Civil Rights & Justice
Thompson Flip-Flops On Choice: Now, Fred Thompson says he is “pro-life” and “Roe vs. Wade was bad law and bad medical science.” But in the mid-1990s, the conservative National Review described him as “pro-choice,” and a Republican Liberty Caucus newsletter quoted Thompson as saying “The ultimate decision must be made by the women. Government should treat its citizens as adults capable of making moral decisions on their own.” [1]
Recent civil rights & justice stories
Back In The USSR: Fred Thompson Hung Up on Soviet Union Again
What decade is this?
Read More · Link to this Article
Will Thompson Remember Charging Abortion Rights Group Thousands To Lobby For Them?
Maybe the billing records will magically spur his memory?
Read More · Link to this Article
Fred Has First Campaign... er, "Testing the Waters" Scandal
From the NY Daily News:
Read More · Link to this Article
Don’t Believe the Hype
"While the former Tennessee senator opposes the Roe v. Wade decision and built a solidly anti-abortion record in Congress, he has indicated that he would not move to outlaw the procedure."
Read More · Link to this Article
Fred Plays A Prosecutor on TV
But endorses frauds in real life:
Read More · Link to this Article
Ethics
Thompson Raising Millions To Defend Convicted Libby: Fred Thompson has helped to raise millions of dollars as a chair of now-convicted Scooter Libby’s defense fund. He said he reached out to Libby and offered to help: ‘I called him up and offered to help him.’” [2]
Thompson Would Pardon Libby NOW: Asked days after Scooter Libby’s for lying to the FBI and perjuring himself to a federal grand jury in connection with the leaking of Valerie Wilson’s identity, Thompson said about pardoning Libby: “I'd do it now” and called the conviction “a miscarriage of justice.” [3]
Recent ethics stories
Fred and the FEC
With an FEC Complaint filed against Fred Thompson for, among other things, raising money for amassing campaign funds to be spent after he becomes a candidate, you would think he'd try to do a better job hiding it.
Read More · Link to this Article
FEC Complaint Filed Against Fred Thompson
At News for the Left, there's word of an FEC complaint filed against Fred Thompson "for violation of Federal Election Law under the Commission's jurisdiction."
Read More · Link to this Article
Thompson’s Rise To Fame As Crusading Watergate Investigator Highly Exaggerated
Fred Thompson's role in the Watergate investigation is described as "Nixon's useful idiot."
Read More · Link to this Article
The Non-Candidate Candidate
Fred Thompson continues to raise money without officially declaring his candidacy, but he's also raising eyebrows as people start to question whether he's in violation of campaign finance laws by ducking the filing deadline.
Read More · Link to this Article
Do As I Say, Not As I Do; Fred Thompson Delays Filing For Presidential Run
Lobbyist and sometimes presidential candidate Fred Thompson will continue to "test the waters" and delay his official entrance into the Republican presidential race. But why?
Read More · Link to this Article
Environment
Thompson Mimics Bush On Global Warming: Thompson “defended Bush's stance on the Kyoto Protocol,” which he refused to sign, and in a 2000 appearance on CNN noted that Bush’s statement on climate change “sounds like exactly what I just said.” [4]
Recent environment stories
Huckabee And Thompson: Global Warming Overblown
"Tonight on CBS Evening News, each of the 10 leading presidential candidates will be asked, “Do you think the risks of climate change are at all overblown?"
Read More · Link to this Article
Drill the Everglades? Thompson Says It's Not Off the Table
Really? The Everglades?
Read More · Link to this Article
Health Care
Thompson Voted Against Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage: In the Senate, Thompson voted against a plan to add prescription drug coverage to Medicare. [5]
Thompson Voted Against Lowering Drug Costs Through Reimportation: In the Senate, Thompson voted against a plan to lower drug costs for Americans by reimporting prescription drugs from Canada. [6]
Recent health care stories
You, Sir, Are No George Washington...Thompson Compares Himself to Founding Father
Fred Thompson's latest role is kind of a stretch.
Read More · Link to this Article
Will Thompson Remember Charging Abortion Rights Group Thousands To Lobby For Them?
Maybe the billing records will magically spur his memory?
Read More · Link to this Article
Romney Doesn’t Think Thompson Has the Goods
Mitt Romney mixes it up with Fred Thompson.
Read More · Link to this Article
Don’t Believe the Hype
"While the former Tennessee senator opposes the Roe v. Wade decision and built a solidly anti-abortion record in Congress, he has indicated that he would not move to outlaw the procedure."
Read More · Link to this Article
Iraq
On Iraq, Thompson In Lockstep With Bush: Asked in March 2007 “What would you do now in Iraq?,” Thompson said “I would do essentially what the president's doing.” This is unchanged from his position in 2004, when he said about Iraq “The only real issue is the will of American people,” and said the US has “developed a reputation over a period of years of cutting and running when things got tough. We cannot do that this time.” [7]
Social Security
Thompson Supported Privatization: Fred Thompson vigorously supports President Bush’s plan to privatize Social Security. In 2000, when speaking to a group of Tennessee Republicans, he “applauded Bush for his plan to change Social Security,” and in 2001 he appeared on CNN and defended the president’s plan as providing a better return in the long run. [8]]
Recent Social Security stories
Another Week, Another Chance for the Republican Presidential Field to Duck Hard Questions
Tonight, the AARP will be hosting a forum for the Republican candidates in Iowa to address issues important to America's seniors but only one of the Republican frontrunners will attend as the others cited "scheduling conflicts."
Read More · Link to this Article
Fred Thompson Favors Slashing Social Security
According to The Corner, last night Chris Matthews -- who is moderating the Republican debate in a couple hours -- discussed Fred Thompson's Social Security scheme for massive benefit cuts for seniors down the line by radically changing the formula that calculates them.
Read More · Link to this Article
Taxes/Deficit
Thompson Voted For The Bush Tax Cuts: In 2001, Fred Thompson voted twice to pass the Bush tax cut package. During the same debate, he voted repeatedly against plans to provide more help for those trying to pay for a college education [9]
Veterans
Thompson Voted Against Increasing Veterans Healthcare Funding: Thompson voted against an amendment to increase the Bush budget’s funding for veterans’ health care by $1.7 billion. The budget’s funding level was inadequate to meet the needs of veterans’ health programs, according to a budget authored by forty veterans’ organizations and medical societies. [10]
Recent veterans stories
Hollow Speeches Won't Erase Non-Candidate Thompson's Record of Ignoring Veterans
Undeclared GOP Presidential candidate Fred Thompson was in Kansas City, Missouri today to address the 108th National Convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. But like his unofficial campaign Thompson's record on veterans' issues raises a lot of questions.
Read More · Link to this Article
Footnotes
[Fox News Sunday, 3/11/07; National Review, 6/27/94; accessed 4/16/07]
[Environment and Energy Daily, 7/19/01; CNN’s Crossfire, 10/26/00]
[2002 Senate Vote #199]
[2002 Senate Vote #179]
[Fox News Sunday, 3/11/07; CNN, 4/90/04]
[Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN), 8/22/00; CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Reports, 3/24/01]
[H Con Res 83, 4/6/01, #84]
