Thompson addresses CFR question

Thompson addresses CFR question
Asked at campaign stop about membership

Former Sen. Fred Thompson, a Republican presidential candidate in waiting, candidly answered a question at a campaign stop in Texas yesterday regarding his membership in the Council on Foreign Relations, sometimes referred to as a "shadow government" organization of elites with a global agenda.

In an exchange caught on YouTube that later deteriorated into a police encounter, an activist asked Thompson about his membership in the group, linking it with plans for a "North American Union."

"I didn't know they were up to that," said Thompson. "Now, don't fuss at me. You asked me a question. Let me answer it. There are several conservatives over the years who have been members of the Council on Foreign Relations. I try to learn as much as I can from all viewpoints. I have been a fellow of the American Enterprise Institute, one of the conservative thinks tanks in town, and enjoy having intellectual exercise and discussions whether I agree or not with anyone on any particular issue."

A May 2005 Council on Foreign Relations task force report, Building a North American Community, presents itself as a blueprint for using bureaucratic action though trilateral "working groups" constituted within the executive branches of the U.S., Mexico, and Canada to advance the North American integration agenda.