Can Giuliani Overcome Abortion Stand?

Republican presidential hopeful, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, (55), runs in the Seven Hills 5K Road Race, in Somersworth, N.H., Saturday, May 5, 2007. (AP Photo/Jim Cole) (Jim Cole - AP)

More than 50 House Republicans met last month with Thompson, the actor-politician who plays district attorney Arthur Branch on NBC's "Law & Order."

"Well, I thought that that was fascinating that that many of our members, basically 25 percent of our conference, would show up to meet with Fred Thompson," said House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio.

"And it kind of indicates the same thing that I'm feeling as I go around the country," he said. "There's some interest in a number of the candidates who are out there, but there seems to be some uneasiness and some desire for somebody else."

Asked about former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who also is considering a race for president, Boehner said: "Newt's a friend. He's got an 800-pound brain, as I like to say, and could make things rather interesting."

Boehner appeared on "Fox News Sunday."

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WASHINGTON (AP) _ The 2008 presidential campaign is like a reality show, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says.

"There are a lot of smart people who are running very hard," said Gingrich, who is considering getting into the race. "But they have allowed themselves to be talked into a consultant-driven model, which is the equivalent _ it's a mixture of `American Idol,' `The Bachelor' and `Survivor.'"

Gingrich said recent candidate debates "were ludicrous."

"In the debate the other night, the Republicans averaged seven minutes and 20 seconds apiece, split up into 25- to 30-second answers," he said. "The television celebrities dominate these things. They cut people off. They treat them with disrespect.

"The potential president of the United States, the most powerful governing office in the world, shrinks with each appearance in these shows, and we don't have a national discussion."

Gingrich has been arguing for a different style of debating than the rules, time limits and moderator that come with traditional presidential debates.