What’s interesting in this case, involving Thompson’s Libya work with a firm with Democratic connection (John Culver being a former Democratic senator from Iowa), as in other cases such as the call on behalf of Clintonite darling Aristide, is that Thompson end up getting chastened for participating in work that if he were a Democrat no one would be complaining about. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t remember the N.Y. Times writing about Aristide’s “human rights abuses” when the Clinton administration was restoring him to power by force.

The bigger problem for Thompson is that stories such as this will render absurd his efforts to run “against Washington” when more and more it becomes apparent that he’s a quintessential Washington insider. Colbert King’s overlooked column in last Saturday’s Washington Post drives home that point better than anything else I’ve seen. What in the world is the Federal City Council, of which Fred was president just two short years ago? Does that service count as executive experience?