Fred Goes Back To Hollywood

Fred Thompson (who hopefully had a coffee with John Edwards at my suggestion) quit the race today, so all you first kid wannabe watchers out there can say goodbye to Tony, Daniel, Hayden, and Baby Samuel.

A Meeting of Moms

Hosted by Maria Shriver, five wives of candidates from both parties spoke on a panel in California about life on the trail. Petite Elizabeth Edwards, sandwiched between statuesque Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain, stole the show by quoting Sesame Street:

Scanning the tall, thin women arrayed beside her, Edwards said she was reminded of the "Sesame Street" song lyric: "One of these things is not like the others."

"Everyone is so beautiful," Edwards said. "Which one doesn't belong?"

The ladies also dished about paying off their kids in pets -- apparently, the Obama kids negotiated a guilt dog. "We can tell you," Mrs. Edwards said, referring to herself and Cindy McCain, campaign veterans, "you are going to end up with more animals."

First Ladies In Waiting

Darlene Superville of the Associated Press takes a closer look at seven of the First Lady wannabes, summing up the field like this:

A political consultant, two lawyers and a pair of battle-tested veterans of presidential campaigns are in the thick of the fight for the White House, urging their spouses on.

Two of the prospective first ladies are managing life-threatening diseases. One would be the first woman of color with the title. A third recently completed her latest humanitarian trip, to Vietnam.

All but one of them are mothers, including of young children. One's a grandmother of 10, too.

Americans have a variety of women to get to know in the campaign, quite apart from the very well known former first lady who's running for president in her own right.

Elizabeth Edwards is described as "an insomniac, (who) surfs the Web or shops online when sleep won't come; ebay.com is one of her favorite sites. She ... is often caught commenting on other peoples' blogs." Hey! That includes visiting me, right here! Stop by again, Mrs. Edwards!

Candidate PDA: Real Or Staged?

By PDA, for my extra-geeky readers, I mean public displays of affection, not personal digital assistants. ABC wonders about camera-caught kisses (Gores), lovey-dovey calls taken in the middle of speeches (Giulianis), and romantic cavorts on the beach (Clintons): genuine goopiness or photo op? If you're in the middle of a nasty argument and they ask you to pose in a lip-clench, movie stars like Fred Thompson definitely have the edge.

Fred Thompson's First Kid Hopefuls

He's in the race!!

Thompson Offspring (minus Betsy, who died in 2002)

• Tony, age 47, born while Dad was still in high school.
  Job: lobbying (trying to get government to pass laws that might help your employer make more money.)
• Daniel, age 42, born three years after his sister. Job: lobbying.
• Hayden, age 4. Job: being adorable.
• Samuel, age 1. Job: burping, bawling, trying to walk.

Campaign Spouses in the Spotlight

Lots of press lately about the candidates' wives: a series on Michelle Obama in the Chicago Tribune, an article and photos featuring Judith Giuliani in Vanity Fair, a look at Jeri Thompson's role in her hubby's almost-campaign in the Washington Post, and Fox News' Greta Van Susteren getting a personal tour of Cindy McCain's new condo. Post columnist Peggy Noonan sums up why candidates' spouses walk a fine line these days:

...The press is paying attention to prospective first ladies because in an age in which presidents are always in your face, first ladies are often in your face. It actually matters if people like them, and it can hurt, on the margins, if they don't. And these days wins are marginal ... First ladies were once more or less average, and were expected to be. Now they are accomplished, worldly, and expected to be. Candidates for the first lady's job have to find a balance. It's delicate. Strong is good, aggressive not. A person who cares, yes; a person who pushes an agenda, no.

Fred Thompson and John Edwards Should Talk

If they weren't total opposites on the issues, Republican Fred Thompson (the actor from Law and Order) and Democrat John Edwards might be buddies. I can imagine them having a heart-to-heart about:

1. Getting through law school and passing the bar exam.
   
   
2. Senatoring (I know; it's not a word) in the South (Edwards, North Carolina; Thompson, Tennessee).
   
   
3. Fathering four children; three living. Edwards lost Wade in 1996 (freak car accident), and Fred lost Betsy in 2002 (accidental prescription drug overdose). Sadness.
   
   
4. Spending time with adult children (Fred Dalton Thompson Junior -- aka Tony -- and Daniel Thompson; Cate Edwards) and elementary school kiddies (Emma Clare and Jack Edwards, ages 9 and 7, and Hayden Victoria Thompson, age 5).
   
   
5. Surviving the cancer nightmare. Thompson fought through non-hodgkins lymphoma and Edwards' wife has incurable breast cancer.

One thing they don't have in common -- along with their political views -- is acting. Here's a list of flicks featuring Fred Thompson:

• Marie (1985)
• No Way Out (1987)
• Feds (1988)
• Fat Man and Little Boy (1989)
• The Hunt for Red October (1990)
• Days of Thunder (1990)
• Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990)
• Flight of the Intruder (1991) (uncredited)
• Class Action (1991)
• Necessary Roughness (1991)
• Curly Sue (1991)
• Cape Fear (1991)
• Aces: Iron Eagle III (1992)
• Thunderheart (1992)
• White Sands (1992) (uncredited)
• Born Yesterday (1993)
• In the Line of Fire (1993)
• Barbarians at the Gate (1993)
• Baby's Day Out (1994)
• Celsius 41.11 (2004)
• Racing Stripes (2005, voice)
• Last Best Chance (2005)
• Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World (2005)
• Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007)