Jesse "The Body" Ventura left public office in 2003 having served as governor of Minnesota since his surprising campaign and equally surprising election in 1999. It is said that his was the first campaign to use the Internet so ably that he managed to arouse enormous grassroots support—and grassroots money. Originally, he ran as a Reform Party Candidate, but his displeasure with what he called the disorganization and bad management of the organization caused him to declare himself a member of the Independent Party. He won the election after spending roughly 300K, an amazing figure in these days of multi-million dollar campaigns.

When I first heard of his run for governor of Minnesota, I cracked up. The idea that a former pro-wrestler could lead a state was both funny and rather charming, kind of like the movie "Dave", where an everyman becomes a presidential stand-in. The people of Minnesota evidently loved the idea enough to elect him, which made me proud of Minnesotans. There were many in the media and political arenas scoffing at Ventura’s chances to win, and the gall of his wanting to ascend to the highest office in the state when he had no political background, and Minnesotans thumbed their collective noses at the naysayers and put him in the seat.

Lately, Jesse’s been making the rounds of various talk shows and barking at the same things many of us are angry about but don’t have the famous face and voice to be heard across America. "Give me a waterboard, Dick Cheney, and one hour, and I’ll have him confessing to the Sharon Tate murders," he said during his interview on Larry King Live. To hear his deep, testosterone-laden, rumbling voice make such statements is thrilling. It’s like being the small kid on the playground being menaced by the big bullies and having your powerful older brother show up and scare the meanies away. Jesse is the kind of guy one wants around when confronting something scary. He’s got your back.

It appears to many that Jesse has our back. His effectiveness as governor is still up for debate. Many people still support his reign and point to some of his accomplishments, such as installing light rail between Minneapolis and the Mall Of America, whose ridership has increased, and is generally considered to be a success. There are others (Norm Coleman for one, who lost the governor’s race to Ventura.) who have little good to say about him. A Minnesotan of my acquaintance once told me that Jesse was a "clown", and that it was a relief when he left office without seeking re-election. There are those in the press in Minnesota who definitely don’t miss having to wear tags that declared them "Media Jackals", a description Jesse used frequently. The contempt between Ventura and the press was mutual.

I can’t attest to his worth as a governor, but I can attest to his worth as a human being. He detests torture and even went so far as to announce his shame at our country for allowing it. He hates the Bush administration and seldom misses an opportunity to launch offensive strikes at the policies which have stripped us of our Constitutional rights. He is for gay rights, abortion rights, and thinks religion is behind most of the hate and intolerance in our world. He isn’t afraid to say what he thinks and doesn’t have a problem rolling over talk show hosts who try to interrupt or argue with him (Sean Hannity, that means you). With his intimidating bulk, intense stare, and basso profundo voice, Ventura backs up his opponents and shakes a powerful fist in their trembling faces. He is a Navy veteran; he was a pro-wrestler; he was governor; he’s still married and has two kids; he believes in our country and hates what’s happened to it. In many ways, he personafies the kind of American whom the Republicans like to tout as their base, except that Jesse Ventura went renegade and decided to think for himself. Despite his many conservative ideas, he is still more progressive than some in Congress. I hardly think Harry Reid would outspokenly endorse medicinal marijuana and the legalization of prostitution.

For all his faults, Jesse Ventura is still standing up for what we progressives believe in, and doing a damn fine job of it. If it’s his way of trying to wriggle back into politics, fine. Let him. I put him in the same category of courage as Dennis Kucinich and Russ Feingold and Bernie Sanders, even if he isn’t intellectually or experientially of their caliber.