By Fred
Fred Thompson joined the race late and left the race early without making a ripple in the big pond called politics. I’d forgotten all about him.
It always seemed to me that Thompson thought the presidency was another acting job that required no real substance, thinking, “A B-movie actor like Ronald Reagan played the part, so why not?”
Everyone kept saying how presidential Thompson appears. He never said much, but just basked in the applause and let people assume he thinks the way he looks – like a grouch. That he’d stand against everything but war, like any good Republican.
(AP photo, Mary Ann Chastain)
He never expressed any original, headline-making presidential ideas. And his young trophy wife looks like the anti-First Lady.
The stale routine of campaigning, diminishing contributions, and consistent rejection in the primaries apparently made him realize maybe he’s just an actor after all. What’s surprising is that any voters ever thought he was a viable candidate.
Now they have to choose someone else, and that will require some thought, which obviously isn’t their strength. Thompson isn’t even bothering to throw his supporters a bone by endorsing any other candidate himself.
Since we have Republicans to thank for the mess in the White House right now, it’s a good thing this light-weight realized sooner rather than later that there’s more to the job of being president than simply having top billing.
But if he’d won the nomination, he’d have made a Democratic win much easier.
