In advance of Fred Thompson's appearance at the Conservative Party of New York tonight, the campaign released some excerpts of his speech:

Some think the way to beat the Democrats in November is to be more like them. I could not disagree more. I believe that conservatives beat liberals only when we challenge their outdated positions, not embrace them.

This is not a time for philosophical flexibility, it is a time to stand up for what we believe in. I spent eight years in Washington fighting for smaller government, lower taxes, less regulation, and conservative judges. With me, what you see is what you get. I was a proud conservative yesterday, I remain one today, and I will be one tomorrow. Together we can carry the conservative banner all the way to the White House and I am asking for your help.

Interesting that the campaign released this particular part of the speech, since it's so clearly aimed at Rudy Giuliani (in the first paragraph) and Mitt Romney (in the second). Might there be a more direct assault elsewhere in the speech? But it will be the "less regulation" part that might raise eyebrows in the crowd. A major sticking point with conservatives is Thompson's support of McCain-Feingold while he was in the Senate.