Fred Thompson talks to new media about problems with media

Before he gives his speech at the Xcel Energy Center tonight, Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., spoke to a group of bloggers this morning about Sen. John McCain, Gov. Sarah Palin and what he thinks of the media’s coverage.

After running against him for a few months, Thompson said the most important thing he has learned is to not underestimate the Republican presidential candidate. But he said he thinks the media’s coverage of the McCain campaign has not been very even.

“It has been generally poor up until now, and now its invisible,” Thompson said about the media coverage. “The invisible part has been Sarah Palin.”

While his speech will be about McCain tonight, Thompson spent most of his twenty minutes talking about Palin.

“Sarah Palin is the type of public servant that we all claim we want,” Thompson said.

But the public has not heard about Palin’s qualifications because the media has been more focused on her family and her daughter’s pregnancy, Thompson said. He mentioned the New York Times as an example, saying that three of its front page stories had to do with her family and not the issues.

There is an upside, Thompson said.

“One of the good things that this Sarah Palin overreaction has done is the comparison of our vice presidential candidate to their presidential candidate,” Thompson said. “You don’t get experience by being in the senate.”

Outside of the presidential race, Thompson said that he is happily making the transition back to reality now that his campaign has been over for several months. He said he is forming FredPAC, a group dedicated to conservative ideals. Hopefully those ideas will also coincide with the Republican party, he said.