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Out Of Context: Jarring. In Context: Not So Much
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On Monday, The Tennessean broke the news that Sen. Fred Thomspon wrote on a 1996 interest group questionnaire that he did "not believe should should be criminalized. This battle will be won in the hearts and souls of the American people."
For a guy with a 100% pro-life voting record, it's a little jarring.
A rival campaign sent us the actual questionnaire:
On another questionnaire, Thompson indicated he did not know -- or did not want to say -- whether life began at conception.
The whole questionnaire, which is 3 MBs too long to upload, shows that Thompson supported virtually every other conceivable type of pro-life legislation. In context, Thompson's clearly a pro-lifer who, like President Bush, doesn't want to impose a government ban on abortion and who, like most Republicans, support exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother.
Does life begin at conception? Perhaps Thompson's non-answer provides a clue to the content of his religious beliefs. Maybe he didn't really know -- and in any event, didn't think it really mattered in order to oppose abortion.
An editorial comment from me: One of the sad orthodoxies of politics -- common to liberals and conservative pressure groups -- is that far too often, you're not right if you're on the correct side of an issue. Necessary but not sufficient. You're only right when you're on the right side for the officially sanctioned reason.
For a guy with a 100% pro-life voting record, it's a little jarring.
A rival campaign sent us the actual questionnaire:
On another questionnaire, Thompson indicated he did not know -- or did not want to say -- whether life began at conception.
The whole questionnaire, which is 3 MBs too long to upload, shows that Thompson supported virtually every other conceivable type of pro-life legislation. In context, Thompson's clearly a pro-lifer who, like President Bush, doesn't want to impose a government ban on abortion and who, like most Republicans, support exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother.
Does life begin at conception? Perhaps Thompson's non-answer provides a clue to the content of his religious beliefs. Maybe he didn't really know -- and in any event, didn't think it really mattered in order to oppose abortion.
An editorial comment from me: One of the sad orthodoxies of politics -- common to liberals and conservative pressure groups -- is that far too often, you're not right if you're on the correct side of an issue. Necessary but not sufficient. You're only right when you're on the right side for the officially sanctioned reason.
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