Making an exception this Sunday morning, and needing to nurse an aching back, I decided to light down gingerly in my favorite couch and switched on the worse-than-useless Sunday morning TV political blab sessions. My timing was perfect. I caught NBC's "Meet the Press" with Tim Russert just as it was about to start. I don't like Russert ­ he comes across like a wisenheimer know-it-all, and a very left-based one at that. I really flipped out when this interviewer of very small brain attacked, rather than listened to, physician and Congressman Ron Paul a while back, the only real American candidate running for president.

But today, Russert introduced consumer advocate, environmentalist and attorney, Ralph Nader. Now look; I'm not a liberal, a progressive, a tree-hugger or a polar bear fan; and I don't believe in global warming as an issue we humans can resolve. How the hell does the left propose to control sun spot activity?! But as I had once offered in the matter where Al Gore stuck to his political and journalistic base of knowledge, I wrote commending him on his rock-solid criticism of the Cheney-Bush crime machine on strictly constitutional issues. Unfortunately, Gore withdrew back into his unbalanced area of non-expertise: protecting Earth from God's mistakes.

The "interview" with Dr. Paul was heavily punctuated with Russert's barbs, but not so with Mr. Nader's air time. In an unexplained period of silence signifying genuine curiosity and inquisitiveness very unusual for "journalists" of our non-functional MSM, Russert remained quiet for a long time after asking whether or not Nader intended to run as a third party candidate. Nader asked Russert to allow him to first frame his answer before making a commitment, and to his credit, Russert did just that.

Nader pointed out the horrific corruption of the Bush regime, which none of the candidates have really done. As an attorney, Nader pointed out that professional attorney associations and bars around the nation are horrified at the egregious violations of the Constitution that have been hastily established, as well as all the civil rights infringements that have been perpetrated by the Cheney-Bush crime machine. He made a point of how the Democratic Party's advantage in Congress hasn't benefited the American people in the least. He stated that the American people are disenfranchised from their government, and are disillusioned with both political parties. And he pointed out the "third rail" of the entire Middle East problem, the unbelievable license given to Israel in Palestine. In other words, he stated reality and the truth. His run at the windmill is strikingly similar to that of Congressman Paul. In fact, he can be said to be the left's Ron Paul.

How refreshing! And now, finally, a real DUAL choice in American politics. Of course, Nader differs with Dr. Paul by supporting big government programs to solve America's social and political challenges, now made all the worse by Cheney-Bush, the GOP, and the do-nothing to go-along Democratic Party. Dr. Paul would offer that American government is already too big. But both Paul and Nader are on the money pointing out the wasteful spending on "defense" due to the Cheney-Bush lie of preemptive defense, which is both offensive and constitutes an unnecessary and illegal invasion of a country that did US no harm. And Nader pointed out the problems with American labor created by our government, mentioning in particular the labor-crushing burden of Taft-Hartley in terms of its restrictions on labor organization.

Nader didn't precisely follow Paul's lead on the Federal Reserve, but pointed out how the wasteful defense budget is causing deficits and is devaluating our money and thereby destroying savings and retirees' pension protections. Nader made it clear that he "came to Washington 40 years ago" to help America and Americans, and he's going to take another shot at it. "In that context I have decided to run for president," he said.

Of course, that set Marxist MSMer Russert off. Coming on with that wisenheimer smirk, Russert decided to point out that Nader will be running for president yet a third time, and that the last time he did this, he helped put George Bush in the White House. Russert offered that Democratic Party operatives blame Nader and his Green Party for stealing the critical votes in Florida in 2000 that allowed the Supreme Court to pick Bush. Russert didn't get much further.

Nader fired back that Florida was Bush Country, and the elections were fixed. He cited members of the military whose votes weren't counted, Democratic strongholds where local GOP officials refused to allow citizens to vote, and a heavily biased Supreme Court. He pointed out that Gore couldn't even carry his home state of Tennessee. And as far as the Democratic Party viewing him as a spoiler, he asked Russert: "What's been going on for the last seven years?" He made clear that the Democrats had more than ample opportunity to address the issue of removing Cheney-Bush and failed to do so. In other words, screw the Democratic Party!

He cited the fact that only 28 percent of America sides with Bush. Obviously with such an unfavorable level of citizen support, impeachment would be a cakewalk. And although Nader didn't use the "I" word, it was readily apparent that he despised Democrats for their non-action that has brought America to this state.

I am a registered Republican, once again, for one reason: Ron Paul. I supported him in the primary and financially, offering the largest contribution I have ever made to a politician running for office. I went against the advice of my wife, and the advice of Dr. Walter Williams, who, during his presentation at the Foundation for Economic Education in Irvington, New York several years ago asked: "Why would you freely give money to a politician?" I can answer that question now ­ just look what the wrong ones who made it to office have done to our country and our Constitution.

I will always vote for that individual that aligns most closely with the Constitution, its Bill of Rights, individual freedom, and an honest, moral approach in dispensing power and authority. Ron Paul comes much closer to this than does Nader; but nevertheless, Nader comes a lot closer than Hillary, Obama and Crazy John "Madman" McCain! Go for it Mr. Nader, and thank you!

Ted Lang is a political analyst and freelance writer.