Eight minutes with John McCain.

OK, what didn’t get in print from that quick interview?

A brief comment on the impact of six years as a prisoner of war.  

Sitting in the midst of an exhibit of aging military aircraft, McCain momentarily recalled his experience as a naval aviator shot down and imprisoned in Vietnam.

“I began to appreciate this country more when I was deprived of its company,” he said.

“I look back on it as part of my life. But I rescued my life and career and I went on.”

That was it.

A moment of remembrance from a man who could have lived his life tied to the past, or even trapped in it, but who chose to move on.

McCain’s got it right.

Live today.

Yesterday is done.

The time that really matters begins this moment.

McCain’s kind remarks about Chuck Hagel — and Hagel’s in-kind response — provide an all-too-rare view of personal affection and deep friendship trumping any political disagreements.

Both guys stood tall last week.

Hagel, who was national co-chairman of McCain’s 2000 presidential campaign and the buddy McCain chose to introduce him to the Republican national convention that year, is not endorsing McCain’s 2008 bid.

What changed?

The world changed in 2001.

And these two men disagree strongly about policy in Iraq.

And with respect to Iran.

Hagel has associated himself with Barack Obama by deciding to travel with him to Iraq and Afghanistan.

“No, I am not disappointed,” McCain said during last week’s interview.

“I went to Chuck’s office a couple of weeks ago and we sat down and talked. We remain very close and dear friends.”

Lively Nebraska political blog coverage of both national party conventions now is assured.

An e-mail from the elusive “Street Sweeper” informs us that Leavenworth Street, the Republican-oriented Nebraska political blog, has been issued press credentials for the GOP national convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

New Nebraska Network, its Democratic counterpart, earlier was awarded credentials to cover the Democratic national convention in Denver.

Leavenworth Street will protect its anonymity, SS says, by sending a representative who is “not privy to our identities” to provide the Street with photos and on-the-scene reports.

Jordan McGrain, who managed Jon Bruning’s brief Senate campaign, will provide those reports from Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Kyle Michaelis, NNN creator, will be in Denver to blog.

Recommendation:  If you’re interested in Nebraska politics, become a regular visitor to those two blogs.  

They’ve often got stuff we don’t have.

* * *

Finishing up:

* David Solheim, last year’s UNL student body president, is working on the Obama campaign in Council Bluffs after winning an Obama “summer fellowship.”

* Jeff Fortenberry and Brian Baird, a Democratic House colleague from Washington, want to open a dialogue with “the Arab street” by conducting video town hall discussions with students in Cairo.

* Mike Johanns now has campaign chairmen in all 93 counties.

* Scott Kleeb tells this story on the road in western Nebraska:  “One man came up to me and said, ‘You know, I’ve never voted for a Democrat in my life. Heck, I’ve never met a Democrat in my life.’”

* When Kleeb was discussing concerns about No Child Left Behind with Sidney teachers last week, one teacher told him educators often wonder: “Or is it no child better get ahead?”

* A common refrain heard out west: What is the reason we are  not harnessing the wind that sweeps across western Nebraska and using it as an electric power source?

* Ben Nelson, who endorsed Obama early in his Democratic battle with Hillary Clinton, says he’s ready to “help Obama wherever I can” during the general election campaign.

* A stunning editorial in the Midlands Business Journal this month comparing Obama to Adolf Hitler: “While Obama is not Hitler, still there are similarities,” publisher Bob Hoig wrote. “I was startled to realize the increasing use of Nazi Party techniques by the Barack Obama campaign,” he wrote. Geez.

* Batman’s a wimp; The Joker rules. Yikes.

* Husker stirrings in mid-July as baseball strides the stage. Can you imagine the electricity in the stadium when the Hokies come to town in September? Can you imagine how much a ticket will cost when the Yankees come to Wrigley in October?

Reach Don Walton at 473-7248 or at dwalton@journalstar.com.