"Is America ready for a president with a trophy wife?"

Is the New York TImes a serious newspaper?

Now, with the possible candidacy of Fred D. Thompson, the grandfatherly actor and former Republican senator from Tennessee, whose second wife is almost a quarter-century his junior, comes a less palatable inquiry that is spurring debate in Internet chat rooms, on cable television and on talk radio: Is America ready for a president with a trophy wife?

The question may seem sexist, even crass, but serious people — as well as Mr. Thompson’s supporters — have been wrestling with the public reaction to Jeri Kehn Thompson, whose youthfulness, permanent tan and bleached blond hair present a contrast to the 64-year-old man who hopes to win the hearts of the conservative core of the Republican party. Will the so-called values voters accept this union? . . . .

Is Jeri Thompson just some good looking airhead whom Thompson carries around on his arm? Hardly. Everything that I know about her indicates that she is extremely smart. Is the fact that a beautiful, very smart woman who is twenty-four years younger than Thompson loves him enough to marry him a bad sign? Surely Jeri Thompson could have married many men much nearer her own age. I would think that it shows that this guy must really have something going for him. I would also bet you that she keeps him much younger than he would be otherwise. Can someone name one single similar article that the NY Times has run on any Democrat's spouse?

Updated