It's been reported that former South Bend Mayor and Indiana Gov. Joe Kernan has ruled out seeking the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Evan Bayh. Perhaps this explains why:
Clarke Air Force Base was Joe's first stop after 11 months as a prisoner in Vietnam. While in prison, he could only take cold showers. He learned those showers opened his pores, making him feel better. Making the best out of the difficult is what Joe took with him when he left Vietnam.
“I pretty much don't sweat the small stuff,” he said.
Seeking political office is pretty small stuff in the grand scheme of things. Kernan is on a visit to Vietnam, the first time he's been back since he was a POW almost 38 years ago. He says he's wanted to go back since the United States re-established relations with the country, when the first U.S. ambassador told home it would be "an experience you'll remember for the rest of your life, and it will be a good one."
Anybody who has ever met Kernan won't be surprised by this. Of all the people I've met (and certainly the politicians), he's one of the most comfortable in his own skin. He says he has "some butterflies" about the trip, but I'm not even sure I believe that.
Most of us revisit the past only to pick at old scabs or relive old glories. It's a rare person who goes back in an effort to make something good out of
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I have met Joe several times. He is, plain and simple, a class act.