'Law and Order' President?

You may know him best as Arthur Branch, one of the more recent D.A.'s on Law & Order. Offscreen he's former (TN) Senate member, Fred Thompson. If that still doesn't ring a bell, don't worry, you're not alone. The majority of voters know little of his Senate record or acting gigs, but that doesn't seem to be a handicap. According to a recent poll (tired of hearing that yet?), Thompson is sandwiched between Rudy Giuliani and John Mccain, pulling in 21% of Republican support. With this much backing early on (Fredheads, they're calling themselves) and still without a formal bid, Thompson is clearly someone to take note of in the red camp.

On the issues, Thompson says he:

Opposes gun control. "You check my record. You'll find I'm pretty consistent on that issue."

Opposes same-sex marriage, but would let states decide on civil unions. "Marriage is between a man and a woman, and judges shouldn't be allowed to change that."

Opposes abortion. "I think Roe vs. Wade was bad law and bad medical science. And the way to address that is through good judges. I don't think the court ought to wake up one day and make new social policy for the country. It's contrary to what it's been the past 200 years."

Supports President Bush's troop surge in Iraq. "Wars are full of mistakes. You rectify things. I think we're doing that now."

Supports an immediate pardon for former White House Aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby. "This is a trial that never would have been brought in any other part of the world. This is a miscarriage of justice. One man and his wife and 14-year-old and 10-year-old children are bearing the brunt of a political maelstrom here that produced something that never should have come about."

Does he have a wife named Babs, too? Not quite, but his current wife, Jeri Thompson, is an attorney and a political media consultant at the Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, and McPherson law firm in Washington, D.C.

Personally, I'd like to see Sam Waterson get in the game. Anyone? Ah, it's Friday. Give me one.

Radio: Stay tuned for President Ronald Reagan's weekly radio address.
Peter: Ronald Reagan? The actor? He's president?
Brian: Peter, you're the one from the future, you should know - ah, forget it.