First there was tape footage of the 1994 Senatorial debate where Fred Thompson clearly marked out a moderately pro-choice position on abortion. Then there was the Christian Coalition survey where he checked off the box that said "pro-choice." Now comes more evidence that Fred Thompson was pro-choice on abortion.

Link... [1]

In 1991, Fred Thompson was hired by the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA) to lobby President George H. W. Bush to lift the so-called abortion "gag rule," under which clinics receiving Federal money could not counsel patients on abortion. At the time the gag rule was one of the most controversial issues in the abortion debate, coming off the heels of the Supreme Court's Rust v. Sullivan case that permitted the White House position.

Fred Thompson's spokesman is trying to deny this even happened. But the former Maryland Congressman and fellow co-worker with Thompson who actually recommended him for the NFPRHA gig calls Thompson's denial "absolutely bizarre." Others who worked with NFPRHA said they were looking for a Republican to lobby John Sununu, then Bush Sr.'s Chief of Staff. And Fred Thompson seemed to be just the right guy.

This seems to strengthen the case that Fred Thompson was solidly pro-choice in the 1990s. He likes to say that seeing his child's sonogram 3 years ago has made him more pro-life. It's certainly plausible that somebody would become more pro-life after seeing a sonogram, but this child is far from his first. Sonogram technology goes back a few decades - admittedly not as sophisticated. One could at least listen to a fetus's heartbeat many years ago. Either way, this will certainly complicate Fred Thompson's bid to win over social conservatives. He appears to be as pro-life as Mitt Romney, which is to say he's pandering.

Note to social conservatives: if you want a Southern, proudly evangelical Christian, pro-life conservative Republican, your man is not Fred Thompson. Your man is Mike Huckabee. Hell, Huckabee even has gubornatorial experience. And if Huck isn't your cup of tea, you've got Senator Sam Brownback, no marginal figure in American politics.