The AP has rolled out the answers to one more of its silly candidate questions, this one about who is the candidate’s favorite 20th century president (of the other party). Most of the answers don’t surprise. Clinton, Edwards, Obama and Richardson all cited Teddy Roosevelt (not for this quote, which Ron Paul would surely dub “fascist”) for his progressive, trust-busting policies. Hillary especially must salivate at the thought of swinging a stick at the oil companies. Edwards wants to “fight” pretty much every corporation in America. And Obama just liked the progressive name. Richardson liked TR because of handshakes and conservation. In that order. Really.

Most of the Republicans crossed the aisle the other way and picked Harry Truman. Rudy and Huckabee don’t say why; McCain and Romney admire his toughness.

Which brings us to teh Fred, recipient of Rep. Steve King’s endorsement yesterday.

Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson: “Martin Sheen.” The fellow actor played two Democratic presidents on TV, the fictional Josiah Bartlet in “The West Wing” and John Kennedy in a miniseries.

He must have chuckled to himself all the way through filling out this questionnaire, much as a mischievous 6th grader filling in joke answers to questions on a test that won’t count to his final grade (yeah, I used to do that all the time, all the way through college). As to naming Martin Sheen his favorite president, is it another sly slap at PEST-afflicted liberals who’ve spent the Bush years pining for their own president, to the extent that they manufactured not one but two fictitious ones? Or a sly slap at the press for puffing up Hollywood liberals who sleep on gratings to slam America’s homeless problem while they coddle dictators like Castro who imprison entire countries? Or is it another slap at the AP for asking frivolous questions?

By the way, the next question is about the candidates’ favorite gadgets. The possibilities…

Update: After his earlier comedic answers, Fred plays the gadget question straight. Which was probably wise, come to think of it. But Rudy…a CD player? Seriously?