<i>Newsweek</i> Looks at Fred's Philosophy

A Newsweek column seeks to uncover the real Fred Thompson:

Here's the teaser ...

"The right has a crush on Fred Thompson, but his own papers suggest he is less conservative than they think."

More ...

On a 1994 Eagle Forum survey, Thompson said he opposed criminalizing abortion. Two years later, on a Christian Coalition questionnaire, he checked "opposed" to a proposed constitutional amendment protecting the sanctity of human life. He struggled with the question of when life begins. "I do believe that the decision to have an early term abortion is a moral issue and should not be a legal one subject to the dictates of the government," he wrote in a campaign policy statement filed in the archives.More:

And ...

... Thompson was a strong supporter of McCain's bill. Thompson's files show that he was closely involved in helping to write the law, and pushed colleagues to sign on. When the bill passed in 2001, its Democratic sponsor, Russ Feingold, sent Thompson a thank-you note. "You were essential to our success," he wrote.

H/t: Bluey