Having read “The Candy Bombers” and “The Next Deal” by Andrei Cherney, I can understand why a Republican such as Jim Kolbe would want to endorse and work for Andrei’s campaign. Not only is Andrei Cherney a great and widely-recognized writer, he is also a brilliant leader and powerful speaker. Rep. Kolbe’s spirited support for Andrei Cherney is not surprising given the fact that the ideas put forth in Andrei’s books have received acclaim from such disparate individuals as Newt Gingrich and Jonathan Alter. About “The Next Deal,” Newt Gingrich wrote that Andrei Cherney “has written one of the most thoughtful books about public policy in the information age to be produced by anyone of any ideological background or from any partisan belief.”

Republican Jim Kolbe, who served in the Arizona state legislature and as an Arizona Congressman for a total of 28 years, has agreed to become the chairman of Andrei Cherney’s campaign. It’s good to see Rep. Kolbe and other Republicans and Independents coming out strongly for Andrei Cherney’s candidacy. We in Arizona are given a badly-needed gift when a young man of Andrei Cherney’s caliber is willing to serve in this time of great political turmoil.

All Americans need to be more like Rep. Kolbe and rise above the muck that has become our politics and try to mark their ballots for the most qualified, not the most partisan, candidates. My vote goes to Andrei Cherney for Arizona State Treasurer and my kudo goes to Rep. Kolbe for putting country and state ahead of party.