LATELY, IT SEEMS POLITICS ARE ALWAYS ON WILLIE'S MIND

It's hard to say what Willie Nelson's endorsement of U.S. Rep. Dennis
Kucinich, D-Ohio, for president will mean - not for the world of
politics, but for the infinitely more important world of country
music. At 70, Willie has earned the right to endorse anyone he darn
well chooses, but Kucinich is, at the moment, such a long shot that
not even Willie's popularity can be expected to move him to the top of
the Democratic food chain.

However, Kucinich's life story reads a little like a
country-and-western tune. He's a vegan from Ohio whose father was a
truck driver and whose brother served in Vietnam.

His nickname is Dennis the Menace. He's been married and divorced
twice, which means he's no stranger to heartache.

Somewhere along there, he had a mama and must have ridden in a truck
or on a train.

In fact, the only country-and-western theme Kucinich seems to have
missed in his 56 years on this earth is that he's never spent time in
prison. Given the fact that he's been in politics full time since he
was 21, that in itself is pretty remarkable.

Politically, Willie and Kucinich share some important common ground.
Kucinich has supported efforts to legalize the medical use of
marijuana. He wants to start a Department of Peace to help make
nonviolence an "organizing principle within our society."

One of the few other times Willie's gotten involved in politics was in
1991, when he and former Kentucky Gov. Gatewood Galbraith drove around
in a 1980 Mercedes-Benz station wagon nicknamed the "Hemp Mobile" to
campaign for the legalization of marijuana.

As for world peace, Willie's for that, too.

In his official statement of endorsement, Willie said he was
supporting Kucinich because he thinks he will stand up for "heartland
Americans" such as farmers and consumers.

The question is not what this endorsement will do for Kucinich. It's
what it will do to Willie, who is having the best year of his long
career.

His "Beer For My Horses," a duet with Toby Keith, has been No. 1 on
the country album charts for weeks, as has "The Essential Willie
Nelson," his best-selling retrospective. His gala at the Beacon
Theatre in New York last April was a sold-out lovefest.

So is Willie about to suffer the same fate as the Dixie Chicks, whose
recordings were boycotted by irate fans after Natalie Maines
criticized President Bush on the eve of the war in Iraq? Will Willie
join the Dixie Chicks on President Bush's and his father's evildoer
list?

My guess is that Willie is safe. He'll ride out the storm like
tumbleweed. He's big enough to do anything he wants - even oppose
Bush, a fellow Texan and country-and-western fan.

Politically, things are getting pretty complicated in the world of
country music.

First there was the Dixie Chicks flap.

Then Keith emerged as the anti-Dixie Chick. He criticized Natalie and
supported Bush and the war with his song "Courtesy of the Red, White
and Blue."

And now Willie's for Dennis the Menace.

We should have seen all this coming when Willie sent bandanas and
messages of encouragement to the Ardmore 51 - the Democratic members
of the Texas Legislature who high-tailed it to Oklahoma to break a
quorum during the regular legislative session. It was clear then that
Willie had a political burr in his saddle.

My only regret is that Willie isn't running for president himself. I
am open to the argument that Dennis the Menace has more to contribute
to the country than Willie, but it will take a whole lot of convincing.

Still, I foresee only good things will come from this endorsement.
Dennis the Menace has a fine baritone voice. I heard him belt out "The
Star-Spangled Banner" on TV and admired his spunk.

If this presidential campaign doesn't work out for him, he can always
go on the road with Willie.