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I'm normally not a very political kind of guy. I didn't like to play politics when I worked for "the man," and don't really keep up with our elected politico types. It just isn't my thing, even though it is my civic duty.

Oh, I would smooch on some booty at the 9 to 5 when I had to and I would vote come election time, but it has never been something I went out of my way to do or keep up with.

This year has been a little different — not on the smoochin' part, but on the election side.

I'm not sure if it's because of the hyped-up presidential election, the fact that I care about the country's future more than I have in the past, or just that I'm becoming more ... political.

(Egads, I hope not. I've spent way too much time trying so hard to be anti-establishment, anti-conformist and anti-everything that I'd hate to cave in now)

The biggest thing may be the fact that this presidential election scares the crap out of me as an outdoorsman. That's right ... outdoors-man. I'm not an outdoors-person. For those who want to be P.C., outdoors-person is cool; be what you want to be. I'm an outdoorsman and the two presidential candidates scare the hell out of me as an outdoorsman.

Has either candidate even remotely recognized the NRA? Have they recognized any outdoor group? It's almost as if the outdoors segment isn't even a factor in deciding the next president of these United States.

What does that say about either of these two prospective presidents' attitude toward the out-of-doors? Scary stuff right there.

At least W. takes a day off every now and then to hold a rod and reel. It seems like I remember seeing President Clinton holding a duck and a shotgun. I can't say that I've seen either Barack Obama or John McCain doing anything of the sort.

Of course we have McCain's running mate, the Governor of Alaska. She's pretty outdoorsy. She might be a member of the NRA. I wonder if she would want to be referred to as an outdoors-woman or an outdoors-person?

If you live in Alaska, chances are pretty darn good you're an outdoorsy type. It is pretty hard to get a taste of the "big-city life" in Alaska. I like the fact that she can tote a gun and knows which end of a fish goes through the water first. She gets big points for those things.

The thing about the vice presidency: it's just a heartbeat away from the Oval Office. That's the part about Gov. Palin that scares me. I can't seem to hear the ring to "President Sarah Palin."

I don't have a problem with the gender, but I do have a problem with the qualifications. I'm not sure that being governor of any of our 50 states for two years qualifies a person, any person, for a seat in the big chair.

I keep hearing "if she can run a household and the state of Alaska, she can run the U.S.". Not so fast there, Skippy. I don't call a pregnant, teenage, unwed daughter and a son who allegedly joined the National Guard to "get off the stuff" doing a really good job of "running a household." Just an opinion.

Quite frankly, I was all about some John McCain before I watched all three — and the vice presidential — debates.

After watching the debates and seeing Sen. McCain step around some of the questions, I was less than impressed. And the blinking. What's up with the continual blinking and the little smirks? How bad would this man suck at poker?

How bad would he be across the table from the head of a foreign state while threatening to blow them off the face of the map if they didn't act civil? While I am awed by his military service and thankful for his civic service over the years, I'm not sure that I can vote for him to be the next president.

Sen. Obama scares me as much as Gov. Palin, although for different reasons. Does a man who made an estimated $4,000,000 in 2007 really know the struggles that the "average" American faces on a daily basis? Can he look Joe the Plumber in the eye and tell Joe that he feels Joe's pain? I don't think so.

The biggest scare for me came last week when Sen. Obama spewed out the phrase "spread the wealth." Lurking in the corners of the Democratic Party have always been those who smack of socialism, but I didn't think that Obama was in that corner. Just a slip of the tongue?

While I like some of his policies on energy, although every presidential candidate since Nixon has talked about "energy independence" and none have even remotely delivered, and health care, Obama's stand on taxes don't sit well with me.

I'm not sure that an annual income of $250,000 classifies someone as "rich" in this day and age. If he's going to hold that $250,000 cap over a business, then I really have some issues. Even a small business these days that is successful can reach that ceiling.

Sen. Biden is another one whose service to our country is greatly appreciated. He seems to have come from regular guy roots and seems to be in touch with his constituents and with the problems that we face. But does he hunt or fish? From what I can find, he owns a couple of guns, but voted for some key issues regarding gun control that have eroded our Second Amendment rights. Say it ain't so, Joe.

Pretty sad to see that voting in our country has come down to being about whom you are voting against as much as whom you are voting for. Not who can get the job done, but who will screw it up the least.

That's the thing about politicians, we the people seem to run our lives pretty well on a daily basis. We get things done around our homes. We get things done at our jobs. We get things done in our communities. When government and our elected officials get involved, things get jacked.

Somebody get me a politician to spend a day out on the water or a day in the woods. Maybe we should all take a politician fishing — that's it.

We'll have a National Take Your Senator Fishing/Hunting Day. No aides, no Blackberries, no speeches, no media. Show them what it's all about in the outdoors. Hell, that will never work — it's too simple.

I don't care whom you vote for or whom you vote against. On Nov. 4, exercise your right as an American to vote.

For more info on Kevin Short or to contact Kevin, check out his Web site at www.kfshort.com.