Thompson's record in the Senate (as viewed by the MSM)

This is an interesting article about the relative Conservative-ness of Fred Thompson's record while serving in the U.S. Senate. (CQPolitics.com - "How Fred Thompson’s Senate Record Stacks Up"). While, as a Conservative, I am generally impressed with his stances while a Senator, I have to admit that I like it that he was sometimes willing to buck the GOP party leaders.

That being said, Thompson's position in support of the Anti-1st Amendment Act (popularly referred to simply as McCain-Feingold) was either naive or plan old offensive. And it's interesting to see in this quote from the article how Greg Giroux simplistically states that the act merely "banned 'soft money' donations to the national parties:

"Thompson did occasionally depart from the majority GOP position. In March 2002, Thompson was one of 11 Republicans who voted for an overhaul of campaign finance laws — promoted by McCain and Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold — that banned “soft money” donations to the national political parties.

Brownback and Hagel voted against the campaign finance overhaul, which the ACU opposed on the grounds that it would unconstitutionally limit free-speech rights.

Thompson said at the time that the measure, while far from perfect, had “much more good in this than ill, and I think it will help this institution and ultimately this country.”"

That particular provision of McCain-Feingold was hardly the controversial aspect of the Act.