Having been born during the Ford Administration, I have lived through six presidents. My first taste of Presidential politics was when I was five, quite possibly before any of you, save Aiden, was born. I remember walking into a convenience store near my home in Goodlettsville. The woman behind the counter was sobbing and my mother asked her what was was wrong. She simply said, "The President has been shot." I remember being confused and wondering if the world as I knew it was soon to be over. Since that day I have been infatuated, perhaps, consumed, as some of you might say, with Presidential ambition.

Yet, with the exception of President Reagan, I have always felt that the presidents of late have been dissappointing, to say the least. And I feel the reason Reagan is given so much credit has less to do with his competency as a president and more to do with his gravidas as a former actor. And as Leo McGarry said, "Im tired of trying to choose between lesser of who gives a damn!" Until Now. After watching him speak at the Iowa Caucus in 1999, I realized that there was finally a public official that I seemed to resonate with, and I had hopes that Senator John McCain (R-AZ) would be the next President of the United States. Unfortunately for this country, Karl Rove and then Gov. George Bush had other ideas.

A recent article in Esquire Magazine called McCain, "One of Us." Being part of the print media, I was surprised at their statement that "John McCain may be the last man in America who most Americans listen to." The article went on to discuss the Presidential Primary Campaign from the 2000 election and talked with the Republican front runner about his potential for 2008. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the Senator, I highly recommend it.

Last week in an email freah om Aiden, he mentioned that he liked McCain personally, but he didn't know much about the Senator's politics and stances on the issues. I think most of you will find his positions palatable. And I think for the first time in a while, the issue of character will be both pertinent and legitamate. McCain is one of the few senators who holds himself to the standards he proposes in legislation bearing his name. He, along with Sen. Russ Feingold (D-MN), pushed through legislation on campaign finance reform. Later he realized the law had loop holes which allowed Senators and Congressmen to travel in corporate jets if they paid a small fee equivalent to the cost of a coach ticket on a commercial air line. McCain sought to pass additional legislation making this practice illegal. It failed to pass thus allowing all legislators to continue the practice. And most do, except McCain. Not because he has to, but because he chooses to.

The most compelling part of the article in my opinion involves McCain's refusal to allow the press to photograph him awarding a purple heart to a soldier who was wounded during the war in Iraq. When asked about the potential for making the occasion a PR event, his response was, "No fucking way!" With that said, I realize my ramblings do not give anyone enough information to make an educated opinion about Senator McCain, but I hope that it gives you enough interest to follow him over the next few years as he seeks the Presidency. For those of you interested in looking at his views on the issues and his voting records go to

http://www.vote-smart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=S0061103

OR http://ontheissues.org/John_McCain.htm