Tommy Thompson has lived a decidedly mysterious existence since leaving President Bush's Cabinet in early 2005. Perhaps trying to fill a life's worth of work in the private sector into a few years following a 38-year career in public service, Mr. Thompson has taken to accepting just about every consulting job under the sun — all the while dropping subtle hints about an impending return to politics.

Frankly, I'm hesitant to believe he'll make good on those hints. Sure, he could run for president in 2008, but that's a massive undertaking, and he would have no shortage of competition in the G.O.P. primary. Or he could run for the U.S. Senate this year. But incumbent Democratic Sen. Herb Kohl is pretty popular in his own right, plus he has so much money that he's already running campaign ads on television despite the fact he has no serious opponent. Mr. Thompson would not be assured of victory.

That leaves this year's gubernatorial election on Mr. Thompson's plate of political opportunities. It seems more likely than the other two options. But while I wouldn't wager any money on Mr. Thompson entering the gubernatorial scuffle at this juncture, I must say the option is extremely appealing.

Simply put, an entrance into the race by Mr. Thompson would ensure Gov. Jim Doyle's tenure as governor is a one-term ordeal.

It would represent a return to the age before Mr. Doyle started handing out state contracts to whoever donated the most to his campaign coffers. A return to an age when tuition at UW did not increase by leaps and bounds every year. And a return to an age when Friday isn't known as Mr. Doyle's personal holiday of "Veto Day."

Seriously, nobody likes Mr. Doyle. Conservatives hate him because he strikes down the Legislature's attempts to allow concealed carry, voter ID and property tax reform. Liberals don't like him because he agreed to an expansion of the Milwaukee school choice program, signed a new medical malpractice cap into law and failed to enact any sort of campaign finance reform.

To be fair, I suppose Craig Adelman does like Mr. Doyle. But that is only indicative of the corruption that has marked the current governor's administration.

Mr. Thompson has paid close attention to Mr. Doyle's record in office, recently telling The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the current governor is doing an "awful" job. And Mr. Thompson would be the perfect antidote.

To be sure, the Republican Party has seen its share of ideologues over the last few years, but Mr. Thompson does not fit that mold.

He is known best for his revolutionary efforts in reforming welfare. He launched Wisconsin Works, which required welfare recipients to work while receiving health and child support services. It improved participants' economic situations while also sharply declining the state's welfare caseload.

Mr. Thompson installed the nation's first school choice program in Milwaukee, which has proven so popular the cap on enrollment was recently lifted by the Legislature.

He sought improvement in the UW System by demanding an annual accountability report. UW announced last month that it is meeting 12 of the 20 benchmarks Mr. Thompson installed in 1993, including educating 33 percent of all high school graduates in the state, higher than before.

Best of all, whereas current Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Green will have to battle to the wire if he wishes to defeat Mr. Doyle in November, Mr. Thompson would absolutely mop the floor with the current governor.

The man from Elroy destroyed his Democratic opponents during his three re-election campaigns in the 1990s. Granted, one of those opponents is now a felon, one is pretty radical and one is, well, Tom Loftus. But Mr. Thompson crushed them all.

Mr. Doyle, meanwhile, struggled to beat Scott McCallum in 2002. Now he enters 2006 as one of the most vulnerable incumbent governors in the country. Mr. Thompson would seal Mr. Doyle's fate early.

Alas, that may be wishful thinking. Like I said, I'm not expecting Tommy to enter this race. And that's fine. Mr. Green presents a fine choice for Wisconsin voters in his own right, even if he lacks the instant excitement that only the former four-term governor could bring to the position.

Mr. Green would restore credibility to the east wing of the Capitol by rejecting the quid pro quo style of lawmaking that Mr. Doyle has grown so fond of.

Yes, Mr. Green did accept a donation from Texas Congressman Tom Delay, and yes, he should follow U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan's lead in ridding himself of that money. But Mr. Green also proposed the candidates in the gubernatorial race limit their spending to one dollar per person in the state. Mr. Doyle rejected that suggestion almost as soon as the words left Mr. Green's mouth.

Mr. Green would finally pass a voter ID requirement in Wisconsin. Face it, there's nothing not to like about such a measure: It would ensure Wisconsin abides by the standard of one man, one vote; it would prevent felons, deceased persons and people who never existed from voting; and because a state ID would be issued free of charge to those without driver's licenses, it would disenfranchise no one.

The congressman would also prove a strong supporter for the University of Wisconsin. As evidenced in his ardent opposition to the UW-Eau Claire Bible study ban, Mr. Green cares deeply about the university and would work to ensure tuition remains affordable.

I do wish Mr. Green would drop his support for the Taxpayer Protection Amendment, a flawed piece of legislation I addressed in my column last week. Luckily, enough members of the Legislature seem to share my sentiments on this one, so it is unlikely to ever work its way into the state constitution.

While not perfect, Mr. Green would represent a monumental upgrade over Mr. Doyle.

But a part of me can't help but yearn for Mr. Thompson's return to the state Capitol. Sure, the private sector has its perks, but can he really resist the opportunity to throw Mr. Doyle and his dreadful record out of office?

Tommy, I hope you can hear me.

Ryan Masse ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in political science and economics.