Thompson's plan would amend the Constitution to bar judges from affirming same-sex marriage rights, but leave the option open to a state's legislature and governor. Says Thompson, "they should have the freedom to do what Fred Thompson thinks is a very bad idea."

This appearance with Tim Russert repeats what Thompson has previously told the Des Moines Register, on the premise of protecting a state's decisions from Federal interference: If the state wants to do it, then "so be it."

Video and transcript of Thompson's appearance on NBC's Meet The Press, broadcast on November 5, 2007, follows below.

Russert: ...[A]ccording to the Associated Press: "Thompson favors a constitutional amendment that bars judges from legalizing gay marriage, but also leaves open the door for state legislatures to approve the practice." So if a state said, "We want to have gay marriages in our state," you would be OK with that?

Sen. Fred Thompson (R-TN, Retired): Yes. This, this, this--the--marriage is between a man and a woman. Nobody

ever thought that that was contested until recently, and we've had a couple judges in a couple states decide to turn all that on its head. So we've, we've had, again, a judge-created problem. I would support a constitutional amendment that addresses this judge-created problem. But at the end of--and, and say judges can't do that. But, at the end of the day, if a state legislature and a governor decide that that's what they want to do, yes, they should have, they, they should have the freedom to do what Fred Thompson thinks is a very bad idea.