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The (family-planning) people versus Fred Thompson
Chicago Trib ^ | 7/7/07 | staff

Posted on 07/07/2007 9:54:02 PM PDT by pissant

Imagine you're the district attorney character on, say, television's long-running "Law and Order." You have five witnesses who say they either saw the accused, or learned contemporaneously, that the accused did the alleged bad thing.

Then imagine the accused's defense is essentially a variant of "I don't recall. There's no paper trail. Nope, I didn't do it." And the accused has a friendly witness who at first doesn't recollect if the accused did the bad thing, then ratchets up to "It didn't happen."

If you're the DA, you probably still think you've got a case, right? Maybe you'll just let the jury decide.

That appears to be where we're at in case of The People v. Fred Thompson, the people being family-planning types who say they hired Thompson to lobby the first Bush White House to overturn an anti-abortion executive order. The story was broken by Michael Finnegan of the Los Angeles Times.

Thompson, the former Tennessee Republican senator who appears to be running for president even though he hasn't yet officially announced, says, through a spokesperson, he didn't do the lobbying at all back in 1991. That's a surprise to the family-planning folks who say that's exactly what they hired him to do back during his Washington lobbyist days, to specifically lobby then-White House chief of staff John Sununu.

This matters, of course, because Thompson has been wooing the anti-abortion activists and social conservatives so important to winning the Republican nomination. They're on the jury.

If this story gains legs, that increases Thompson's challenge in winning over that group. If the people who recall signing on Thompson to lobby the first Bush White House are seen as more credible, Thompson will not only suffer with those opposed to abortion but also more generallly because his truthfulness will become

(Excerpt) Read more at weblogs.chicagotribune.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government
KEYWORDS: fred; fredthompson; latimes; nfprha
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To: pissant
The story was broken by Michael Finnegan of the Los Angeles Times, who received all the important talking points from the Hillary Clinton campaign.
21 posted on 07/07/2007 10:22:56 PM PDT by upchuck (If you don't have borders, you won't have a nation ~ Mark Steyn)
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To: upchuck

That would not suprise me. She’s got the same hacks as Bill had working her campaign.


22 posted on 07/07/2007 10:24:09 PM PDT by pissant (Duncan Hunter: Warrior, Statesman, Conservative)
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To: pissant
“Fred needs to swat this one quickly.”

He already has. Do a FR search on Thompson and abortion. Read what’s out there.

The RATS are really, really running scared of FRed. Hasn’t even announced yet and he’s being treated as a serious contender. I bet FRed has a big grin on his face. I bet he eats this up!

23 posted on 07/07/2007 10:27:02 PM PDT by upchuck (If you don't have borders, you won't have a nation ~ Mark Steyn)
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To: upchuck

Point me to his response, please, if you know. I’ve looked for it via google, and could not find it.


24 posted on 07/07/2007 10:29:24 PM PDT by pissant (Duncan Hunter: Warrior, Statesman, Conservative)
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To: perfect_rovian_storm; pissant

Is it a lame line of attack?

I think this was written about Planned Parenthood — hardly the equivalent of Natural Family Planning.


25 posted on 07/07/2007 10:30:07 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Salvation

IF it were true (doubtful), it would be devastating.


26 posted on 07/07/2007 10:31:33 PM PDT by pissant (Duncan Hunter: Warrior, Statesman, Conservative)
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To: pissant
Pardon me for not doing your research for you.

Have you read ALL the links posted at #19 above?

If you have, then all your questions should have been answered.

27 posted on 07/07/2007 10:32:37 PM PDT by upchuck (If you don't have borders, you won't have a nation ~ Mark Steyn)
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To: pissant

I was just reading this little snippet. I had not read the article from the leftist LAT times. I now see the whole thing came from Hillary.

They just put the addend (family planning) into this title.

Typically bias of the LAT


28 posted on 07/07/2007 10:38:11 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: upchuck

Well, in one, he does say he has no recollection of doing so. That’s kinda weak.


