** FILE ** Fred Thompson, left, listens as Sen. Sam Ervin, D-N.C., chairman of the Watergate Investigating Committee, center, listens to other members of the committee during the first day of public hearings on Capitol Hill in Washington in this May 18, 1973 file photo. From left; Thompson, chief minority counsel; Sen. Howard Baker, R-Tenn., Ervin; and Samuel Dash, Chief majority counsel. Thompson gained an image as a tough-minded investigative counsel for the Senate Watergate committee. Yet President Nixon and his top aides viewed the fellow Republican as a willing, if not too bright, ally, according to White House tapes.(AP Photo/File)