an "evangelical leader" likes Fred Thompson

Who is the unnamed person mentioned in this article?

The Brody File just got off the phone with a prominent Evangelical leader who has come to know Fred Thompson. He told me that he's very impressed with him and so are other Evangelical leaders. This leader didn't want to be identified because now is not the time to go public but suffice to say that he seems to be on board with the Fred Thompson campaign.

I'm guessing James Dobson. He clearly doesn't care for Giuliani.

the "neither/nor" candidate

If we have a Clinton/Giuliani match-up next year, might we have this as well?

In the final weeks of the French presidential campaign, dominated by a nurturing Socialist and a crime-busting conservative, a third candidate has upended the race with a very American theme: put partisanship aside and end the false promises of the big parties.

The candidate, François Bayrou, a 55-year-old politician, farmer and former classics teacher, is campaigning as the “neither/nor” option. Remarkably, the strategy seems to be working, in part because of rising disillusionment over the two main candidates.

The percentage of undecided voters is higher than before any presidential election in 25 years. Between 17 and 20 percent of voters say they will choose Mr. Bayrou in the first electoral round on April 22, according to France’s major polling organizations. Suddenly, he is a contender.

Hmmm. A "nurturing Socialist" and a "crime-busting Conservative." On the surface, it sounds like a Clinton/Giuliani match-up, doesn't it? Clinton wants to be perceived as nurturing and she has been labeled a Socialist in the past, and Giuliani's policies helped to clean up New York City streets.

It wasn't so long ago - 1992, in fact - that we had a third-party candidate who made some serious waves. H. Ross Perot became a media darling after he announced on Larry King Live that he'd run for president if his name was on the ballots of all 50 states. Even though he couldn't seem to make up his mind about the presidency, he received almost 19% of the popular vote. Ralph Nader attempted to become a serious third-party contender in 2000, but he was largely seen as a person who squirreled away votes from Al Gore.

Rudy, a dud for a dad

Andrew Giuliani believes his father Rudy would make a good president, but he hasn't been the best father.

"I got my values from my mother," 21-year-old Andrew Giuliani told ABC in an interview quoted on "Good Morning America" yesterday, the same day the Daily News spotlighted the rift between the former mayor and his only son.

"She's a strong influence in my life," Andrew Giuliani said of his mother, Donna Hanover, seemingly drawing a contrast between her and Rudy Giuliani. "She's a strong woman." (NY Daily News)

Andrew said he is "working" on his relationship with Rudy. Ah, there's nothing like a good father-son bonding moment on the campaign trail!

I first saw Hanover when I became a regular Food Network watcher in 1999. She co-hosted a program with David Rosengarten, which I believe was called In Food Today. Since I knew her before the 9/11 attacks and her then-husband's rise to prominence, I was much more sympathetic towards her during their messy separation and divorce. Let's face it - I was also sympathetic because Rudy chose to ditch her for his girlfriend via news conference.

Update: I was correct! Rosengarten was on In Food Today and Taste in the earlier days of Food Network. He and Emeril Lagasse were the two biggest figures back then. Lagasse's star on the channel has diminished, and Rosengarten is nowhere to be found.