Sitting at home is more comfortable than standing in the cold.

I almost saw John McCain tonight. Don't get me wrong, I'm not exactly a fan of his. In fact, I've liked him increasingly less the entire time I've lived in Arizona. I have never had the opportunity to vote against him before this year, but I voted against Jon Kyl and considered it close enough.

John McCain has decided to visit Prescott, Arizona tonight. Back in 1964, Barry Goldwater decided to announce his candidacy from the steps of Prescott's courthouse. It was a proud moment in Prescott history, and Goldwater is still revered in Arizona and throughout the country as a politician and as a man. It has gone down in the annals of history how Prescott catapulted President Goldwater to victory. Well, anyways, John McCain visited the courthouse a few months ago and apparently decided to end his campaign in his (and my) backyard.

I viewed this as an ideal opportunity to get myself as close to a presidential election as I am likely to be any time in the near future and to take a group of students along with me. With a lot of last-minute planning, I was all ready to leave when everything was sidetracked by a lack of kids to take. Turns out, all of the eager students who wanted so desperately to get a front-row look at politics arranged other rides and left me with an almost-empty van. That, combined with the prospect of spending my entire evening among the unwashed masses, listening to a country singer unworthy of his name, hearing stump speeches from people I voted against weeks ago in order to see Mr. McCain show up at midnight and then finally getting back on campus some time significantly after 2 in the morning, was enough to lead me to call off the trip.

It's all for the best, I guess. At least I get to keep my mental image of downtown Prescott unsullied by the hate and nonsense that I would have to witness otherwise.