Fred Thompson gives a troubling answer on Laura Ingraham about McCain-Feingold

The public cannot be too curious concerning the characters of public men.~Samuel Adams

Fred chats with Laura Ingraham. You can listen here. The subject of McCain-Feingold and free speech comes up and Fred says

"the issue ad thing wasn't even being discussed as far as I remember when the first debates were had and the first bill was proposed. It was a matter of whether you wanted to get rid of soft money."............"they added on something that was a mistake -- and that is the issue ad that you were talking about, and I voted for all of it. So I support the first part [the ban on soft money to parties], but I don't support that."

Interesting. Club For Growth has this-

Fact: He did support it. You can debate about what you support when you vote for a bill on final passage that has warts, but when you sponsor a bill, it's your work. No one makes you sponsor your own bill. Take a look for yourself at title II of S. 27, the so-called "Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2001." Title II has limits on issue ads. Now the late Sen. Wellstone offered an amendment, and made the provision even worse. But the original bill still prevented groups like the NRA, NTU and the Sierra Club from running ads to lobby Congress or candidates without going through a ridiculous set of hoops to do it.

Here is the kicker for me. Fred now says it wasn't discussed, it was the add on that makes it so bad, when in fact Fred upheld McCain Feingold in 2003...From The American Spectator-

Thompson supporters noted that in a recent Sean Hannity interview Thompson answered "yes" when asked if would support the repeal of the issue ad ban.
This raises an interesting issue for Thompson, who signed an August 5, 2003 amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court arguing that McCain-Feingold should be upheld. A few others have looked at the brief but it is worth a closer inspection, especially in light of the helpful hints about the former senator's key role in the bill's passage being circulated by rival campaigns.
The brief is chocked full of interesting tidbits about Thompson's association with McCain-Feingold (formally known as the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act). The brief's introduction reminds us that Thompson "co-sponsored the Senate bill Congress enacted" and that he -- at least he did four years ago -- had "a strong interest in the McCain-Feingold reforms being upheld as constitutional."

The Amicus is here - amicus brief (pdf., see pp. 26-30) Very confusing stuff from the so called conservative champion. This bill stomps the first amendment and was Fred's biggest accomplishment in the Senate. I am sorry that S-27 sticks in my mind. What bothers me more is the way Fred speaks about it now...Like no one will remember and he was not responsible. To quote one more time from David Keating

"So he sponsored it, voted for it, and then defended it in Court."

Leadership and Federalism Indeed.

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