Waiting For Fred

I knew an actor in the White House, Ronald Reagan. As biographer Lou Cannon described it, being president was “the role of a lifetime” for Reagan. All else aside, Reagan genuinely looked, sounded and acted the part.

The notion of an actor running for president, as a result, is more plausible now than it was when Reagan was elected in 1980. Enter Fred Thompson, stage right, of course.

If you think about it, you have to be something of an actor to be good at being president. Consider George Washington in full uniform posing for that Gilbert Stuart portrait. Abraham Lincoln in that supreme moment at the Gettysburg cemetery. Teddy Roosevelt in best “Rough Rider” form. Franklin Delano Roosevelt during his fireside chats. That was radio acting, no insignificant challenge. Television rendered sweater-clad Jimmy Carter