GO GATORS

It is 5:56 a.m. and 72.2 degrees and wet out. Patrick is prparing his aFghan for sleepy-time.<>p> Gators meet Troy today in the Swamp.

Bulls attempt a huge upset against Auburn and some of the pundits are giving them a chance. Tigers are only 7-point favorites. We'll see.

FROM THE PATRIOT POST:

PATRIOT PERSPECTIVE

Fred Thompson?

“My friends, I come to you today to tell you that I intend to run for President.” With that, Fred Dalton Thompson announced his candidacy for President this week—adding his name to a lengthy list of Republican contenders.

Traditionally, Presidential candidates have announced their intentions after Labor Day, but that tradition has given way to “campaignus infinitum ad nauseam.” Criticized by media talkingheads for his “late entry,” Thompson expressed his doubt that voters will say, “That guy would make a very good president, but he didn’t get in soon enough.”

After all, says Thompson, “People treat politicians sort of like dentists—they don’t have anything to do with them till they have to.”

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, arguably the most articulate constitutional constructionist to hold that post in the last century, recently offered this assessment of the political process: “What’s the job of the candidate in this world? The job of the candidate is to raise the money to hire the consultants to do the focus groups to figure out the 30-second answers to be memorized by the candidate. This is stunningly dangerous.”

Notably, responding to inquiries about his own interest in a presidential bid, Gingrich added, “If Fred Thompson runs... then I think that makes it easier for me to not run.”

What does the timing of Fred Thompson’s announcement say about him as a candidate? Well, mostly that he is a leader, not a follower. To his credit, Thompson is not a “formula candidate.” He doesn’t comport with the expectations of Beltway politicos, commentators and media types, and his campaign won’t be as slick as some of his opponents in both parties.

For the record, however, I know Fred Thompson—the man. I know his character, his intellect and his sincerity, and I know his views on the supremacy of our Constitution. Fred’s style is evocative of Ronald Reagan’s strengths. Like Reagan, Thompson speaks right over the heads of his opponents and the Leftmedia, directly to the people. For that reason and more, the Democrats fear Fred Thompson.

GO GATORS -GO BULLS!!