Source: Arab News.com
http://arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=102381&d=11&m=10&y=2007&pix=world.jpg&category=World
DEARBORN, Michigan, 11 October 2007 — Newcomer Fred Thompson muscled into his debut debate with Republican White House rivals Tuesday, avoiding gaffes, vowing to battle “Islamic fascism” and declaring the race “boring” without him.
Despite a nervy start and mocking reviews since he entered the fray last month, the screen star and former senator grew in confidence in his first televised clash with party foes.
Thompson dodged snares laid by debate moderators and top rivals, New York’s ex-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, called for a robust foreign policy and backed the Iraq troop surge policy.
“It is a global war - Islamic fascism has declared it upon us,” said Thompson, who played a gritty prosecutor in internationally syndicated crime drama “Law & Order.”