Fred Thompson has a 100% pro-life record. I have no doubts about his moral charater.
Here’s Romney in his own words:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFMdK0TWtks
Let’s see how pro family Fred is should he endorese McCain
McCain’s vote on gay marriage could strain GOP relationships
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0417AZinDC0417.html
Fred’s voting record is nearly 100% pro-life, except for his vote on a bill that by necessity, and maybe against his desire, had funding. That’s his voting record. But his POSITION is not 100% pro-life even today (neither is Romney’s), because he has the rape-incest exception.
And in 1994, Thompson SAID things that supported a woman’s right to choose, up until a certain point in her pregnancy, and he’s had to express his changed opinion on that. His statements were not nearly as bad as Romney’s but when we are talking about purity he was not pure.
I don’t think I could say I have no doubts about anybody’s character except my own. And I KNOW my character is flawed. I do NOT think that Romney and Thompson are much different at this point on their “character” regarding abortion. Both have an emotionally correct aura, but fail the intellectual test — neither has a position that is grounded on the fact of the personhood of a fetus — because nobody who is certain of a baby’s personhood could support killing the baby because of the method of conception.
But Fred was in fact more acceptable to me on this issue, and on most every issue, than Romney. I use Thompson to indicate my frustration at the “nuanced” approach to the purity argument. I’ve had my personal pro-life VIEWS questioned by people supporting a man who allows for abortions for rape and incest, because I support a man who SAYS he has the same position. I may be stupid, but my support is based on that stupidity, not a secret desire for abortion, and the charge is ludicrous.
Would I like to support a 100% pro-life candidate? Sure. I’m not sure we have one. We have some “pro-life” candidates, Ron Paul, Mike Huckabee to name two. Hunter, Tancredo were two more, and stronger on the issue than Thompson.
I hate that I had to support a man who as recently as 2002 was still stating support for the “woman’s right to choose”. That’s not an easy position to take. But no man who was better showed any ability to do what it takes to get votes. I donated to a couple of them, and worked for one of them. But in my opinion, if you trust that Romney is not lying now, I will not hold his past against him for purposes of an election, especially since he DOES acknowledge that his previous position was WRONG.