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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: CA Conservative
>>No westerns or cowboy roles in the list...<<

He plays a character named Otis in this western. I have not seen the movie, so I don't know if the character is supposed to by dying. Even if the character is exactly as described by the anti-Fred person, so what?

Thompson in cowboy movie
81 posted on 07/08/2007 9:35:12 AM PDT by ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas (Illegals: representation without taxation--Citizens: taxation without representation)
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To: pissant

I work with a large engineering firm. If a co-worker came and asked for advice on how to size a vent line I might not know I helped design a Gay bathhouse. Legal questions could be even more convoluted and may not point back to the client or cause. I would have to answer I do not recall if I helped design a gay bathhouse, but I am pretty sure I did not.


82 posted on 07/08/2007 9:49:48 AM PDT by Starstruck
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To: de meanr

Yup. The LA Times is on Par with the tabloids.


83 posted on 07/08/2007 10:04:13 AM PDT by pissant (Duncan Hunter: Warrior, Statesman, Conservative)
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To: Stallone

Weasels like pissant? LOL. Get your panties unstuck there toots.


84 posted on 07/08/2007 10:11:10 AM PDT by pissant (Duncan Hunter: Warrior, Statesman, Conservative)
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To: Clara Lou

Hey, many or the fredheads have believed his claim that he’s always been pro-life too. Until it has been demonstrated to be false.


85 posted on 07/08/2007 10:13:14 AM PDT by pissant (Duncan Hunter: Warrior, Statesman, Conservative)
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To: BillyBoy

Ouch!


86 posted on 07/08/2007 10:14:43 AM PDT by pissant (Duncan Hunter: Warrior, Statesman, Conservative)
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To: pissant

Peddle your BS to someone more naive. In my estimation, after reading most, if not all of the Thompson-related threads you’ve started, you are a cultivator of misinformation—a hatchet man. All for Duncan Hunter who isn’t even a blip on the political radar and isn’t going to be the president of anything except, perhaps his local Lions Club.


87 posted on 07/08/2007 10:21:10 AM PDT by Clara Lou (Fred Thompson, '08-- imwithfred.com)
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To: BillyBoy

I am in no way trying to get any SPANKED by Jimrob (besides one has to really piss him off to get spanked). I guess I got a little carried away, thought I was being helpful, sorry for my sick sense of humor...


88 posted on 07/08/2007 10:22:51 AM PDT by Fred (Democrat Party - "The Nadir of Nihilism")
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To: Clara Lou

My statement was BS? Fred has always been pro-life?


89 posted on 07/08/2007 10:25:51 AM PDT by pissant (Duncan Hunter: Warrior, Statesman, Conservative)
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To: pissant
I’m a big guy myself so that might turn me on, but I get your point. Thanks!
90 posted on 07/08/2007 10:37:46 AM PDT by raftguide
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To: pissant
Fred’s gotta deal with this in a definitive way. His supporters the accusers left wingers ain’t gonna work. All MSM is a pit of left wing vipers. Fred’s my #2 guy. If he lied about this, he’ll be my #11.

The interesting thing about this is right now the MSM is spreading this story because they have a vested interest in seeing a Hillary/Obama vs. Rudy matchup so that both major party candidates will be pro-gay pro-aborts. However, if there is truth to it and documentation that backs it up, it's in the Democrats best interest to sit on it for now and then if Fred's nominated, to roll it out ensuring that he'll lose the election.
91 posted on 07/08/2007 10:41:52 AM PDT by Old_Mil (Duncan Hunter in 2008! A Veteran, A Patriot, A Reagan Republican... http://www.gohunter08.com/)
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To: Old_Mil

Either that, or they think they can beat Rudy. They certainly could not beat Thompson, and they know it.


92 posted on 07/08/2007 10:45:03 AM PDT by pissant (Duncan Hunter: Warrior, Statesman, Conservative)
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To: pissant
You see? I never said anything about FDT "always" being anything. You said that. Stick to what I said ["peddle your BS"] not what you think I said.
Now, the facts are that Thompson has a pro-life voting record. He gets a 0-rating from the pro-abort group. But you, hatchetman, continue to try to detract from that in the name of supporting your candidate--who can't win.
93 posted on 07/08/2007 10:45:17 AM PDT by Clara Lou (Fred Thompson, '08-- imwithfred.com)
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To: pissant
"The story was broken by Michael Finnegan of the Los Angeles Times."

Well, it's a good thing that the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune aren't owned by the same company, or one would begin to think that a Communications Stream of Conspiracy Commerce was in action against Fred Thompson.

Oh, wait - both companies ARE owned by the Tribune Company.

Whaddaya know about that!

;-)

94 posted on 07/08/2007 10:47:46 AM PDT by an amused spectator (AGW: If you drag a hundred dollar bill through a research lab, you never know what you'll find)
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To: Clara Lou

Your “peddle your BS” comment was a response to my “many fredheads believed...” post. So excuse me for misinterpreting.

This story has a 98% chance of being utter nonsense. But your “hatchetman” crap is getting old. I want the records to be clear on ALL the candidates. But I appreciate your ability to predict the future. I’ll tell you this much. If Hunter does get the name recognition to compete in the top tier, there will be no small flotilla of Fredheads jumping ship.


95 posted on 07/08/2007 10:51:06 AM PDT by pissant (Duncan Hunter: Warrior, Statesman, Conservative)
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To: pissant

There you go again, with the reasonable doubt/Devil’s Advocate routine.


96 posted on 07/08/2007 10:51:49 AM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist
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To: an amused spectator

Yep. that’s why its likely to be nonsense. But note the Boston Herald ran with it too.


97 posted on 07/08/2007 10:52:19 AM PDT by pissant (Duncan Hunter: Warrior, Statesman, Conservative)
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To: pissant
My statement was BS? Fred has always been pro-life?

I dunno, was Reagan always a Republican?

Considering his recent voting record, what the hell does it matter?

98 posted on 07/08/2007 10:52:28 AM PDT by TomB ("The terrorist wraps himself in the world's grievances to cloak his true motives." - S. Rushdie)
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To: perfect_rovian_storm
but frankly, the whole charade smells like a steaming load of a different kind of number two

ROFL got that right.

99 posted on 07/08/2007 10:54:50 AM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

I’ll tell you what. I’ll be satisfied with the Fred team response, if this is all the Times has. My guess is that every MSM hack right now is digging into it deeper, as are the rivals campaigns. If it has legs, it will be evident shortly. For now, it’s just a smear that needs to be drop kicked.


100 posted on 07/08/2007 10:56:09 AM PDT by pissant (Duncan Hunter: Warrior, Statesman, Conservative)
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