Abortion Questions Fail to Dim Thompson's Conservative Luster

"I'm around a lot of Baptists," Land said. "They find Fred Thompson to be a tantalizing combination of charisma, conviction and electability. He's got a Reaganesque ability to connect with ordinary folk that is powerful."

Land added: "He also has the same Teflon coating that Reagan had: Bad stuff just doesn't stick."

In the four months since he began flirting with the idea of running for president, Thompson has been confronted repeatedly with statements he made in the past that fall short of the antiabortion rhetoric that many social conservatives demand.

In 1994, according to news reports, Thompson wrote that the "ultimate decision" about abortion is a woman's and that government should not intervene. On questionnaires he submitted to the Eagle Forum and the Christian Coalition, he said he was opposed to both criminalizing abortion and a constitutional amendment protecting the sanctity of human life.

Reports that Thompson had been hired by the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association to lobby the first Bush administration renewed the questions.

Jessica Echard, executive director of the Eagle Forum, said social conservatives should not rush to endorse Thompson before his campaign explains his earlier statements.

"The conservative movement is looking for a new conservative rock star, to put it bluntly," she said. "Maybe some are too quick to jump on the bandwagon . . . this is the stage when we need to be asking all these questions."

Some are also asking broader questions about whether Thompson is ready for the pressure and scrutiny of a high-profile campaign.

Campaign aides initially signaled that he would raise $5 million in June but later worked to play down expectations. The anticipated announcement date for the campaign has shifted repeatedly, with sources close to Thompson first predicting July 4, then mid-July, late July and now early September.

One Republican observer, who asked not to be named to speak frankly about Thompson, said some of the early moves have reflected "ignorance and sloppiness." Another said the delay in the campaign's announcement is intended to allow Thompson time to work the kinks out before officially declaring his candidacy.

"This was a loosely affiliated group of supporters and friends of Senator Thompson for a long time," the adviser said. "[He] is laying the groundwork for what, should he decide to get in, will be an organized and well-oiled machine."