Commentary - Aaron Keith Harris: Thompson comes straight from central casting

Later in the show, the former Tennessee senator strode from the curtain out to the comfy chair and said he was running for president. He said it in the same tone of voice a man might use to say he’s going over to Sears to buy a pair of boots.

His fellow Republicans were indeed in New Hampshire, but they weren’t debating. They were giving short answers to questions from Fox News reporters, and they were criticizing Thompson for not showing up and for not starting his campaign earlier.

Thompson’s Leno appearance should make them be more careful about what they wish for.

When Leno asked him about the night’s debate, Thompson said, “It’s not designed to enlighten the American people, it’s more designed for the people who are putting the debates on.”

Thompson said he will be in some debates, but his open disdain for the ridiculous ritual is refreshing, especially among a field of apple-polishers eager to do anything for some free TV time.

Going by the applause meter, you’d have to say that the very libertarian Republican Congressman Ron Paul won, which says all you need to know about the value of these debates. I’d like to see the federal government downsized by more than half too, but Paul loses touch with the practical world when he starts talking about abolishing the CIA and FBI.

The obligatory focus groups seemed to show McCain ahead, mostly because he looked and acted “presidential,” and because he gave “clear and concise” answers.

If that’s how the game is played, then Thompson should clear the field whenever he decides to show up. With Leno and elsewhere, Thompson speaks with a rich, full, familiar voice. He answers questions thoughtfully, sometimes stopping to think in mid-sentence, without the scripted phrases and cadences used by the polished likes of Mitt Romney, John Edwards or Barack Obama.

He is a big man and seems always at ease and in charge. Without that attitude, his pugnacious face and hard brow capped by a very bald head would look mean.

In short, Thompson is the candidate right out of central casting. Whether it’s authentic or not is beside the point. None of the other Republican candidates can communicate in the regular guy way that plays well on the small screen.

Thompson will need those skills when challenged on his record and whatever else gets thrown at him. His eight-year Senate record is pretty much that of a mainstream conservative, but there are some wishy-washy statements on abortion that other pro-life candidates will press him on.

But he seems genuine — and correct ­— in his desire to confront global Islamic terrorism and domestic discord so that the country isn’t “weaker, less prosperous and more divided than we have been.”

There’s one thing that should work in Thompson’s favor. Just about every Republican primary voter will have one paramount question in mind when choosing: Can he beat Hillary Clinton?

Rudy Giuliani is probably too liberal on social issues to energize the party’s base in a general election. Mitt Romney seems to want to be president just so he can be president. McCain is the media favorite, but he has fizzled on the campaign trail before.

Maybe it’s a trick of television. Maybe it’s the conservative movement’s aching desire for a worthy heir to Ronald Reagan’s role as the Great Communicator.

But it seems pretty likely that GOP voters will give Thompson a chance at the role.

Aaron Keith Harris writes about politics, the media, pop culture and music and is a regular contributor to National Review Online and Bluegrass Unlimited. He can be reached at aaronkeithharris@gmail.com.