Non-Candidate Thompson’s Big Splash

At today’s National Right To Life Conference in Kansas City, Mo., Mitt Romney almost had the top tier to himself, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) decided to skip and Rudy Giuliani — well, he wasn’t invited, I guess. Romney would have been quite the heavy, next to Sen. Sam Brownback (Kan.) and Rep. Ron Paul (Texas), but Non-Candidate Fred Thompson is dropping by via video, and you know how great he is on video. Enough said. Poor Mitt.

Thompson, whose 100 percent rating with the National Right To Life folks has not been enough to silence his detractors from saying he supports abortion rights, is leaving nothing to chance. Sure, he didn’t do the debates, and he isn’t a candidate really, but that isn’t going to stop him from assuring the pro-life leadership that he is with them for real, always has been. 

The exclusive video, given to the Christian Broadcasting Network, (see it here: http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/176959.aspx), shows Thompson with his wife, daughter and baby son standing in the sunshine. He wastes no time, touting his voting record on the life issue, which he says is much more important than the other business and financial matters people used to ask him for help with when he was in the Senate. He reiterates his opposition to partial-birth abortion and to the use of embryos for stem cell research, and recalls his pride in being asked by President Bush to shepherd Judge John Roberts through his confirmation hearings before he became chief justice of the Supreme Court. At the end he makes a pitch for the rest of his candidacy — he is concerned about entitlement spending, high taxes and terrorism — and who isn’t? But sure, why not throw it out there too?

Between his blogs and videos Non-Candidate Thompson makes quite a splash without showing up or declaring his candidacy. We’ll learn later if he managed to throw water on Romney’s performance. And as for McCain, if he wants to battle Thompson for the pro-life vote in the primary, he might think about showing up next time. I don’t think video would work for him.