Interesting Stories from the Campaign Trail

This week in South Carolina, John McCain was approached by a Navy veteran during a campaign stop and offered a pack of Marlboros. As it turns out, the veteran, Bobby Putnam, had also shared cigarettes with McCain when the two were on board the USS Forrestal in the Gulf of Tonkin in 1967. That summer, a fire broke out on the carrier, killing 134 and injuring dozens more. Needless to say, the survivors of the Forrestal share a unique bond forged by one of the worst disasters in American naval history.

“That’s kind of cool,” was the reaction from a national reporter traveling with the campaign. McCain’s response - "I have not had (a cigarette) in 28 years, so I'm going to get rid of this pack immediately.”

Meanwhile, former JFK confidant and legendary speechwriter Ted Sorenson recently campaigned in New Hampshire for Barack Obama. Referring to this election as the most important presidential election we’ve faced since the Civil War, Sorenson stumped that Obama was the one candidate who could make a change; "We need the change that he represents." Sorenson also drew upon the traits and challenges shared by Kennedy and Obama, and said he believes Obama is the best candidate to restore America’s credibility around the world.