The Pendragon's Hall

So he's finally in. Former senator and current movie star Fred Thompson announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination last night on Jay Leno. That's right. Leno. The Pendragon is completely disgusted. Other candidates, even the Clown Candidate from NYC, at least made a semblance of seriousness in their announcement. My man Mitt Romney chose his father's old hometown and made a serious speech about policy. Thompson announced it on Leno. I had no personal grievance against the man--his positions on the issues are generally good and being an actor is no indication of political ineptitude (though to be fair, Reagan was more famous as a California governor and conservative politician than as a B-list movie actor so Thompson's resume looks a little shakier since nobody remembers him as a senator but only as a lawyer on "Law and Order"). But the way he trivialized his pursuit of office suggests that he looks at the whole thing rather like entertainment. He's better than any of the Democrats and most of the Republicans but his attitude is very nonchalant and I think it is well worth asking whether someone this laid-back (or as Time magazine put it: lazy like a fox) has the get-up-and-get-em to be president.