Robert Novak in his most recent column offers up this nugget about a potential campaign for the Republican party Presidential nomination by Fred Thompson, former Congressman and Senator from Tennessee:

Sophisticated social conservative activists tell me they cannot vote
for Giuliani under any conditions and have no rapport with McCain or
Romney. They do not view Sen. Sam Brownback, representing the social
right, as a viable candidate. They are coming to see Thompson as the
only conservative who can be nominated. Their appreciation of him stems
not from his eight years as a U.S. senator from Tennessee but his
actor’s role as district attorney of Manhattan on “Law and Order.” That
part was molded to Thompson’s specifications as a tough prosecutor,
lending him political star power.
RealClearPolitics – Articles – Fred Thompson Is for Real

So a politician retires from politics to pursue an acting career, negotiates the role he will play, and then leverages that role as a springboard back into politics. That, in itself, is an interesting plot line.

Thompson could potentially turn the GOP primaries upside-down. Stay tuned…