The Fred Thompson Phenomenon

Michelle Cottle has a fabulous feature on Fred Thompson over at The New Republic. Place me in the category of those who simply do not get the Fred Thompson phenomenon (nor have I ever gotten the gushing over Giuliani). And if Cottle's central point is true that Thompson's biggest appeal is his corn pone masculinity, drawn largely from his film roles, what the hell are his GOP supporters thinking in light of the fact that John McCain, who, whatever his flaws, certainly is second-to-none in this race in terms of whatever we define as masculinity? It's frankly frightening that so many seem not to be able to differentiate Thompson from his various screen personas. It is even more frightening that such a fundamentally unserious (or pseudo-serious) guy is being taken so seriously.