The Un-Candidate

Robert McHenry over at Britannica Blog provides the explanation as to why I, and so many others, find Fred Thompson such an appealing un-candidate.

Thompson gives the impression of not needing to be president. He’s not the fellow who lost the vote for class president in 8th grade and has been trying to assuage that wound ever since; and he’s not the driven one who cannot rest until the ultimate line is written on his resumé.

Whether deftly planned or simply inferred by us watchers, the message seems to be: If called to serve, he will, and faithfully; but he has a life, and he’s not camping by the phone.

It’s not exactly Cincinnatus, or even George Washington, but it’s clever and intriguing. Maybe, more and more people are evidently thinking, we need as president someone who doesn’t desperately need to be president.

That is it exactly!