Fred Thompson Appears to Have No Opinion on Terri Schiavo Euthanasia Case

Lifenews ^ | 9/14/07 | Steve Ertelt

[pissant]

The Villages, FL (LifeNews.com) -- The newest Republican presidential candidate appeared to stumble on Friday while campaigning in Florida. Fred Thompson appeared as if he didn't remember the national controversy surrounding the euthanasia death of Terri Schiavo and presented mixed views on whether Congress should have gotten involved.

Terri was the disabled woman whose former husband won a court order to remove her feeding tube and starve her to death.

Before she died from a painful 13 days without food and water, Congress approved a bill by large bipartisan margins allowing federal courts to review the state court's decision allowing Terri's ex-husband Michael to take her life.

Bay News 9's "Political Connections" program asked Thompson if he thought Congress acted appropriately in its attempt to help Terri's family save her life.

"I can't pass judgment on it. I know that good people were doing what they thought was best," Thompson said. "That's going back in history. I don't remember the details of it."

"Local matters generally speaking should be left to the locals. I think Congress has got an awful lot to keep up with," he added.

Responding to their candidate's comments, the Thompson campaign told CBN News that the former Tennessee senator declined to share his opinion because he wasn't in Congress at the time the bill was debated.

"Not being part of the situation, not being in the Senate at that point, he did not want to pass judgment," Thompson campaign press secretary Jeff Sadosky said. "He feels some decisions need to be made by families under state and local government."

David Brody, the CBN News senior national correspondent, says Thompson's not answering detailed policy questions with more specifics could become a problem for him.

"The 'lack of substance' narrative will begin to form if Thompson doesn't move quickly to change the perception," Brody explained. "Rival campaigns will begin to portray him as 'not ready for prime time.'"

[Just mythoughts]

Never mind the facts, forget the law, they have feeeeelings on this very critical national issue about the indisputably very dead Terri Schiavo!

There is not a convicted criminal in this nation that would have been KILLED in this manner. Terri Schiavo was NO criminal. What is now set by this precedent is if there is no living will any person who has legal control of another can give and get testimony without evidence, claiming, said controlled person would not want to live that way.

[fatima]

He doesn’t have the balls to have an opinion on TERRI,Starve or no starve.

[2ndDivisionVet]

You need psychological help. I’m not insulting you, just telling you to seek treatment.

[fatima]

I have no opinion on that.To starve or not to starve-that is the question.

[VaBthang4]

OMG, if you idiots let this moronic gift to Liberals everywhere [see wedge issue that divides conservatives] polute the water where Fred Thompson is deserved, you friggin deserve Hillary.

Bunch of dummies!!

[VaBthang4]

Haha, I'm tired.

Parting shit...

FRED THOMPSON APPEARS TO HAVE NO OPINION ON THE WHEREABOUTS OF AL CAPONE'S VAULT

[fatima]

Hellloho.They just want to so let them go.Will they and their candidate grow up-I doubt it.I am looking at who he sent in here.

[indcons]

Wow! I had to read each of your posts on this thread at least twice before I could understand what you were trying to say (an observation shared by others on this thread, I see).

Just thought you might like to know. Fragmented sentences, one word phrases, and choppy/abrupt punctuation don’t make for easy reading.

[Hugin]

You know they must be running out of material pretty soon, someone somewhere is writing the puppy story right now.

LOL. Probably so. They already did the "Mitt hates puppies" story.

[Hugin]

I don’t give a rat’s ass whether someone goes to church regularly. Ronald Reagan was not a big church goer. Bill Clinton was. I don’t think a need to be a part of a congregation is a true indicator of the sincerity of ones beliefs.

[lolhelp]

It was about a fight between her family and her husband, with every one and their brother taking sides. The politicians got involved for political gain, not for her. I hope this dosen’t become the focus of FR again, I would hate to stop coming to FR for months again.

[dschapin]

This is very sad. I think I can see now why Fred stayed out of the race for so long because that allowed everyone to assume that he agreed with them. Over the past week, I have become more convinced then ever that Fred simply is not a social conservative. He is more of a libertarian conservative and the social conservatives who support him are going to be sorely dissapointed in the end.

[bethtopaz]

Maybe we would find out if the mighty FT would only show up at a debate.

[bethtopaz]

I can’t wait to see FT in a debate with the other candidates.

But not to worry — as one person who is obviously a Fredhead posted on a site regarding FT opposing an amendment to ban gay marriage:

“Daniel writes: GO FRED! Who cares what Fred believes?

He’s the great conservative hope.

He’s hound-dog mean. He’s got southern character and big-city northeast smarts. He’s been a tough DA in New York City. We’ve all seen how he runs that office. Just watch when he gets his hands on the terrorists.”

With all due respect to my friends on FR, I suspect there are a lot of folks out there that are confusing reality with fantasy.

Or was Fred Thompson really a DA in New York City?

I don't know -- I've never watched Law & Order.

Anyway, he's such a hero, he can be forgiven anything!!

[bvw]

The facts:

• The case of Terri Schlinder-Schiavo was perhaps the most famous legal proceeding of 2005. It was in the headlines of the major news outlets for many weeks.

• "Terri's Law” signed into law by President Bush March 21, 2005. The bill was hoped to to give the Federal District Court jurisdiction in the Schiavo case.

• 25 March: Federal Judge Whittemore refused to issue an order restoring the feeding tube pending the outcome of a trial he thought unnecessary. The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court were asked to but did not intervene.

• Terri died 31 March 2005.

• The Roberts confirmation hearings were September 2005, less then six months later.

• Fred Thompson takes a lot of pride in having been asked by President Bush to help coach Mr. Roberts -- now our Chief Justice -- through the hearings.

Fred says now: "I know NOTHING!"

Fred's obviously equally ignorant and oblivious (to be charitable) defenders say there's no reason Fred should have known about the case.

You decide.

[bvw]

And in that same vein of reasoning, Dred Scott was a fight by a property owner to get his (non-human) property back, where he was opposed by many politicians for political gain.

[DoughtyOne]

Beth, Fred announced on the 6th of September, right after Labor Day. Traditionally candidates do just that, wait until after Labor Day. Why should we have an eighteen month Presidential Campaign? Nobody pays much attention until about 4 to 6 weeks before the primary. Hardly anyone pays any attention until after Labor Day for the general election either. Thompson was right to wait. The media has everyone thinking Thompson can’t win now. That’s silly.

Thompson is fine. We’ve just bought the idiotic pronouncements by the MSM, that’s all.

[bethtopaz]

Isn’t he special?

I’m sorry, but if Fred Thompson was a qualified candidate I would give him serious consideration.

He just does NOT have the resume to qualify for POTUS, and it doesn’t seem that he has the desire to do the work that is required to get the job either.

I know all you Fredheads just love him and think he’s the savior of the GOP, but I just don’t see it.

Not at all.

He sure can throw out those one-liners, though.

Not much substance, but a lot of Southern charm.

[DoughtyOne]

Beth, either federalism is addressed soon, or the nation we love will be gone. It will turn into what we have fought for centuries to avoid taking us over by force.

You may not like Fred Thompson, and that’s okay. If another person pops up that wants to take federalism on, I’ll consider them.

I still haven’t made up my mind who I’m going to vote for, perhaps you have. I would submit that Thompson has exhibited in several weeks what others haven’t bothered to in months.

You take care.

[ChuteTheMall]

What would Dr. Ron Paul say about the federal government taking jurisdiction in this particular state case?

Are principles involved? Life or death decisions?