Fred Thompson Playing Dr. Phil

Inspirational figures are not what they used to be. On his way to the Presidency, Ronald Reagan invoked one of his best movie roles, George Gipp, the All-American football player who with his dying breath, exorted teammates to “win one for the Gipper.”

Last night, Fred Thompson told Jay Leno, “I've been mistaken for Dr. Phil." So far, Thompson has been sounding like him too, offering up folksy bromides without embarrassment about America’s ills.

In his announcement commercial, Dr. Fred advises, "We can't allow ourselves to become a weaker, less prosperous and more divided nation. Today, as before, the fate of millions across the world depends on the unity and resolve of the American people."

To sell his elixir, Thompson will tour the primary states in a bus emblazoned with the slogan, "United in Our Core Beliefs," with the themes of "security," "unity" and "prosperity."

Playing the Gipper, Reagan had to exert himself with some broken-field running. Playing Dr. Phil, Thompson only has to run his mouth.