ERIK SCHELZIG at Yahoo! News has the story:Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson said Thursday he was unaware that a federal judge had ruled last week that lethal injection procedures in his home state were unconstitutional.
Thompson also told reporters that he was unaware the U.S. Supreme Court this week had agreed to consider a Kentucky case about whether lethal injection violates the Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
Thompson's support for the death penalty was a major part of his campaign platform when he first ran for the U.S. Senate in Tennessee in 1994. Asked for his response to the recent Tennessee and Kentucky cases, Thompson responded, "I hadn't heard that. I didn't know."
It's not the first time Thompson has been caught off-guard by questions on hot-button topics. In Florida earlier this month, Thompson seemed surprised when asked about oil drilling in the Everglades, a major issue in the state.
Thompson also gave no opinion when asked about efforts by President Bush and Congress to keep brain-damaged Terri Schiavo alive two years ago, saying he did not remember details of the case that stirred national debate.
It's very much a trend now: Fred doesn't know what's going on. Maybe that's too harsh. At the very least, he's not adequately informed.
I saw this story last week, but only read the headlines. If I lived in TN, however, I'd likely look into it a little more (especially if I had campaigned on the topic earlier in my career and were running for president).
1 comment:
He doesn't need to know anything. He's Fred Thompson!
Post a Comment