McCain Presents Public Affairs Award to Patrick G. Lee

After meeting with U.S. Senator John McCain, along with some other conservative bloggers and leaders, I hung around talking to my former legislative colleague Maureen Murphy.

It was at the Union League Club, a place I hadn’t visited since House Speaker George Ryan was negotiating the RTA agreement with Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne in 1983. Having just lost a Republican primary election for Congress, I was advising Ryan on RTA, along with Kathy Selcke.

In the 5th floor hall, I heard Public Affairs Committee Chair Elaine Roth talking to Patrick G. Lee, a Barrington High School senior who had won Union League Club’s Public Affairs Award, which included a check.

Lee was scheduled to get the award from McCain at a later press conference, but Roth decided that was the time to give him the monetary award.

So, I snapped a picture, getting Roth, the award winner and his parents.

Since I didn’t have to be anywhere, I talked to Lee about politics (what else?) and waited for McCain’s Chicago press conference. I used to represent his South Barrington neighborhood in the Illinois House.

At the press conference, I thought McCain was quite bold in pointing out the truth of the consequences of our pulling out of Iraq, that is, genocide, ethnic cleansing, etc.

After the press conference and McCain’s presentation of the Public Affairs Award to Lee, the Fox news reporter interviewed Lee.

Unfortunately, the interview ended up on the cutting room floor and got edited out of the short Chicago Sun-Times story.

The Fox reporter had obviously been briefed on the young man’s accomplishments. Astronomical SATs, starting the Abner Mikva Challenge at Barrington High School (and I won’t embarrass us lower achievers with more).

Lee was off to Harvard Saturday for a national debate contest. (I had earlier asked if that were Harvard, Illinois. Silly me.)

Since he was interested in politics, the reporter asked Lee if he was ready to take a pledge not to raise taxes.

He paused slightly and answered,

"No comment."

How perfect.

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