Once you get on that downward spin, it's tough to break the cycle. There has to be a lot of damage control at this point.

There is no question that philosophically he is pro-life, he is a very religious individual. But I think in his stint as a governor and attorney general of Missouri, he was fair and balanced and a person who applied the law fairly.

It's clearly a distraction even though the renewal of the draft isn't likely to happen.

Anything we can do to help impart knowledge of our Constitution is important. If we spent a day recognizing, say, presidents or particular people, this certainly is the one thing we share in common - our Constitution. It's the thread that holds us all together.

I don't think he is somebody you need to be afraid of if you're a liberal ... I don't see him as a person who will be shoving his views down your throat. I think he might surprise a lot of liberals. Conservatives may be saying, 'Aha, we have a person who will do our agenda,' ... they may find he is an ally but don't expect him to be leading all the charges.

It is important to study our basic framework. It's not some dust-covered relic, it's a guide book to how we live our lives.

People start rumors that no one has an earthly idea where they came from, but the problem is that you have to respond to it. If you don't respond, people will just assume that it's true.

It is kind of nice not to rush around after school to get to a meet. I still plan to be part of the ski community but I don't have to hurry around after school to get there.

I wouldn't trade all those years of coaching for anything. We spent a lot of time with the kids and adults putting the programs together, and it was all worth it.