Former Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN)

Who Is He?: Fred Thompson was born August 19, 1942 in Sheffield, Alabama. He graduated from the Vanderbilt University Law School in 1967. He worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in Tennessee, as campaign manager for former Senator Howard Baker (R-TN), as co-counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee, and as a lobbyist. He served in the U.S. Senate from 1994 to 2003. But he is best known as a character actor in a number of films and on the Law and Order television series.

International Experience: Thompson served as counsel to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee 1980-81. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and he studied national security issues as a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

Foreign Policy Positions: Fred Thompson voted yes on the original authorization of the Iraq War. He favors free trade. He has voted in favor of NATO expansion and the embargo of Cuba. He has expressed skepticism about the seriousness of global climate change. Thompson has said the U.S. must remain vigilant against "forces of evil" in the world.

Fred Thompson's Foreign Policy Statements:

• A commentary on Iran, Muslims, and Western Civilization, from ABC Radio, April 2007
• Gandhi's Way Isn't the American Way, from ABC Radio, March 2007
• Break Out the French Wine , from ABC radio, May 2007

Other Links:

• Candidate Profile, from the About Guide to U.S. Politics

The Competition: Explore the foreign policy background of all major 2008 presidential candidates.