On Tort Reform, It's Thompson vs. Thompson

He's known for being tough on crime. But as a GOP senator, Fred Thompson voted against legislation to shrink attorney fees and limit malpractice payouts, repeatedly clashing with his own party. Thompson, a probable Republican presidential candidate, previously worked as a trial lawyer himself, and once even argued against government regulation of drug paraphernalia, WaPo reports.

Thompson, a sometime Hollywood actor, also received maximum donations from trial lawyer lobbies which led to lower ratings for him from conservative groups. Now his advisers fear he'll be painted as a liberal in the coming campaign. But Thompson is covering his tracks, suddenly arguing that when it comes to legal reforms, some matters are better left to the states. (More Fred Thompson stories.)