Maverick wants none of the above for president

By Michael Conlon

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Jesse Ventura isn't holding his breath to find out who wins the Democratic presidential nomination, or for that matter who takes the White House in the November election.

"It's irrelevant," says the one-time professional wrestler and former Minnesota governor whose election to that post in 1998 as a rank outsider and third-party unknown shocked the national political establishment.

"I oppose the two-party system. All it is is more of the two-party dictatorship," he said. "What I wish we had on the ballot for all our elections is 'none of the above' so you could show you have no confidence in the government.

"It would be amazing just how often 'none of the above' would win ... the only difference I see is that if a Democrat wins (in November) our taxes will go up. That's not saying they spend any more or less than the Republicans but the Republicans put it on a credit card, or the national debt."

Even Barack Obama, who is vying with Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination and is the freshest face in contention, would wind up being a "puppet on a string" if he wins, said Ventura, who left office after one term.

The two-party system, Ventura believes, blocks changes he would like to see -- such as abolishing the federal income tax in favor of a national sales tax.

He made the comments in an interview during a trip promoting his latest book "Don't Start the Revolution Without Me." The book is a tour of his often contentious days as governor, with commentary on everything from the Iraq war -- "a stupid war" -- to marijuana -- the excuses for legalizing it are fast disappearing.

COLLECTIVE EGO