Fred Thompson (Smartly) Calls it Quits

Reuters

Fred Thompson, Republican actor-politician, quit his bid for the White House on Tuesday, January 22. This was after lackluster finishes in early primary and caucus states.

In a short statement, Thompson said, “Today, I have withdrawn my candidacy for president of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort."

There seemed to be far more interest in Thompson before he officially threw his hat into the ring, when he seemed to rate high in the polls. This interest quickly died when Thompson seemed to lack the interest in, or the energy for, the campaign process, and his polls numbers took a subsequent dive as well.

The New York Times TV Decoder speculates:

“…will the actor Fred Thompson return to the comfortable set of the long-running NBC drama “Law & Order?

It looks unlikely, but the parties involved would be foolish to rule it out. Mr. Thompson played Arthur Branch, the Manhattan district attorney, on the NBC series until May. Mr. Branch’s long-time deputy Jack McCoy, played by Sam Waterston, was promoted to the top job in the most recent season of the series, which premiered Jan. 2.

If Mr. Thompson does re-appear on “Law & Order,” it would likely not occur until the 2008/09 television season, and even then, he would probably only appear in a cameo. Dick Wolf, the creator of “Law & Order,” was not available to comment on Tuesday.”

Hopefully, Dick Wolf et.al. won’t even consider bringing Thompson back, even for a cameo role. Sam Waterston seems to be doing an excellent job in his role of District Attorney Jack McCoy, thank you. And Sam looks happier than ever. I don't think the show needs Fred's help.

So long Fred – here’s one Law & Order fan that won’t miss you, either on the show or the campaign trail.

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