John McCain to address spring grads
Few biographies are as eclectic as John McCain's.
Consider that the Republican, 69, has been:
* a prisoner of the Vietnam war, living in captivity in the "Hanoi Hilton" for five and a half years--including two in solitary confinement--after his plane crashed;
* a senator, serving Arizona since 1987; and
* a pop culture fixture, appearing in last summer's Wedding Crashers and on the series 24, in addition to various late night shows.
On June 11, he'll add another item to his resume, joining an elite group of spring commencement speakers that has recently included Christopher Reeve (2003), President George W. Bush (2002), and Bill Cosby (2001).
McCain last visited Ohio State in 2000, holding a town hall meeting at St. John Arena during his presidential bid. Last winter, he rubbed shoulders with an Ohio State undergraduate doing research in Antarctica.
Now, McCain appears to be gearing up for the 2008 presidential election. He's been hitting the TV talk show circuit as of late. And in March, he hired Terry Nelson, President Bush's political director in the 2004 race, as senior advisor to his political action committee, Straight Talk America.
"I am delighted to have the opportunity to deliver The Ohio State University's commencement address," Sen. McCain said. "Ohio State is consistently recognized as one of our nation's best public universities. With a faculty committed to students' academic success and graduation rates continually on the rise, the state of Ohio is fortunate to have this impressive institution call it home."
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(text/images: University Marketing Communications)
