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"Law and Order" DA Arthur Branch IS Fred Dalton Thompson!

After watching last night's (11/28) Republican Youtube debate on CNN, it struck me yet again why Fred Thompson was able to jump into the race for the Republican nomination after missing the early debates and, with precious little campaigning or effort on his part, find himself consistently high in the polls, often commanding the #2 position, ahead of the likes of Mitt Romney and John McCain!...... Most Americans already know the man and he is both loved and disliked by millions.

NBC's "Law and Order" (and all of its spin-offs) is one of television's most popular and longest-running crime/courtroom dramas. The show's 13th (!) season introduced a new District Attorney, Arthur Branch, played by Fred Dalton Thompson. And for the past four years and in countless re-runs on the TNT network, we have watched Mr. Thompson, a former United States Senator, basically portray himself: A conservative elected official. The Arthur Branch character is obviously honest and incorruptible and yet at the same time a canny DA, acutely aware of the realities of behind-the-scenes New York City politics.

I have been a "Law and Order" fan since 1990. Over the years the DAs have come and gone, but Arthur Branch is my favorite. I love his bluntness, his ability to remain compassionate even while seeking the death penalty. The slight Southern drawl that he affects while delivering one of his many colorful analogies or a cryptic anecdote to one of his staff has an endearing quality that has contributed to Mr. Thompson's popularity. I used to believe that this persona was carefully cultivated especially for "Law and Order."

But then came the somewhat belated official announcement on Jay Leno's Tonight Show That Fred Thompson was a candidate for the presidency.

From that moment on, every time I saw Fred Thompson speak as a candidate, all I could see and here was Arthur Branch! And now, whenever I watch Arthur Branch on "Law and Order," all I see is Fred Thompson!

The personalities of the character and the candidate are so close that there was some talk early on within the Fred for President movement that if Thompson were to become a candidate, the networks should would not air any episode in which Arthur Branch was the District Attorney. This obviously has not been the case, and Mr.Branch is giving Mr.Thompson an extraordinary amount of free air time.

Hey! All of you "Law and Order" fans out there. Picture the following imaginary closing scene:

It's been a long and hard fought case involving some vigilantes. The prosecution has prevailed and the offenders are behind bars for a long time.

A leather-jacketed Jack McCoy, holding a motorcycle helmet under one arm and carrying a briefcase enters an elevator with Arthur Branch.

McCoy turns to Branch and says, "Arthur, sometimes you are impossible to read. Just exactly where DO you stand on the Second Amendment?

Branch is silent for a moment, then turns and with a wink and a grin replies (quoting word for word Fred Dalton Thompson at the 11/28/07 Republican debate),

"I own a couple of guns, but I'm not going to tell you what they are or where they are.

The elevator doors close.

Fade to black

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