Opinion: So what will Mariska Hargitay run for?
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There must be something in the coffee on the set of ‘Law & Order.’
As Fred Thompson prepares to leave his acting career behind for a presidential run, one of his castmates on NBC’s long-running show, Sam Waterson, continues to carve out a public affairs niche of his own.
Waterson, who for years has played an assistant D.A. --- most recently working under Thompson’s character --- on ‘Law and Order,’ has emerged as the chief spokesman for ‘Unity ’08.’ That’s the effort begun last year by several veteran politicos to cobble together a centrist alternative to the two major parties. Waterson has appeared on cable news shows to tout the cause and, in April, gave a speech about it at the National Press Building, just a few blocks away from the White House.
Sunday found him on CBS’ ‘Face the Nation,’ part of a panel fielding questions from moderator Bob Schieffer that focused on the potential impact to the 2008 race if New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg launches an independent White House bid.
Waterson stayed on message, carefully avoiding an embrace of Bloomberg --- or any other possible third-party candidate --- while pressing the Unity ’08 case. Its ‘basic inspiration,’ he said, ‘is the fact that the system itself for choosing our leaders is broken, and everybody knows it.’
The process, he argued, pushes candidates to the extremes of the two major parties. And that, he said, creates an opportunity for Bloomberg or others who would cater their pitch to the middle.
Unity ’08 aims to enlist millions of Americans to participate in an on-line primary next year that will pick a third-party alternative for voters in November. There is one main condition --- the presidential and vice presidential candidates can’t come from the same party; the ticket must be a mix of a Democrat, a Republican or an independent.
Its founders include Hamilton Jordon, White House chief of staff under President Carter who later helped ‘manage’ (if anyone could be said to have done that) Ross Perot’s 1992 independent presidential candidacy. Others who created the group are well-respected inside the Beltway but unknowns outside of it, so having Waterson serve as its public face would seem an astute move.
The actor is not unfamiliar with the nexus of politics and entertainment. Before he ensured himself a never-ending stream of residual checks with the role of Jack McCoy on ‘Law & Order,’ the lean, craggy-faced Waterson had carved out a mini-career portraying Abe Lincoln on stage and screen.
On the matter of Bloomberg, by the way, the best answer from the ‘Face the Nation’ panel on surmising his intentions came from John Harris, a veteran political reporter who is chief editor of The Politico.Com. ‘There’s no question this is going to be a huge, consuming story as long as Bloomberg does this striptease,’ Harris said. He added that virtually every politician ‘I’ve ever seen start a striptease usually finishes it, so he’s going to get in, would be my guess.’
Events may prove Harris wrong, but we enjoyed his imagery.
-- Don Frederick