A rival campaign of Fred Thompson’s is making sure campaign correspondents see this report by David Brody, spotlighting comments from FDT in 1996.

In April of 1996, this is what The Memphis Commercial Appeal wrote: Thompson wants to change the way the 1996 Republican National Convention is conducted. For starters, he wants to abolish the party platform – just toss the archaic thing away. ‘It’s the most useless device I’ve ever heard of,’ Thompson said during a recent visit to Memphis.” Thompson also said this in a separate article from April of 1996: Thompson: “Does Anyone Remember What Was In The Last , Except Abortion? … If We Get Caught Up In Having A Platform Debate And Stuff Like That, We Deserve To Lose.” In August of that same year, Thompson called abortion a “distracting issue.” Read below from an Associated Press article: U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson says he seldom hears about abortion in campaign travels throughout Tennessee and hopes the issue is downplayed at the Republican National Convention. The Tennessee Republican, a pro-choice defender in a party with an anti-abortion tilt, is preparing for next week’s convention in San Diego. He said the party must avoid distracting issues and focus on electing Bob Dole as president. ‘We need to concentrate on what brings us together and not what divides us,’ Thompson said in an interview with The Tennessean published Tuesday. Later in that same 1996 AP article came this part: In 1996, Thompson Said Republican Ideals Don’t Need To Be Written Down Into Platform. “Thompson said he opposes making early-term abortions a crime, as some Republicans would like to do with a constitutional amendment. ‘But I don’t think you should bolt on one issue. I’m still not convinced platforms are a good idea. We know what we believe in and I don’t think we need to write it all down in a document,’ Thompson said.

By the way, when a reporter offers Quotes And Summary Sentences That Have Every Word Capitalized Like This, It Means It Was Taken From Some Other Campaign’s Distributed Talking Points.