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Fred Thompson, a Republican candidate for president, says his staff likes to play the Johnny Cash song "I've Been Everywhere, Man" on the campaign bus from time to time.

"It's not quite literally true," Thompson said yesterday, "but it's sure gonna be by the time this is over."

But the big question facing Thompson at a press conference in New Hampshire yesterday was, why hasn't he been here?

The former Tennessee senator and Law & Order star made his second trip to the Granite State since announcing his candidacy early last month, when he said he would visit New Hampshire "early and often" on his way to the White House. His schedule has been packed with private fundraisers in Florida and Tennessee, radio and television interviews, and speaking engagements at receptions for conservative groups across the country.

But he insisted that his campaign in New Hampshire is just as important as in other states and told reporters that there was plenty of time to connect with voters.

"The election's not today," he said, after filing his papers with Secretary of State Bill Gardner to add his name to the New Hampshire primary ballot. "I mean, the real issue is what's the situation on Election Day. By that time, I will have been here a lot, I will have shown New Hampshire the same respect that I'm showing these other states.

"But every time you're somewhere, that means you're not somewhere else," he added.

Thompson visited Northeast Delta Dental in Concord yesterday afternoon with his wife, Jeri, and the couple greeted supporters last night at the grand opening of Thompson's state campaign headquarters in Manchester.

He said he has spent a lot of time fundraising "to stay competitive" and has received donations from more than 100,000 people. Raising enough money to pay for radio and television advertising spots requires him to travel across the country, he said.

Still, Thompson said New Hampshire should maintain its first-in-the-nation primary because it allows candidates without millions of dollars to run a successful campaign through grassroots efforts and retail-style politics. He said the geographical diversity provided by other early states, including Iowa, South Carolina and Nevada, is good for the party.

Thompson made a "solid commitment" to support New Hampshire's first-place status, but he said he would not interfere with the Republican National Committee, which is poised to strip New Hampshire of half its convention delegates if the state holds it primary before Feb. 5.

Earlier in the day, Thompson spoke with employees at Northeast Delta Dental about expanding health insurance options, maintaining tax cuts introduced by the Bush administration and fixing the Social Security system.

But he stumbled over a question about a federal civil unions bill, which he said he would not support.

He blamed courts for compelling states to allow same-sex marriage or civil unions and criticized judges' interpretations that the constitutions in those states required it.

"The controversy that is before us is basically, so far, a judge-made controversy," he said. "No state governor has signed off and introduced legislation on the state level that has endorsed marriage between two people of the same sex."

Actually, New Hampshire passed a bill legalizing civil unions earlier this year, without a court ruling requiring lawmakers to do so. Gov. John Lynch signed the bill June 1, giving same-sex couples the same "rights, responsibilities and obligations" as married couples. The law will go into effect Jan. 1.

Edward Paul, who asked the question, said Thompson gave a "Republican answer" that didn't surprise him, but he doubted whether the candidate's stance will earn him votes in a state that just passed a civil unions law. (next page »)