Huffington Post 3/17/2010 - All about Tommy Thompson

Click on the title to see a great article and do not miss the video on the bottom! Here is an excerpt attributed to 2007 remarks -

May 2007: How many different excuses can one make for a single stupid, bigoted comment?
As above, first comes Thompson's controversial comment:

In Thursday night's Republican debate, Tommy Thompson appeared to endorse the right of employers to discriminate against gay employees, but the former Wisconsin Governor was backpedaling within 12 hours.

Thompson was asked Thursday night, "If a private employer believes homosexuality is immoral, should he be allowed to fire a gay worker?"

Thompson said he "really, sincerely believe(s) that that is an issue that business people have to make their own determination over whether or not they (gay employees) should be (fired)."

"So the answer is yes?" moderator John Harris asked. "Yes," Thompson replied.

And, as above, Thompson's continued re-visiting of his controversial comment only digs his hole further. The next morning, Thompson begins backtracking:

"I misinterpreted the question," Thompson insisted. "I thought that I answered it yes when I should have answered it no. I didn't hear it. I didn't hear the question properly and I apologized. It's not my position and there should be no discrimination in the work place and I believe that."

Thompson suggests that he both misinterpreted the question and misheard the question. Two excuses in one. But that didn't stop Thompson, as he continued digging that hole, from coming up with two more excuses:

Tommy Thompson cited a dead hearing aid and an urgent need to use the bathroom in explaining on Saturday why he said at a GOP presidential debate that an employer should be allowed to fire a gay worker.

Speaking to reporters after giving an address at the state GOP convention, Thompson also said he was suffering from the flu and bronchitis and had been admitted to a hospital emergency room three days prior to the May 3 debate.

"Nobody knows that," Thompson said. "I've been very sick. ... I was very sick the day of the debate. I had all of the problems with the flu and bronchitis that you have, including running to the bathroom. I was just hanging on. I could not wait until the debate got off so I could go to the bathroom."

In summation, Thompson: 1) misinterpreted the question; 2) misheard the question, allegedly due to a dead hearing aid (that didn't seem to impair his performance during the rest of the debate); 3) urgently had to go to the bathroom; and, 4) had an emergency-room-caliber degree of both the flu and bronchitis (that didn't appear to give him the hoarseness of voice that usually comes with severe bronchitis). One stupid, controversial comment and four excuses, at least two of which appear utterly bogus given the context.