Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Filling out the Thompson ticket

Well, it appears that Fred Thompson, the former senator from Tennessee and current co-star of NBC’s popular crime show “Law and Order,” is poised to throw his hat into the ring. TIME has the story.

“Fred Thompson, a former Tennessee senator and ‘Law & Order’ actor, will take a step toward a formal presidential candidacy next week, several officials with knowledge of the plans said Wednesday. Thompson will form a ‘testing the waters’ committee, which will allow him to begin raising money and hiring staff without officially committing to a White House bid. The creation of the committee, to be called ‘Friends of Fred Thompson,’ will be paired with the start of his first major fundraising push...”

Click here to read the rest of the piece.

Given the field of announced Republican candidates running for president, such as it is, the possibility of a Thompson run for the White House comes as good news to many Republicans. No doubt, some see Thompson as a politician in the mold of Ronald Reagan, who was also an actor -- "Bedtime for Bonzo" was among his credits -- before turning to politics.

This news opens the door to speculation about who might best fill out a Republican ticket with Thompson at the top. According to early scuttlebutt coming out of focus group studies, many lean toward an action show star such as Chuck Norris. That, while some others would like a more contemporary figure, such a one of the cavemen from the popular GEICO series television commercials.

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