His speech started on judges and pivoted to Scooter Libby. No one understood why he [Thompson] was talking about Libby [bold mine-DL]. ~Hotline

AmSpec‘s Prowler gives more details on the Thompson speech, but the reaction of Hotline’s CNP informant is telling.  Indeed, why would anyone in any given audience understand Fred Thompson’s bizarre obsession with the defense of Scooter Libby?  The only thing more bizarre than this would be teary-eyed testimonials about the integrity of Karl Rove or an expression of the deep, abiding respect one has for the planning skills of Donald Rumsfeld.  Does any sensible Republican ’08 candidate actually want to associate himself with the cause of a convicted felon whose chief claim to fame is that he always does the bidding of his master, Dick Cheney?   

If they came to hear about judicial tyranny and the need for judicial restraint and strict constructionists (or whatever boilerplate they are expecting), they will naturally be perplexed by references to a perjury case that most people didn’t follow very closely and which most people don’t consider to be one of the burning issues of the day.