The New York Sun reports on Fred Thompson’s pro-choice past, which I covered on this blog several months ago. I don’t think it will end up being a major problem for him, and this reinforces a view I’ve had for a while. Thompson’s late start, combined with the makeup of the current field, will help him overcome issues that may have otherwise presented problems for him.

The pro-choice statements Thompson made in 1994 could have been an issue, but after months of hearing Giuliani’s pro-choice views, and watching Romney’s embarassing, and recent, flip-flop on the issue, Thompson’s pro-life voting record in the Senate is looking pretty good.

His swinging single life in the 1990s and marriage to somebody 24 years younger than him may have raised eyebrows under normal circumstances, but given Giuliani’s messy personal life, this is unlikely be an issue.

His staunch support for McCain-Feingold would normally cause the ire of conservatives, but hey, when you’re running against McCain himself, it becomes much less of a problem.

The bottom line is that after months of being disappointed with the current crop of candidates, conservatives want to rally around somebody. As a result, they’ll likely be more forgiving to Thompson than they may have been otherwise.