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Thompson Takes on Past Gaffes

October 22, 2007 5:03 PM

ABC News' Christine Byun Reports: In his latest trip to Florida, Republican candidate former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., tried to erase the gaffes of past trips to the Sunshine State.

This time, Thompson - who jumped into the GOP race in September - said that he didn't believe in drilling for oil in the Everglades, which flustered him during a past visit with Florida Governor Charlie Crist.

Last month, Thompson said he didn't know there were "major reserves" in the Everglades.

"I can't imagine a time when the Everglades would be on the table. I didn't consider it to be under serious consideration and still don't," Thompson said Monday.

Saying he "obviously knew about the Schiavo case," he became emotional when asked again about his position on the right-to-die case of Terri Schiavo. Thompson talked about his own daughter, who died in 2002, a topic he rarely discusses publicly.

"It's an intentionally personal thing with me. Decision needs to be made by the family. I was at that bedside, I had to make those decisions with the rest of my family. And I will assure you one things, no matter which decision you make, you will never know whether or not you made the right decision, so making this into a  political football is something I don't welcome and this will probably be the last time I ever address it," Thompson said.

A day after his second debate, Thompson also fiercely defended himself as he continued to battle perceptions that he "lacks personal drive" and is too "laid back" to run for president.

Bristling at a reporter's question about his performance on the campaign trail, Thompson said he is not concerned about polls or the mixed reviews of his campaign. He says he believes the race for the nomination is fluid and there's still "lots of travel to be done" between now and next year's early voting season.

"'President' Howard Dean can tell you, things can change within a matter of days, as far as places like Iowa and other places that are going to be early primary states," Thompson said, referring to the former Democratic presidential candidate's caucus loss in 2004.

Earlier Monday, with a red rose corsage pinned to his suit, the former lawyer and actor wooed female voters at a floral store in Celebration, Fla. About a dozen local businesswomen met with Thompson as he talked about issues like social security and immigration, topics he promised to address soon with detailed proposals.

When asked by a woman whether he could promise a "good return" if she invested her time and money into his candidacy, Thompson told her that he would deliver "by winning."

He also admitted that he's "kind of laid back guy," but that he was "hard-working," arguing he left two jobs to jump into the race. Thompson also blamed the media for questioning his campaigning style. With a subtle dig directed at his competitor, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Thompson noted his rivals have been spending more money on their campaigns, and, according to him, with less results.

"These other guys have been running for two years and one of the guys spent $50 million dollars, and they're apparently not asking him why he's so low in the national polls, but they're asking me why I am only second?" Thompson said.

October 22, 2007 in Thompson, Fred | Permalink | User Comments (0)

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