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Will Fred Thompson Announce on Leno? Paul Bond
Will former Senator Fred Thompson pull a "Schwarzenegger" and announce his presidential quest during his upcoming appearance on NBC's "Tonight Show With Jay Leno"? Hollywood is abuzz with talk that Thompson will do just that when he joins Leno on June 12. So far, the former Senator from Tennessee and star of TV's "Law & Order" has played hard to get, and won't say if he will throw his hat in the ring for the GOP nomination. Another source, close to Thompson, explicitly denies the Senator will make any announcement when he appears on Leno's show.
Story Continues Below But, if Thompson changes his mind at the last minute and does use the Tonight Show as his political jump pad, it won't be the first time this has happened. Back in 2003, after heatedly denying he would ever run for governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger did an abrupt about-face and stunned Leno his audience with his gubernatorial announcement. The late night kick-off was great for Schwarzenegger and Leno who wrangled his best "Tonight" show Wednesday ratings in four years. Late night shows are becoming the vogue place to make political pitches. Recently, John McCain officially declared his intent to run for president during a Feb. 28 appearance on CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman," although his "formal" announcement came a month later. Thompson "hasn't told us anything, but we hope so," said a "Tonight Show" spokeswoman when asked if he will reveal his presidential aspirations during his appearance. "It's certainly the place to do it." It sure is. Still, Thompson's camp says he will be mum on his White House bid. But Thompson does have a cozy relationship with NBC, home of both "Tonight" and "Law & Order." And speculation about his intentions to run for president were further fueled when NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly recently called it "highly likely" that Thompson won't be back with the show next year. An official spokeswoman for Dick Wolf, creator and executive producer of "Law & Order," said only that "it's premature to comment on any casting changes." It's widely assumed, though, that the only thing that would keep Thompson from returning to "Law & Order" would be a bid for the presidency. Whether Thompson announces on the show or not, he remains a player in the 2008 race. A recent Barrington Broadcasting/Zogby International poll had Thompson ahead of Mitt Romney in early primary state South Carolina, even though Romney has formally announced his candidacy and raised money for his campaign. In an online poll by the American Family Association, Thompson trounced all other Republicans, announced or unannounced, collecting more than four times the votes of GOP front-runner Rudy Giuliani. In a recent NewsMax.com poll, 77 percent of respondents said Thompson was their favored candidate in 2008. And an earlier Rasmussen Report survey found that Thompson would nose out Hillary Clinton in a head-to-head race for the White House. But Thompson and for that matter Newt Gingrich could be under the gun if they delay their entry into the Republican primary race so long that some voters begin to feel a bit teased. Pollster John Zogby told NewsMax that Thompson "can wait maybe into June and that's it. And that's trying to calibrate it carefully." Political pundit Dick Morris also cautioned Thompson against waiting too long before tossing his hat in the ring. "Thompson, cashing in on his star power from playing D.A. Arthur Branch on Law and Order,' makes conservative mouths water," Morris wrote. "Some see him as a reincarnation of actor-turned-politician Ronald Reagan. But Thompson's record in the Senate, and his genial manner, suggest a take-it-easy mentality that may be inadequate for the rigors of a campaign against the Clinton machine. "Thompson is doing himself no good by his indecision. The longer he stays out and teases conservatives with occasional appearances to keep his name in speculation, the more he feeds concerns that he lacks the fire in the belly or the energy to compete and win."
© NewsMax 2007. All rights reserved.
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