29 posted on 07/07/2007 10:40:17 PM PDT by pissant (Duncan Hunter: Warrior, Statesman, Conservative)
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To: Salvation

THis is a Chicago Trib article on the original LA TImes story.


30 posted on 07/07/2007 10:43:06 PM PDT by pissant (Duncan Hunter: Warrior, Statesman, Conservative)
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To: pissant

It’s to easy for FRed, I’m alive am I not!


31 posted on 07/07/2007 10:46:17 PM PDT by eyedigress
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Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
32 posted on 07/07/2007 10:46:18 PM PDT by Doofer (Fred Dalton Thompson For President)
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To: Doofer

Well, somebody better refute it in a hurry, regardless of where the source originated.


33 posted on 07/07/2007 10:47:46 PM PDT by pissant (Duncan Hunter: Warrior, Statesman, Conservative)
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To: eyedigress

Oui


34 posted on 07/07/2007 10:48:10 PM PDT by pissant (Duncan Hunter: Warrior, Statesman, Conservative)
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To: pissant
“he does say he has no recollection of doing so”

And that’s not good enough for you? What would it take to convince you?

35 posted on 07/07/2007 10:50:29 PM PDT by upchuck (If you don't have borders, you won't have a nation ~ Mark Steyn)
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To: pissant; upchuck
Well, in one, he does say he has no recollection of doing so. That’s kinda weak.

Weak!

Put me in that category. Half the time I can't remember what I ate the previous night for dinner let alone something that supposedly happened 16 years ago.

36 posted on 07/07/2007 10:52:33 PM PDT by Doofer (Fred Dalton Thompson For President)
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To: upchuck

I’ve been an engineer for 20+ years. I remember every project I’ve worked on. And if someone accused me of designing a gay bathhouse, I would know immediately that it was untrue and say so. Not “I can’t recall”.


37 posted on 07/07/2007 10:59:47 PM PDT by pissant (Duncan Hunter: Warrior, Statesman, Conservative)
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To: pissant
As per your request for info, here is what I have seen of the response from Fred and his campaign:

In the original LA Times article:

"A spokesman for the former Tennessee senator denied that Thompson did the lobbying work. "

"Thompson spokesman Mark Corallo adamantly denied that Thompson worked for the family planning group. "Fred Thompson did not lobby for this group, period," he said in an e-mail.

In a telephone interview, he added: "There's no documents to prove it, there's no billing records, and Thompson says he has no recollection of it, says it didn't happen."

Corallo, the spokesman for Thompson, was asked Friday about the board minutes and the five people who said they recalled Thompson accepting the lobbying assignment. He responded in an e-mail, saying that Thompson "may have been consulted by one of [his] firm's partners who represented this group in 1991."

Corallo said it was "not unusual for one lawyer on one side of an issue to be asked to give advice to colleagues for clients who engage in conduct or activities with which they personally disagree."

Then in this article: Thompson wows young Republicans

"Thompson's speech came on the heels of reports that a pro-abortion rights group hired him to lobby President George H.W. Bush's administration 16 years ago. At issue were attempts to ease a regulation that prevented clinics that received federal money from offering abortion counseling.

"I'd just say the flies get bigger in the summertime. I guess the flies are buzzing," said Thompson, who is considering running for president as a social conservative. He refused comment on whether he recalled doing the work. "

38 posted on 07/07/2007 11:04:52 PM PDT by QQQQQ
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To: QQQQQ

Sounds like Corallo was doing a little two-stepping. Adamantly deny, then say , well, gee, he may have helped a colleague. Not sure what it means, but he better get on top of it.


39 posted on 07/07/2007 11:09:48 PM PDT by pissant (Duncan Hunter: Warrior, Statesman, Conservative)
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To: pissant
The story was broken by Michael Finnegan of the Los Angeles Times.

I know Michael Finnegan. I have to work with Michael Finnegan. Michael Finnegan does not BREAK stories -- especially in campaigns. He re-types reports handed to him by liberal Democrat operatives. This whole thing stinks.

40 posted on 07/07/2007 11:40:18 PM PDT by ElkGroveDan (When toilet paper is a luxury, you have achieved communism.)
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