The producer of "Law and Order," Dick Wolf, thinks that Thompson has the ability to win the race for president:
"Look, I've met every president since Nixon," said Wolf, an independent who supported Bill Clinton. "When they focus their attention on you, it's like a light goes on. They have this unique ability to make you feel like you're the only one in the room.
"I don't know if it's a gift or a trick, but Fred's got it."
Wolf finds Thompson's potential candidacy interesting. He's even had conversations with him about it.
"We talked about it in the abstract," Wolf recounted. "I said, 'You should run.' He said, 'Really, why?' I said, 'Because I don't think there's anyone out there who can appeal to the base.' "
Wolf said he could easily see Thompson running and winning.
"When Fred Thompson walks in a room, people want to salute," Wolf said. "But beyond that, he's a remarkable consensus builder. He can see both sides of an issue.
"The character he plays in 'Law & Order,' as all successful characters are, is not too far from the mettle of the man."
More of the "he's getting ready to run" type of report:
And here's another "is he conservative enough" type of report.Fred Thompson, the “Law & Order” actor and former senator from Tennessee, has moved beyond pondering a bid for the White House and begun assembling the nucleus of a campaign should he decide to run, according to people involved in the effort.
Thompson has not yet decided to seek the Republican presidential nomination. But “he is getting more serious every day,” said an adviser familiar with Thompson's plans.
Thompson’s coming-out as a candidate-in-waiting will be a May 4 appearance at the 45th annual dinner of the Lincoln Club of Orange County in the heart of Ronald Reagan country in Southern California. The invitation was widely sought by aspiring Republicans, and his advisers expect considerable media attention around the visit. But there are no plans now for an announcement then.
