CHARLESTON, South Carolina (CNN) - Veteran Republican operative Rich Galen has signed on as a senior advisor to former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tennessee, who is exploring a bid for the GOP presidential nomination.

Galen, author of the popular political cyber column MULLINGS, is well known in GOP circles for his savvy political communications skills. He often provides political analysis on CNN.

"Assuming he gets into the race, I think Fred Thompson may well be the best combination of insider-outsider experience and possess the kind of new ideas that don't exist in either party," Galen said.

Thompson is expected to make a formal announcement after Labor Day.

- CNN Political Editor Mark Preston

Documents show Thompson lobbied for an abortion rights group.

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (CNN) - Fred Thompson often plays up his social conservative credentials, telling audiences that he believes “in the sanctity of human life.” And when he officially jumps into the race for the White House, which we believe will be sometime around Labor Day, he’ll be counting on the support of values voters.

But billing records show that in 1991 and 1992, the former Tennessee Republican spent some 20 hours lobbying for a group trying to ease federal laws that restricted abortion counseling. The records detailing Thompson’s work for the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association were first reported Thursday by the New York Times and also obtained by CNN.

Earlier this month, in response to a Los Angeles Times story, a Thompson spokesman said the former senator had no recollection of doing anything to aid the abortion rights group. Last week, another spokesman reasserted this comment but then added to the statement.

“It is not unusual for a lawyer, when asked by a colleague, to provide counsel or assistance when asked, including matters on which they personally disagree," Thompson spokesman Robert Traynham said.

But non-partisan political analyst Stuart Rothenberg said the most recent news about Thompson's past work could hurt him with social conservatives.

“I think the controversy could be a significant problem," Rothenberg said. "Part of Thompson’s appeal is he is a Ronald Reagan conservative and there is a contradiction between that ideal and the reality of his work on the issue of abortion."

And Thompson’s already feeling the heat. A video posting on YouTube shows Thompson answering a question in a 1994 Senate debate about supporting or opposing abortions on demand. “I do not believe that the federal government ought to be involved in that process,” said Thompson in his response.

But Thompson’s voting record during his eight years in the Senate was consistently anti-abortion. And it appears that so far at least, many social conservatives may be willing to give Thompson a pass on this current controversy.

“The conservative wing of the Republican Party really wants to be able to support somebody and because of that they may be able to move past this,” said Rothenberg, who adds that “we won’t know for a number of weeks, possibly a number of months, whether it could get a little bit rocky for Thompson.”

- CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser

President Bush will be in Charleston hours after the Democratic candidates debate

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (CNN) - Guess who’s coming to town just hours after eight Democratic presidential candidates finish beating him up? None other than the commander-in-chief, himself, President Bush.

Bush will deliver a speech at the Charleston Air Force Base Tuesday, which is just down the road from the Citadel where CNN is partnering with YouTube to broadcast a presidential debate Monday night. The candidates are expected to use the national forum to continue criticizing Bush for his execution of the Iraq war.

He will also meet with military personnel during his visit and view the loading of military cargo planes headed to Iraq.

The White House isn’t saying if the president will definitely speak about the war, but presidential spokesman Tony Snow says it is likely to come up. The visit will also give Bush the opportunity to respond to any criticism lobbed at him by Democrats the night before.

The president was invited to Charleston by South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who has stood by Bush on the president's most controversial initiative: immigration reform. Bush's visit to the Palmetto State comes as a new CNN/Opinion Research Poll shows that his approval rating is 35 percent in the state. In 2004, Bush won South Carolina with 58 percent of the vote.

- Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser

WASHINGTON (CNN) - After about three hours, President Bush on Saturday reclaimed his presidential power from Vice President Dick Cheney after undergoing a routine colonoscopy at Camp David, Md., a White House spokesman said.

Five polyps were found in the examination, spokesman Scott Stanzel said. All were small, less than 1 cm in diameter, he said, and "none appeared worrisome." Bush reclaimed presidential power about 10:30 a.m.

The polyps were removed and sent to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., for routine microscopic examination, Stanzel said. Results are expected in two to three days.

At 7:16 a.m., Bush faxed letters to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., president pro tempore of the Senate, informing them that he was voluntarily transferring power to Cheney.

The transfer ends when the president sends another letter to congressional leaders advising them he is reclaiming power effective immediately.

White House spokesman Tony Snow said Friday that the procedure, during which a doctor looks for any signs of cancer, was to be carried out at Camp David, Md., and the president would be placed under anesthesia.

Bush's last colonoscopy was in June 2002, and no abnormalities were found, Snow said.