FREDDIE ATTACKS THE FUNDIES

Jake Tapper of ABC News reports that Fred Thompson came out squarely against the Fundies over the Schiavo issue and shows himself to be sensitive to personal matters.

Thompson's Daughter's Death Informs Right-to-Die Stance
Thompson Says End-of-Life Decisions Should Not Become 'Political Football'
By JAKE TAPPER
Oct. 22, 2007

...former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee Monday afternoon described details of the death of his own daughter, Elizabeth "Betsy" Thompson Panici, and said that neither federal nor local governments should play any role in making a family's end-of-life decisions.

"I had to make those decisions with the rest of my family," Thompson said. "And I will assure you one thing: No matter which decision you make, you will never know whether or not you made exactly the right decision."

GOP hopeful Thompson said that "making this into a political football is something that I don't welcome, and this will probably be the last time I ever address it. It should be decided by the family. The federal government -- and the state government too, except for the court system -- should stay out of these matters, as far as I'm concerned."

"I had to face a situation like that on a personal level with my own daughter. I know this is bandied about as a political issue, and people want to make it such and talk about it in the public marketplace a lot. I am a little bit uncomfortable about that, because it's an intensely personal thing with me. These things need to be decided by the family."

Let's not forget that the GOP deliberately made this into a political football and that, as USA Today puts it:

Thompson's stand puts him at odds with social and religious conservatives, including Schiavo's parents, President Bush and many in Congress, who tried in 2005 to block removal of a feeding tube that was keeping the brain-dead Florida woman alive.