When the little head does the thinkin

By Libby Well that didn't take long. Freddie Thompson has only been declared for a couple of days now and the Daily Mail delivers the dirt on the Tennessee Stud's stable of conquests. In an exclusive interview with his first wife's brother, we finally learn that I wasn't so far off the mark when I first suggested she left him for infidelity. Though Thompson tries to portray their 1985 break-up as amicable and his family says Sarah will campaign for him, we can disclose that in her original divorce writ - which until now has never been made public - she accused him of "cruel and inhuman treatment". Her brother, Oscar Lindsey, confirmed the marriage was one of secrets and unhappiness. Like Hillary Clinton, who suffered through her husband Bill's "bimbo eruptions",it seems Sarah is standing by Fred because she shares his political goals. "It has been a bit of a dilemma, deciding whether to support him. But his political philosophy and ours are very close, time heals and Sarah and he had three children together. We believe he can beat the hell out of the Democrats." Well they do say politics makes strange bedfellows. The piece is far from flattering and offers some hitherto unknown, at least to me, information. There's some charming anecdotes about Freddie's wooing of Sarah, whose family is composed of prominent and well-connected Republicans, and obliquely points out that both Fred and Jeri could be considered golddiggers. Frankly, none of this matters to me in terms of his candidacy, but if you love gossip -- and you know you do -- it's worth a read on a slow news day. [Post title shamelessly stolen from the great song by John Hiatt.]