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.