Fred takes his shots, defends campaign
Posted: Friday, January 18, 2008 10:56 AM by Domenico Montanaro
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
SENECA, S.C. -- Thompson took a couple of shots at Romney and Huckabee on authenticity and immigration, respectively, when given the chance here during a radio interview and questions from the crowd that followed.
“I haven’t changed positions,” Thompson told about 125 people packed into the Seneca Family Restaurant in the northwest socially conservative reaches of the state. “I have been consistent… I haven’t had to have that long a memory to remember where I stand. All these other fellows, you wouldn’t recognize them from where they were their entire political lives before this.”
Later, a man, who is actually from Kentucky and has followed Thompson to different events, told him he’s “sick of this illegal problem” and took shots at McCain and Huckabee for their stances and record on immigration.
“Well, if you could throw in something about Romney, that’d be all right,” Thompson said, smiling. He said he disagrees with Huckabee and his friend McCain on immigration. And added, “Now everyone’s tough on the border and immigration. Well, I’m glad for the new conversions; it’s always welcome.”
He then went after Huckabee harder with usual barb. “Some people talk about sanctuary cities,” Thompson said. “He apparently wanted a sanctuary state.”
Then it was Romney’s turn. “Romney’s flipped all over the place,” Thompson began, adding that the country needs a president who is honest and has integrity. “How are people going to know where you will be in the future, when they’ve flipped all over the place.”
Thompson did, though, have to answer for the state of his campaign. “They said third would be a good showing in Iowa,” he said, adding that the media thought it would be McCain. “It was only that when I came in third that it didn’t count. I didn’t even compete in New Hampshire… South Carolina is where it’s at -- no doubt about it.”
A Florida bus tour is being put together currently, a campaign staffer said, but left open the possibility that it could be canceled if he loses here.
Thompson is in a fight with Huckabee in this part of the state, which went overwhelmingly for Bush in 2000. Thompson is running a distant third, according to recent polls, in this make-or-break state -- tied or close to Romney, who has all-but-written off South Carolina. Those who live here, asked about dealing with toys from China, dependence on foreign oil, gun control and Guantanamo. Nothing was asked on the economy, which recent polls have shown to be the No. 1 issue for most Americans.
On oil dependence, he emphatically said he’d push to drill in ANWR, which was met by big applause and even a “Yaay.” On gun control, one man said, “I am able to defend myself and my family in South Carolina, but not when I go home to Maryland or on vacation to Florida.” Thompson replied, “I am for that right.” But he issued a slight caution on overreaching since he is for states’ rights or federalism.
On Guantanamo, he spoke of “enemy combatants” who should not be brought to the U.S., because then they’d likely be allowed habeas corpus. And he dismissed the idea that world opinion should have an influence on the matter. He even asserted that there have been “no allegations of mistreatment or that sort of thing.” There was that Koran-being-flushed-down-the-toilet accusation, however.
