Campaign Goes After Fred Thompson

October 19, 2007

So I'm at the Family Research Council Value Voters event, and the Fred Thompson campaign is putting out a flyer that rips Giuliani and Romney on the abortion issue.

Basically, they are using past quotes from both of them to say how they have been AWOL on the life issue for a long time. But a rival campaign is pushing back. They've provided to The Brody File a document from the past that they say shows how Thompson isn't so pure on the abortion issue either.

It's from The Tennessean newspaper in 1994. It's an election interview done during Thompson's run for the Senate.

Look at the document here and the transcription is below:

QUESTION: What is your position on abortion? What exceptions do you favor?

FRED THOMPSON: I do not believe abortions should be financed with taxpayers' money. I support the state's right to impose reasonable restrictions such as parental notification. The ultimate decision on abortion should be left with the women and not the government.

In that answer, you see Thompson's federalist streak. He wants the government to stay out. Also, his whole answer has some pro-life tendencies but that last line sounds very pro-choice.

Listen, Thompson voted solidly pro-life during his Senate term. But if he's going to claim conservative purity from the 90's until today, he needs to be ready for the other campaigns to knock him down a peg or two. Plus, if Thompson's campaign is going to put out these flyers at the Value Voters Summit, they might want to watch out for the incoming fire.

Why do I have a feeling my inbox is going to be filling up again. Oh, boy.