and has a better vision and common sense about problem solving than all of them. You will see flip-flop style attack adds. You will see people arguing he is just another hawkish religious nutcase like Bush 43. But this will not compare to the bashing Thompson is going to take. Why? Two things I would exploit if I were a democratic strategist. First, Thompson's vote to impeach President Clinton in the Senate. In short, I would paint Thompson as just another Newt Gingrich Repubican who attacked the President we all so loved despite having his own serious character flaws. Second, Thompson's endorsement of attacking Iraq without provocation. In fact, there will be good video of this incident that will be used. Now, this second attack depends on how unpopular the war in Iraq is at the time of the election, but I think we can fairly expect it to continue to be on people's minds. Of course, the dynamic is much different whether Clinton, Obama, Edwards or some other person is the candidate.

The Economy: Romney has had a tremendously successful career in business. He has effectively ran and helped to fix many national and international businesses and his ability as an executive has been proven in this field. The economy is going to be very important in the next election and Romney is the person to articulate conservative principles and to help make sure we are competitive in the global market. Thompson has no business experience, unless you consider lobbying on behalf of businesses to be experience. Simply put, there is no comparison between Romney and Thompson on economic issues.

There is much more that could be said but it is clear who the best candidate is. People may vote for Thompson for a variety of reasons: such as sentimentality about a southern straight talker, a preference for a Church of Christ member, personal fans of Law and Order. People may vote against Mitt Romney for a variety of irrational reasons. Resume to resume though, Mitt Romney is the strongest candidate to lead America at this time when we are confronted with Jihadists intent on destroying us, we are facing stiff competition from India and Asia, the democrats are pushing a nationalized health care system, and the family is under attack. Romney brings fresh and innovative ideas to solve a new generation of challenges and I am proud to continue to say he is My Man Mitt.