Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

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
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 61-8081-100101-120121-133 last
To: ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas
He plays a character named Otis in this western.

Yes, but that movie didn't come out for more than a year after the conversation in question took place. And for a TV movie, the post-production time frame would not be a year or more...

121 posted on 07/08/2007 11:51:22 AM PDT by CA Conservative
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 81 | View Replies]

To: pissant
I hope not, though the Fredheads think I want him out of the race after supporting his entry into it.

I think Thompson has thicker skin than some of his supporters here. ;^)

But if he says one thing and the documentation shows up to prove otherwise, it will be just what the libs are waiting for.

I think if they had it, the'd show it.

Time will tell.

122 posted on 07/08/2007 12:08:04 PM PDT by airborne (COULTER: Actually, my favorite candidate is [Rep.] Duncan Hunter [R-CA], and he is magnificent.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 118 | View Replies]

To: airborne

No doubt about that. They expect the rest of the candidate’s supporters to get in line for the coronation. Ain’t happening.

But the LA Times may be chasing a Mary Mapes/Rather story on this one.


123 posted on 07/08/2007 12:13:37 PM PDT by pissant (Duncan Hunter: Warrior, Statesman, Conservative)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 122 | View Replies]

To: skaterboy

Well, the OLD Reagan signed a law in Califronia that liberalized abortion.


124 posted on 07/08/2007 12:17:38 PM PDT by RobbyS ( CHIRHO)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: pissant
Yup. The LA Times is on Par with the tabloids.

Glad you're up to speed.

125 posted on 07/08/2007 12:32:21 PM PDT by Petronski (Just say no to Rudy McRomney.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 83 | View Replies]

To: CA Conservative

>>Yes, but that movie didn’t come out for more than a year after the conversation in question took place. And for a TV movie, the post-production time frame would not be a year or more...<<

It’s really common for actors to work a year or more in advance of when a film is released. I don’t know the exact dates when he worked.


126 posted on 07/08/2007 12:50:48 PM PDT by ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas (Illegals: representation without taxation--Citizens: taxation without representation)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 121 | View Replies]

To: Sturm Ruger
The minutes from a meeting where DeSarno SAYS she hired Fred don’t quite rise to the level of convincing proof.

Yeah, but the minutes had peripheral spacing this time! ;-)

127 posted on 07/08/2007 2:04:44 PM PDT by an amused spectator (AGW: If you drag a hundred dollar bill through a research lab, you never know what you'll find)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 57 | View Replies]

To: Petronski

Too busy supporting Duncan Heinz to be up to speed.


128 posted on 07/08/2007 2:22:46 PM PDT by new yorker 77 (Speaker Pelosi - Three cheers for Amnesty!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 125 | View Replies]

To: AnnaZ
Meanwhile, the NY Times has decided to attack Thompson as the "old man" with the "trophy wife", while Hilliary! is a "woman of faith".

Yes, and the NY Times reporterette who wrote the story married an old man herself, so I guess she herself is a "trophy wife". ;-)

129 posted on 07/08/2007 3:11:43 PM PDT by an amused spectator (AGW: If you drag a hundred dollar bill through a research lab, you never know what you'll find)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 119 | View Replies]

To: pissant
If fred fans are going to paint his as equally stalwart and consistent, I’m going to correct that.

I assume you are speaking of his opposition to abortion here. What are you using here to "correct" them here other than a dubious story in the LA Times?

130 posted on 07/08/2007 3:59:12 PM PDT by TomB ("The terrorist wraps himself in the world's grievances to cloak his true motives." - S. Rushdie)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 114 | View Replies]

To: pissant

“I want the records to be clear on ALL the candidates.”

If Bill or Hill is involved in a campaign, that is never going to happen. Confuse, lie, distort. They and their underlings are known for many falsehoods. It takes a long time to find the proof sometimes [Peter Paul’s videos took five years to be released that prove she’s lied].

I like Duncan Hunter too, he’s a great candidate. If he ever had any polling numbers like FDT, he’s be attacked and lied about too. You’re holding Fred to an impossible standard.

To me, the 0 he gets from pro abortion groups is proof enough. He would not have a 0 from them if he had ever worked for them. There has been other information offered from his spokesman and John Sununu. It takes forever to go through billing records and do it carefully.

I’m not impressed with your posts, and I do not consider them fairminded.


131 posted on 07/08/2007 8:08:18 PM PDT by hoosierpearl (To God be the glory.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 95 | View Replies]

To: pissant

The truth hurts.

Try Hydrocodone.


132 posted on 07/09/2007 3:04:50 AM PDT by Stallone (Fred Thompson is the Man for the Times)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 84 | View Replies]

To: Stallone

What is so good about this for Fred, is:

Inane accusations inure voters to such charges, thereby immunizing him against future potentially more substantial or credible ones.

Fred would be wise to even help plant wildass accusations early. People will tire of hearing them.

Way to go, Dummycrats!


133 posted on 07/09/2007 9:08:52 AM PDT by Stallone (Fred Thompson is the Man for the Times)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 132 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 61-8081-100101-120121-133 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson