One of my favorite movies of all time is “A Man for All Seasons” which is based on the play written by Robert Bolt, starring Paul Scofield who won both the Tony and Oscar for his portrayal of the protagonist, Sir Thomas More, Lord Chancellor of England and author of the book, “Utopia.”

As I was reading Lisa Anderson’s [tag]Chicago Tribune[/tag] article about Texas Congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul, titled, “Paul: A Seller of Ideas,” I felt, once again, a reverence for this man and the rare integrity he displays with apparent ease. There were a couple of quotes in her article that were the inspiration for this article.

One was in response to the fact that Paul steadfastly opposes those things that would greatly benefit his constituents and he still continues to get re-elected in spite of this. To this, Bruce Buchanan, Professor of Government at the University of Texas said, “It’s not that kind of relationship….it’s more on the order of ‘This is a man we can trust,’ as opposed to ‘What’s in it for us?”

Paul is often called “Dr. No” because he routinely votes against those bills that are not supported by the Constitution. He is not interested in doing what’s popular, but what is right!

Now, you might be wondering what this has to do with a play written about a 16^th century English Chancellor. The story tells of Sir Thomas More’s refusal to endorse the divorce of King Henry VII from his wife so that he could freely marry the sister of his mistress, Anne Boleyn. More refuses the pleas of the King, his courts, his friends and peers to just say a few very simple words of support. He refuses as a matter of conscience and making a long story short, he his imprisoned and then beheaded.

An extremely interesting footnote is that Robert Bolt, was an agnostic and a socialist had admired More not because he identified with More’s religious beliefs, but rather with his refusal to bend to the will of the King. SOUND FAMILIAR?

Ron Paul is an extraordinary principled man and a rarity in and out of the politics. He, like Sir Thomas More refuses to bend to anything that does not rest well with his conscience. He speaks his mind regardless of who does or does not like him.

And guess what folks? HE’S CONSISTENT. …….AND CAN’T BE BOUGHT! So to all those lobbyists getting fat on “K Street”….don’t bother opening your checkbooks because your checks are no good to this Congressman.

If you haven’t seen the movie, “A Man for All Seasons,” I strongly suggest that you do because every time I watch it I can’t help but swell up with tears and an overwhelming feeling of optimism. I am reminded that standing firm on principles may not win you popularity contests and that sometimes the only consolation to doing the right thing is, that it is the right thing to do….. and to people like More and Paul that seems to suffice!

These things appear to come easy to Ron Paul and my only sorrow is that he is one and our need is many.