Missed in the morning craziness of checking 50+ websites every morning for relevant news on California politics was a column today in the LA Times by Dana Parsons, profiling Republican political guru (and FR friend) Ken Khachigian. Ken is ‘answering the call’ to help out Fred Thompson in his bid for the White House.
The column begins below, and then there is a link over the the Times’ site for the rest.
A veteran advisor answers yet another bell
Ken Khachigian, a lawyer in San Clemente, has advised Reagan, Nixon and others. This cycle, he’s aiding Fred Thompson.
By Dana Parsons, The Los Angeles Times — July 21, 2007
Ken Khachigian already had a job and plenty to do. But in his heart of hearts, he always hopes the phones will start ringing when presidential politics is in the air.
And, as they have so many times before, they did.
The first call came early this year from the Mitt Romney people, who wondered whether Khachigian, a former advisor to presidents Reagan and Nixon and presidential hopefuls Bob Dole and John McCain, was signed on for the 2008 campaign. He said he wasn’t, but nothing came of the Romney overture, which included a conversation with the candidate.
Then, on May 30, an old friend called with the same question, but this time wondering if Khachigian would consider joining the budding Fred Thompson presidential team. Khachigian met Thompson in the early 1970s and had good feelings about him. He said he’d think it over, but before Khachigian had a chance to make a return call, the Thompson camp called back and wanted an answer.
The large sheaf of papers this week on Khachigian’s law office desk in San Clemente tell you that his answer was yes. Khachigian signed on, without pay, to advise the Thompson campaign on strategy, campaign themes and media. The notebook on his desk appears to have several dozen sheets or scraps of paper in it, the stuff of either brilliant political thoughts or forgettable musings.
Such is the nature of advising on presidential campaigns, where a brainstorm can hit at any moment and must be jotted down. It is turf the 62-year-old Khachigian knows well. And if he’s a bit past the doing-cartwheels stage, he’s still looking at the next several months with relish.
Sure, it’s passion, he says. Why else do it and not get paid? And this will be the first time since 2000, when he advised McCain, that he has ties to a national campaign.
"Hey, it’s been 40 years I’ve been doing this," he says, "so when the fire bell rings, you harness up. You’re at a level where there’s such enormous satisfaction. How many people get to work in a national presidential campaign?"
Just a few weeks into the job and with a candidate who hasn’t even announced yet, just what is it that Khachigian is doing?
For the rest of the column, click here.