Read up on Thompson's phony "red truck" stunt when he was running for Senate. It was all part of his average guy act. And it was fake. Calculating and fake, and contemptuously so. Lucky for him, the media bought it.

Essentially, Thompson would have this red pickup truck brought to campaign events. He would climb out of his limo, get in the truck, and then drive in to the event himself, and then talk about what a regular guy he was.

Fake. Fake. Fake.

I wouldn't mind the red truck fakery so much if Thompson didn't lie about it all the time, and if he didn't STILL feature the truck again in his current publicity for his presidential run. There was an article in the Washington Post a couple of days ago where Thompson trotted out the godd@mned red truck again to show what a good ol' boy he really is. Not a lawyer and Hollywood actor, really. Just ol' Fred. The kind of guy you'd like to have a beer with and talk NASCAR.

Thompson is not a stupid guy, but he had a notably undistinguished single term as a Senator -- he didn't do much, and his colleagues didn't particular respect him -- and he quit after one term because he got bored.

Really -- this sort of B.S. is NOT what the country needs right now. No matter how flawed the rest of the Republican field is. No matter how much the party chieftans will now try to claim Thompson is the new Reagan.

By the way ... did anyone else notice Romney's whopper in last night's debate about Saddam Hussein not letting the UN arms inspectors in ... so we HAD to go to war? Dang, the guy will just say ANYTHING to please a crowd!

-- Bokonon