Fred Thompson speaks!

Just what is Fred Thompson saying these days? Let's look at some of the points he makes in this interview with CNN.

Likely Republican White House hopeful Fred Thompson told CNN Friday that he would work to overturn Roe v. Wade if elected president, and would push for a constitutional amendment that protects states from being forced to honor gay marriages performed in other states.

“I don’t think that one state ought to be able to pass a law requiring gay marriage or allowing gay marriage and have another state be required to follow along,” Thompson told CNN’s John King in an interview Friday.

Now, obviously no state is going to pass a law "requiring" gay marriage. Heterosexual marriage isn't going to become illegal anytime soon! ("Sorry, Harry, you can't get married to Sally.... go find a man and try again.") You could interpret this phrasing as something sinister on his part, but it's probably just a misstatement. Surely, like most Republicans, Fred Thompson would never exploit the fear of gay marriage for political gains. As for Roe v. Wade, nothing new here-- what Republican wouldn't appoint "strict constructionist" judges willing to overturn Roe v. Wade?

Next, he deals with the obvious question: when is he going to get off his butt and officially enter the race?

“We are going to be getting in if we get in, and of course, we are in the testing the waters phase,” he said. “We’re going to be making a statement shortly that will cure all of that. But yeah, we’ll be in traditionally when people get in this race."

Come on, Fred, quit playing around! Jump in already. "We are going to be getting in if we get in"? Technically true, I suppose. One does get in when one gets in. On to Iraq:

Thompson refused to provide a timeline for how much longer US forces would remain in the country under his administration, but said, “We need to make every effort to make sure that we don’t get run out of there with our tail between our legs before we’ve done the job of securing that place.”

Good, because it would be terrible for the world to see the United States with its tail between its legs. Forget a shrewd reassessment of America's strategic interests. What kind of message does that send to our enemies? Far better to stick out every unwinnable situation we find ourselves in.

Finally, Thompson deals with the burning criticism that just won't go away:

Asked about critics who call him “too lazy” to put in the long hours necessary to run for president, Thompson said: “If I have critics in Washington it's not going to come as a surprise to me. I'll have more by the end of this campaign,” adding, “The proof’s in the pudding. I think that’s curable.”

We've dealt with this issue before. You go, Fred. Cure that laziness!