The American Spectator

Thompson on Fox responds to Huckabee:

"THOMPSON: Yeah, well I don't need to justify myself to the Governor. My record is clear. 100 percent pro-life voting record over 8 years at the national level. The proof's in the pudding there. You can go back and look at all of my record. My whole career, I've said Roe v. Wade was wrongfully decided. I have been pro-life all my career and I always will be. The difference with me and most of the rest of them is that's where I was yesterday, that's where I am today, and that's where I'll be tomorrow. Now you know, we can spend a lot of time and he can spend a lot of time going back into the '90s and try and revive old battles or we can try to do something about today. I've got a constitutional amendment on gay marriage that I think is workable and fits in with our Constitution and passable. Some people want to grind away at things that are many, many years old and have no chance of passing. Gov. Huckabee talks about this, I suppose, because it's the only conservative position he's got. People talk about a sanctuary cities -- he apparently wanted a sanctuary state in Arkansas. He's very weak on immigration policy. He was one of the highest taxing governors that we had in this country and rivaling Bill Clinton in terms of the CATO ratings and getting a B when Clinton got a B and getting an F for part of his administration. So I can understand why he might want to talk solely about this issue.

CAMERON: So I guess the question for folks who look at these issues as a critical one for a social conservative. If these are your personal beliefs, how can you support public policies that won't ban them?

THOMPSON: Well look at what I did for eight years in the United States Senate. I mean we had votes on federal funding for abortion, we had votes on partial birth abortion, we had votes on the Mexico City policy, we had votes on cloning, we had votes to prohibit people taking young girls across state lines to avoid parental consent laws. That's what I did. Those are the issues that face the federal government. I would adopt the same policies as president that I did when I was in the United States Senate which is 100% pro-life. I can't reach to every person and change their hearts and minds in America, but I can certainly make sure where, for example, federal tax dollars go."

Some agree with my take that Thompson seems not all that different in practical terms from Rudy, others seem dismayed at Thompson's Meet the Press language and still others think the search for ideological purity is a losing proposition for the GOP.