The man who should be king

THE Wisconsin governor's office is closed for renovations, which means that Governor Tommy Thompson has to meet Lexington in a small conference room, the sort of place any minor businessman might use. The governor does not have the usual politician's polish. He looks more like a small-town bank president who enjoys hunting ducks with his customers at the weekend but is perfectly capable on Monday morning of bullying those who have fallen behind on their payments. He brims with confidence, and yet pauses periodically to ask his visitor personal questions that would seem odd anywhere outside the mid-west.