The Pace of Attacks on Fred Picking Up

Fred Thompson must be getting close to entering the race - at least that's what his critics must be thinking as the pace of attacks pick up. There are two different stories today about various entities attempting to undermine his potential campaign:

First we have the couple that showed up at a Thompson event to challenge his conservatism:

HOUSTON, Texas (CNN) – A woman screaming “you’re not a real conservative, sir” was removed by police from a welcoming reception for likely GOP presidential candidate Fred Thompson Wednesday morning. A second protester was also taken from the room.

Houston police officers escorted the woman — as well as a man — from the hangar at Hobby Airport, where Thompson was shaking hands with a crowd of supporters. They were not arrested.

The woman questioned Thompson as he talked to reporters. She asked him why he was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and noted that the organization supported the North American Union with Canada and Mexico.

After the woman interrupted Thompson by questioning his conservative credentials, the likely candidate said, “Don’t fuss at me. You asked me a question. Let me answer it.” He told the woman, “I try to learn as much as I can from all viewpoints.”

That was a good response from Thompson. After the "macaca" incident last year, I think all candidates are going to be especially wary of hecklers who may be trying to bait them into a YouTube moment that could mess up the campaign. These people are also apparently 9-11 "truthers" who believe that 9-11 was a government conspiracy. They've been showing up at various campaigns this year.

Then we have the latest effort from the dead tree media as the Washington Post examines Thompson's record as a trial lawyer. This is another attempt to damn Thompson based on the clients he worked for. That was tried recently with the story about lobbying for a pro-abortion outfit.

I don't think you can really tell much about a lawyer's beliefs just because he defended people who might not fit the conservative ideological mode. If you believe that every person or organization has a right to a good defense, it doesn't really matter who he worked for. You can read the story and decide for yourself.

The left must be really worried about this guy.