Freddie Jumps In

Well, after a long courtship, Law and Order actor and former Tennessee Senator, Fred (Freddie) Thompson finally jumped into the race last night on Jay Leno's Tonight Show -- in imitation of our own Governator -- Arnold Schwarzenegger.

How he effects the race remains to be seen. The publicity, including the front page article this morning in the LA Times, portrays him as a smart but opportunistic sort. Whether he has the wherewithal and the endurance to be president is somewhat unknown. That he's taken so long to get in suggests one of two things -- he wasn't sure about the run or he wanted to make sure his reruns of Law and Order could proceed unaffected by the campaign.

The LA Times article portrays a guy who didn't amount to much until he got the daughter of a prominent family pregnant and married into the family. It was that in-law connections that helped him get a leg up and then he seemed to be in the right place at the right time after that. The class clown in high school he went by Freddie -- until a politically savvy in-law told him to cut the Freddie if he had political aspirations. He did as he was told and the rest is history. That original marriage failed after 26 years, but not before he'd made a name for himself and positioned himself for this race.

In an age of celebrity, Thompson's name recognition and prominent face will help. Questions, however remain. Who is his natural constituency? Is he ready for prime time? Or more importantly is he really interested in being President? That has to be sorted out, so things should get interesting from here on out!!