Thompson Suggests Congress Overreached in Schiavo Case

Sept. 13, 2007 — -- Former Tennessee senator and presidential hopeful Fred Thompson ventured into hazardous terrain Thursday in Florida, where he suggested Congress had overstepped its bounds by involving itself in the Terri Schiavo case.

Coverage of his remarks, made to a cable television station, prompted his campaign to request a correction from at least one media outlet as to how its reports had characterized his response. It also prompted some political observers to note that Thompson, a former actor who played District Attorney Arthur Branch on NBC's "Law & Order," prosecuted a similar, fictional, version of the Schiavo case in that television drama.

Thompson directly refrained from sharing his opinion on the issue, which pitted Schiavo's husband, Michael, who wanted to remove the feeding tube of his wife, who was described by doctors to be in a persistent vegetative state. Her parents, brother and many religious conservatives, insisted, despite the overwhelming medical evidence, that she had some cognition.

Florida courts repeatedly sided with Michael Schiavo, but the case exploded to become a national obsession and Congress intervened in March 2005 to prevent her tube from being removed. Ultimately federal courts refused to intervene and Schiavo died on March 31, 2005.

"Local matters, generally speaking, should be left to the locals," Thompson said Thursday in what seemed to be a gentle way of suggesting that Congress had overstepped its bounds. "I think Congress has got an awful lot to keep up with."

Thompson also made sure not to impugn the motives of any of the religious conservatives whose support he now needs for his presidential campaign. "I know that good people were doing what they thought was best," he said.

The Associated Press originally characterized Thompson as having said he had no opinion, since Thompson said, "I don't remember the details of the case." But the Thompson campaign persuaded the wire service to change its language to suggest he didn't share his opinion — not that he didn't have one.

"Not being part of the situation, not being in the Senate at that point, he did not want to pass judgment," said Thompson campaign press secretary Jeff Sadosky. "He feels some decisions need to be made by families under state and local government."