TOMMY THOMPSON HALLUCINATES

Tommy Thompson, the former Health and Human Services Secretary in the Bush Administration, wants to be president. The Associated Press reports that Thompson "intends to form a committee to explore a possible run for the White House in 2008."

When he was governor of Wisconsin, Thompson became known as the guy who reformed welfare in his state. But we remember him more fondly for his absolutely worthless leadership during the 2001 anthrax killings. Of special note is this quote from Thompson's Oct. 4, 2001 press briefing, as he discussed how tabloid photo editor Robert Stevens contracted inhalation anthrax:

"We do know that he drank water out of a stream when he was traveling to North Carolina last week."

We also know that White House staff were given the antibiotic Cipro starting the night of Sept. 11, 2001, three weeks before the first reported anthrax attack. Maybe they'd been drinking water from a stream in North Carolina, too.