What a steaming load! Fred Thompson did finish third in SC behind neo-liberals McCain and Huckabee but he certainly did not split votes with either of those two.
I watched National Right To Life annoint Bush early and trash McCain in 2000. They saw Bush as the “electable” man.
In 2008 the NRL strategy was not to annoint McCain because people had become wise to them and they didn’t want to admit McCain was their man after trashing him over Campaign Finance Reform.
So they came out for Fred Thompson helping conservative votes to be split in favor of the “electable” McCain.
Then some state affiliates in certain southern states endorsed Huckabee again as a means of splitting up votes in the primaries as Thompson’s campaign faltered.
The endgame was to split Huckabee and Romney support so McCain would win.
Now I suspect NRL’s game plan is Romney in 2012.
Santorum is being sent out to Iowa early to help create a conservative vote split away from Palin so Romney comes out ahead.
It is conceivable that NRL may endorse Santorum like they did Thompson as part of the scheme.
National Right To Life cannot openly endorse the flip flopping Willard M. Romney although they want him to win the nomination as the most “electable” candidate.