BIO-Simon, Paul Martin-[Democratic], 1988

I know I've been described as a crusading newspaper editor and everything. I wasn't. I just wanted to run a good small-town newspaper, try and provide some thoughtful ideas to the people in the community. But I didn't duck when I saw the problem. It wasn't long, he took on the organized crime in the Madison County area. Everybody gave him credit for having courage, but wondered whether he was being a little bit foolhardy. I'd actually tried to get someone to run for sheriff or prosecuting attorney to show that you could win in this kind of a situation without having the benediction of these underworld characters. I ended up running for the state legislature. It was very unpopular for him to take many of the positions he took, but it didn't seem to bother him because he believed so strongly in what was going on. He was right. That's Paul Simon that I know. Well, I think I always have faced the possibility that the stands I take may cause me an election. But if you go in with the idea that you simply want to preserve yourself in office, you're not going to contribute very much. I think when he says something, he means that you man a deep commitment, and what he says he's going to do, he does. He's been a journalist, he's been a publisher, he's been the author of 11 books, he's served in the Army, he's been a lieutenant governor of Illinois, he's been a member of Congress, United States senator. What more can you want in a president of the United States? I trust him. I guess that's the best trait that I can see. I look at Paul Simon, I trust Paul Simon. I think that's what this country needs. The kind of leadership that will square with him, be honest with him, tell him the good and the bad, and then really appeal to that basic quality of the American people where we can overcome a crisis or a challenge that faces us. Paul Simon's been doing that throughout his political career. As president, he can do it. He can do it for the nation.