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 "But doggone, they brought me in a fruit plate," Thompson said to laughs at Tommy's Country Ham House.
The former Tennessee senator has said his wife, Jeri, and others have encouraged him to watch his cholesterol and weight, and to exercise more. He has said his visible weight loss is not health-related, and he's following a new eating plan at home: "If it tastes good, don't eat it."
Apparently the new diet extends to the campaign trail. Thompson said he would take that up with his staff.
Gazing across plates with the remnants of grits, sausage, bacon, biscuits and pancakes, Thompson said in his trademark drawl, "mighty good to be back in God's country."
"Folks knows what goes into a good breakfast," the TV actor said.
During the stop, he also repeated his criticism of rival Rudy Giuliani's support for sanctuary cities and the former New York mayor's fight against legislation he backed in the Senate.
"While I was voting and working for the passage of a bill that outlawed sanctuary cities, Mayor Giuliani was going to court to overturn the bill that we had just passed," Thompson said as he wrapped up a two-day swing through early voting South Carolina.
It was the second day Thompson has denounced leading Republicans on illegal immigration. He also erroneously repeated a claim that all of his opponents had supported a failed overhaul of the nation's immigration laws in the Senate this summer. Sen. John McCain of Arizona was the legislation's chief supporter.
In fact, none of the other Republican candidates supported McCain's immigration bill this year, with top candidates Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney criticizing the measure at various debates and campaign stops.
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 On Wednesday, Thompson also expressed his support for a tough immigration measure sponsored by Iowa Rep. Steve King that would punish companies that hire illegal immigrants.
Under the measure, businesses could not take a tax deduction for wages paid to an illegal immigrant, a step Thompson said he supported "because it provides a disincentive to employers who hire undocumented workers."
Thompson "believes that we need to do all we can to do away with the job incentives that currently draw illegal immigrants to our nation, and supports programs like e-verify, making it easier for employers to ensure they are hiring legal workers," Thompson spokesman Jeff Sadosky said.
In 1996, Thompson voted in the Senate with other Republicans who were opposed to tougher measures against employers and an employment verification pilot program. As recently as last year, Thompson said dealing with illegal immigration on payrolls can't be enforced "all on the backs of employers."
Wednesday's support for King's measure isn't a flip-flop, Sadosky said. "That's not a change in principle or beliefs, that's a change in technology and capability," Sadosky said.
King, a favorite with Iowa conservatives, has described torture at Abu Ghraib as "hazing," argued that living in Iraq is safer than in Washington and derided President Bush's guest worker immigration program as amnesty.
[Associated
Press; By JIM DAVENPORT]
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