For a couple of years I have portrayed Thomas Jefferson in the Avondale Estates Fourth of July parade. That makes me sort of an expert because I have walked 1.3 miles wearing a cheap wig, a Colonial jacket, lace cuffs and white orthopedic stockings while waving to people as I march with my son’s Boy Scout troop.

That makes me the perfect guy to get to the bottom of the recent pouting match between Bob Barr, the former attack-dog congressman, and Barry Loudermilk, a former state senator who touts himself a strict constitutionalist.

The two are in a run-off to represent the heavily conservative 11th Congressional District northwest of Atlanta, and they seem to think the future of the Republic hinges on who has a greater affinity for the red-headed Virginian.

Get the full scoop, exclusively on MyAjc.com.