I'm with Freddie?

The breaking news that Fred Thompson is actually named Freddie Dalton Thompson has stunned Blog Simple. Read it and weep:

But Thompson was known as Freddie growing up in Lawrence County, Tenn. And he used the Freddie name all the way through college and all the way through law school.

Like when Caleb Major was revealed to be Major Major Major Major, Fred's friends might withdraw from him in distrust, as they might feel deceived into supporting a stranger for President. It could also lead to a personality breakdown, and the gruff, tough, Old Spice wearing, pickup driving guy we've come to know and love might turn into someone hiding in a trailer, forging Washington Irving's name on official documents.

How this breaks in the major press is now key. If Fred (or Freddie) receives the John Edwards haircut treatment in the NYT or WaPo, it could mean the end. Of course, he is a Republican, and Republicans are usually immune from just about anything but soliciting sex in public lavatories, but this type of situation hasn't happened before to my knowledge.

If he had been named Frederick, it would have been different, his parents might have been accused of being kinky, or just uptight, so using a diminutive would be kosher. (Though if he was still called Frederick in law school it would be even worse.) But Freddie is already a diminutive, and Fred has magnified his parents bad taste by not legally changing his name when reaching his majority. (Sorry about the pun.)

Fred is still Blog Simple's pick as the next elected President, but we must admit that our uncertainty has grown. Dark days, indeed.
(h/t Orcinus)