The Father of CFR?? Then why isn’t his name on the bill? I oppose the bill, too, and I consider it a rare lapse of judgement in Thompson’s otherwise excellent record — but you’re still overstating the case.
Fred was even responsible for one of the only positive things in McCain-Feingold — he successfully fought McCain and most democrats for an amendment to substantially raise the individual hard money limits and index the limits to inflation. Here is the link to the votes where McCain and friends tried unsuccessfully to table/kill Thompson’s amendment:
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=107&session=1&vote=00053
It was, originally. It was even more radical in its first incarnation, and at that point was called McCain-Feingold-THOMPSON.
And, Fred was THE guy who shepherded the legislation throught the legislative process.