Thompson, Romney Battle Over Flip-Flops

Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson are in an all-out war to convince right-wing voters of their conservative cred, the LA Times reports. Romney, long dogged by his pro-choice past, has seized on the fact that Thompson once lobbied to ease abortion counseling restrictions, a charge the undeclared candidate first denied.

Even as the two former centrists work to flip-flop towards the right wing—Mitt recently called for “less violence and sex on TV”—their base is working hard to pass them through the sieve of authenticity. One prominent conservative blogger praised Romney’s honest reckoning with former views, suspicious at Thompson's attempt to conceal his. (More abortion rights stories.)