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Thompson Chides Rivals, Though Not by Name

November 20, 2007 5:39 PM

ABC News' Christine Byun Reports: On a cloudy Iowa day, presidential hopeful Sen. Fred Thompson R-Tenn., did not mention any of the names of his GOP rivals contending for the presidential nomination.

But - that doesn't mean he wasn't talking, or hinting, about them as he continues to waltz through the delicate dance of differentiating himself from the pack while staying above the proverbial fray.

The former actor and lawyer - who has two television commercials running in the early-voting state - sent out his first campaign mail today.

"Don't settle, don't compromise, don't lose faith ... You can believe in Fred Thompson!" proclaims the flyer, which outlines his positions on tax reform, abortion and immigration.

When asked by ABC News if his latest outreach effort was an attempt to distinguish himself from any specific GOP candidate, Thompson smiled and said voters would be compromising if they go with "anybody but me."

"The point is people need to stick by their principles. People don't do well, the [Republican] party doesn't do well when you stray from our principles," he said.

Thompson also talked about the importance of the Hawkeye state to his campaign success. This one and a half day trip through Northwest Iowa is his fifth visit to the early-voting state.

"I don't know where I'm gonna be," Thompson said of his position after January's caucus, "but clearly, I need to do well in Iowa."

At a campaign stop, a female audience member asked about immigration, which he said he believed in the power of "the ballot box" and "that we can something about it."

"At the end of the day, you got to, hopefully, have somebody with clear views and a lot of guts to vote for," Thompson said, who also discussed his "consistency" on the issue.

Earlier, Thompson mentioned voters should not "reward money" or "whoever is high in the popularity polls at the moment," mildly hinting at rivals, former Govs. Mitt Romney R-Mass., and Mike Huckabee R-Ark.

He later threw some more veiled barbs while talking about sanctuary cities when offering his opinion on a proposal before the local city council that would expand the rights of those illegal immigrants living in Des Moines.

"I don't believe, at the end of the day, Des Moines wants to follow the pattern of New York City or Little Rock, Arkansas. I think that they will reject becoming a sanctuary city or anything close to that," Thompson said, again alluding to Huckabee and Rudy Giuliani.

November 20, 2007 in Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (1)

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Posted by: Stan Buie | Nov 22, 2007 10:26:22 PM

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