Last week I started getting a bit excited about the 2008 Election. Why? Senator/Actor Fred Dalton Thompson may be throwing his hat into the ring. I loved him as the Rear Admiral in “Hunt for Red October.” I’ve liked him in just about everything I’ve seen him do on the screen. I was immediately excited about there finally being a decent candidate to vote for.

The problem for me is that until I started reading up on his political history, all I knew about him was from the characters he’s played on film and television. That’s what excited me.

I’ve studied entertainment. I know more about the history of entertainment in politics and religion than the average person, and STILL, my heart rate went up when I heard that a person that I recognized as an actor was possibly running for the Presidency.

The good news is that I’ve had those studies and I was able to calm down and actually start reading up on this guy.

He’s VERY conservative. I’m not saying that’s a good thing, or a bad thing, I’m just saying that’s what I’m reading about the man. Okay…that actually fits with most of the characters I’ve seen him play. No surprises. So as an actor, he seems to have chosen to play parts that he relates to. Okay, let’s be honest, as an actor, my guess is that he doesn’t do all that much acting. He’s hired to play himself. Watch “Hunt for Red October.” Then watch a few episodes of “Law and Order.” Same guy.

Now…here’s the hard question. What if he’s absolutely nothing like the characters he’s been playing? What if he’s the kind of actor who plays one character all the time? What if it’s all an act?

I don’t think it is. I think that’s why I’m still excited. Because one thing that Fred Dalton Thompson seems to be in every aspect of his life that he shows the public is a grown up. A grown up. I don’t think we’ve had a grown up in office since the first President Bush left the White House. Reagan was a grown up. Carter…not so much. Ford was a grown up. The current President? In my mind he did the best he could with what he had but was far too insulated by the people he trusted.

I certainly don’t see another grown up running. Maybe there’s another one in the background, waiting to join the fray. I don’t know. I do know that we certainly need some solid leadership in the coming years. We need a grown up.

Let’s hope it’s not all an act.