Blogger to put Thompson to the test

By Libby

I like this. Blogger Lane Hudson has filed a formal FEC complaint against Fred Thompson for violating the "testing the waters" rule.

Fred's supporters leaped in of course, to defend Fred's grey zone and to mock Lane for trying to regain the "fifteen minutes of fame" he garnered when he exposed Foley's proclivity for young male pages, but it's good move that's long overdue in my mind.

Fred may be operating within the letter of the law, but he is clearly abridging the spirit and intent. We don't need to set a precedent for stretching the ethical limits beyond fairness and honesty based on legal technicalities. If nothing else the FEC will be forced to show its hand and demonstrate whether they are indeed an impartial body who purposes to uphold the people's interest rather than the politician's ambitions.

The danger of course, is that the FEC will provide cover for Fred's dancing around fair elections and in the next cycle it will be even worse. One can only hope the FEC will take the high ground and establish distinct and meaningful limits to the "testing the waters" gambit.