Craig Crawford's Trail Mix

MIAMI — In choosing a tough stand against illegal immigration yesterday for his first major policy rollout, Fred Thompson seized on a pivotal issue that sets him apart from his major rivals for the Republican presidential nomination. And Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, wasted no time reacting to the former Tennessee senator’s attacks on his record of support for relaxed immigration laws, claiming that Thompson is the one who is weak on the subject.

On a four-day swing through Florida, Thompson called for denying federal dollars to cities and states that do not report illegal immigrants. That is a direct hit against Giuliani’s backing of so-called sanctuary cities (barring the reporting of suspected illegal immigrants), a policy that he backed as New York mayor, in part on grounds that tough reporting requirements drive illegal immigrants into hiding and makes them fearful of assisting police in solving crimes.

The relatively moderate records on immigration held by GOP presidential hopefuls John McCain and Mitt Romney are also in Thompson’s crosshairs.

Over the next few weeks, the Thompson team plans several more policy moves to the right of its opponents – all packaged with his campaign theme that only he is the “real conservative” running.