Somewhat connected to Tom's post below is this spectacularly silly Los Angeles Times article by Tina Daunt, "Will Fred Thompson's racist role have political repercussions?":

Writes Daunt: "Thompson played a white supremacist, spewing anti-Semitic comments and fondling an autographed copy of 'Mein Kampf' on a television drama 19 years ago."

That this kind of journalistic schlock gets by Times editors is indeed embarrassing, but one must admit that Daunt has a small point: If Thompson gets in the race, some nitwit out there is going to splice together scenes of Thompson is his supremacist movie, upload it to YouTube, and watch as the views tick away. In short order, the video will make it to the mainstream where we'll find Meredith Veira on the Today Show doing a segment on it, all the while reassuring her audience that Fred Thompson -- so far as she knows -- isn't a racist, he just plays one on TV.

Like I said, it's a small point, because Americans aren't that stupid. But, gosh, if Daunt doesn't do her darndest to pull from the ashes of this article some sliver of controversy:

The role is not something Thompson, who is in Orange County for a speech today, has talked a lot about in recent years. (His spokesman did not respond to several requests for comment this week.) In an appearance before the American Bakers Assn. in Phoenix last year, Thompson mentioned that he had a part on "Wiseguy," but he did not go into details.

Ah-ha -- Thompson's hiding from the role, which must mean either a.) he thinks questions about it are stupid or b.) he's unwilling to make comments that would upset the real white supremacists out there who'll be voting for him. Guess which possibility will get the most play.

After a few paragraphs detailing how conservative sites are expecting this line of attack on a Thompson candidacy, Daunt leaves her readers with this ominous conclusion:

If Thompson's old TV roles do play a part in his presidential campaign, then the long relationship between Hollywood and politics will have entered a new era -- an actor's dream and a candidate's nightmare -- a world where nothing you ever said is forgotten.

Da-da-dun.