"Law & Order" star Fred Thompson has dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Not surprising, considering his dismal showing in primaries and caucuses.

"I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort," Thompson said.

Speaking of benefits, to whom will Fred throw his support in Florida? Both Mitt Romney and John McCain need all the help the can get.

I think Fred (seen here with Larry the Cable Guy) would make a good Veep, if it comes to that.

Since before Thompson entered the race, he has been dogged with a reputation for laziness. When Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, another coulda-woulda candidate, was in town in July to speak at the Democratic Convention, he told me Thompson would drop out of the race "as soon as he finds out how hard campaigning is."

Fred sounds like a guy with his head screwed on straight. A laid-back vice president might be a nice change. And — go figure — a lot of people vote for B actors.