Thompson Defends D.C. Lobbying Record

By MIKE GLOVER and RON FOURNIER

DES MOINES, Iowa – Republican Fred Thompson defended his record as a Washington lobbyist, arguing that controversial clients do not reflect his views and they deserved representation in dealing with Congress and the federal government.

"Don’t confuse the lawyer with the client," Thompson said in an interview with The Associated Press. "It has nothing to do with one’s political views. Lawyering is a profession but it’s also a business."

Thompson has come under fire for representing – among others – abortion rights activists, raising questions about his own position as he prepares to enter the contest for the Republican presidential nomination.

"I’m not representing an issue," said Thompson. "I’m representing a client who has an issue."

Thompson, a lawyer, compared his work lobbying to that of a lawyer who represents someone accused of a crime.

"I’ve represented people accused of crimes," Thompson said. "These are people who deserved representation."

Earlier in the day, Thompson urged patience on Iraq and declared himself unabashedly opposed to abortion as the all-but-declared candidate behaved like one, campaigning in Iowa and visiting the state fair.

"Keep your powder dry," he told activists as he launched his one-day swing in the early voting state, sounding a series of conservative themes.

The actor and former Tennessee senator is expected to enter the presidential race officially next month after a less-than-stellar summer marked by a campaign staff shake-up, reports of lobbying for a family planning group and fundraising that failed to meet expectations.

Still, Thompson polls well in national surveys despite his unofficial status and he brushed aside suggestions Friday that he was starting too late to be a factor in the volatile GOP race.

"I wasn’t around when they made those rules and I’m not abiding by them," he said. "We’ve got plenty of time."

Unlike Democrat Barack Obama, who a day earlier plunged into crowds and eagerly sought out state fairgoers, Thompson raced through the jam-packed fair, stopping only to shake hands and chat with people who recognized and stopped him.

Former Marine Sgt. Mitch Beler told Thompson he served in Iraq and Afghanistan and asked the former senator to rally the public behind the controversial conflict in Iraq.

"We’re making progress. We know what we’re doing," Beler told Thompson.

Thomposon replied: "I know what you’re saying is the truth and I’m doing everything I can to support what you’re saying."

Not everyone was sold on Thompson. "Some of us are in limbo," said Virginia Stone of Waukee, Iowa, as she reached for the actor’s hand.

Thompson laughed at Stone’s remark as he signed an autograph.

"We’ll be in your face so much you’ll be sick of us," he said.

On Iraq, Thompson asked for time for the strategy to work, speaking in the generalities that have marked his recent campaign appearances.

"We’ve got to make very, very sure that we don’t run up the white flag when there’s an opportunity there to prevail," Thompson said. "If we don’t prevail there, if we don’t stabilize the situation in Iraq, that’s going to make it more and more difficult in other parts of the world."

The man who spent some 20 years as a Washington lobbyist also proclaimed himself the only candidate willing to deal with what he sees as a looming fiscal crisis for the nation.

"The beginning of the discussion is to get everybody to acknowledge we’ve got a very, very serious problem,’ said Thompson. "We haven’t gotten to that stage yet.’

He said Republican candidates are largely ignoring the issue.

"Other than giving lip service to it … I don’t know that anybody is on the campaign trail," said Thompson. He ducked, however, when pressed on specifics.

Though critics have questioned his commitment on the issue, Thompson said – "I am unabashedly pro-life" – and said he favored gun rights as well.

In July, Thompson said he had no recollection of performing lobbying work in 1991 for a family planning group that was seeking to relax an abortion counseling rule.

Thompson was taking all the right steps to give his campaign a presence in Iowa, meeting privately with conservative activists and Republican lawmakers before touring the fair with popular Republican Sen. Charles Grassley, who is not backing any candidate for president.