Believe it or not, this could be important

Seriously. Read it for yourself....

To hear Jesse Ventura tell it, he’s either out to become president or an expatriate.

In the opening to his fourth book, due out April 1, the former wrestler and governor of Minnesota writes: “As I begin to write this book, I’m facing probably the most monumental decision of my 56 years on this planet. Will I run for president of the United States, as an independent, in 2008? Or will I stay as far away from the fray as possible, in a place with no electricity, on a remote beach in Mexico?”

Why in the world is this important? Because let's face it, while I am supporting John McCain to become our next President, the fact of the matter is that a lot of people who are opposed to the Democrats may not. And they may look to a third party candidate as a way to not make the choice between McCain and Obama, or McCain and Clinton, or McCain and Gore.

The thing is, we've seen it happen with Ventura before. When Ventura was elected Governor of Minnesota in 1998, he was running as an alternative to then Attorney General Skip Humphrey and then St. Paul Mayor (now U.S. Senator) Norm Coleman. Coleman and Humphrey weren't all that dissimilar, and neither one was popular. Ventura ran against "politics as usual" and got himself elected Governor.

What does all of this mean for 2008? Well, Ventura almost certainly cannot be elected President. The likelihood of that is almost impossible given that one reason for Ventura's success in 1998 was due to Minnesota's same-day voter registration policy. However, that is not to say a Ventura candidacy won't gum up the works more than a Nader candidacy ever could. Could Ventura win states with a more libertarian bent who would be opposed to both the Democratic nominee and McCain? Yes, I think it is possible; certainly more so than with Nader or Bloomberg. And that would send the mess to the next Congress in January 2009, and all bets are off if it goes that far.

While the likelihood of a Ventura candidacy, to say nothing of a meaningful Ventura candidacy, is slim, the unusual election year we find ourselves in actually makes it something worth keeping an eye on...