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For purposes of time, I gave Bob (I'm just going to periodically refer to him as "Bob" hereafter) the benefit of the doubt in the primary contest, and invited him to describe what his foremost priorities would be if elected to the Senate.

Not surprisingly, he started with energy policy. (Today saw a major release on the topic, which at the time was news to me; although, serendipitously enough, "EnerG" was the first heading on my notepad going in.) He referred to the cap-and-trade system being debated in the Senate, and vowed to re-introduce this measure if Congress cannot override President Bush's presumed veto.

He said he would also work to eliminate subsidies to oil companies, and introduce a "windfall profits tax" on said companies if they did not lower their prices. I wondered that such a "strongarm" measure would be employed. Bob responded with a steely "some call it 'jawboning'; and yes, that is exactly what we will do."

We then discussed alternative and renewable energy sources. I could sense the advocate coming out when Tuke talked about the worldwide grain shortage that has, in part, been caused by what he considers careless policy aimed at growing corn for fuel. I asked about Mike Padgett's proposal to use genetically modified sugarcane instead of corn. He disagreed with that as well, and stated that arable land should be reserved for food production, while switchgrass can be grown in areas that can't be tilled.

Nuclear energy came up next, and on this, too, Bob disagreed with his principal Democratic opponent. He doesn't believe that we should invest in more nuclear plants until we have discovered a way to make nuclear waste safe. "Yucca Mountain is not the answer," he declared.

Another top priority we talked about is the ongoing war in Iraq. I asked if he felt the Iraqi government and security forces are up to the challenge of taking on their own challenges. No, came the answer, they are largely propped up by the American presence; but we need to withdraw from that country regardless, because our armed forces shouldn't be refereeing an ethnic civil war.

It seems that Tuke would push to send more troops back to Afghanistan, and even into Pakistan, rather than bring them all home immediately. The goal, obviously, would be to go after the terrorists that targeted New York and Washington on September 11, 2001. The 82nd Airborne and Marines should not have been diverted from Afghanistan to Iraq, he said.

Bob also feels very strongly about how troops are treated once they are home, either between deployments, or for good. One of his goals as a Senator would be to make sure that soldiers get to spend at least the length of a deployment at home, between deployments.

He expressed hope that the Webb GI Bill, which has passed the Senate, can be reconciled with the House version and signed into law by the time he would be sworn in, if elected; but if for some reason it is not, he would work to ensure its enactment. "I went to law school on the GI bill.…It makes me mad that Senator Alexander opposes" this improvement.

Our last policy discussion was on healthcare, and on this topic, I found very little difference between what Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has proposed and what Bob Tuke says he will champion. Hypothetically speaking, a President Obama would have a strong ally in a Senator Tuke on this matter.

Both favor a universal coverage that is at the same time voluntary (but you'd have to be "stupid" to not sign up for it, says Bob). However, a single-payer system is not in the prescription, as private enterprise "will do things just a little bit better." I pointed out that many people in Chattanooga are employed in the insurance industry.

"Insurance companies will make plenty of money" under such a plan, he predicted. Though the margin on a universal plan that has restrictions on rates and allows no exclusions would be slender, Tuke feels that companies would offer — and consumers would buy — premium supplemental coverage that would satisfy both the insurers' income requirements and the customers' comfort levels. Our time was running low, and I wasn't able to add a discussion about prevention versus the cost of care.

I didn't bring up the "march across Tennessee" with the candidate; however, Will made sure to mention that one section of it will be covered this Saturday in Chattanooga, and it will culminate at the Democratic Party headquarters on Patten Parkway at 4:30pm.

Bob Tuke ended our visit with a synopsis of why he feels Tennesseans should elect him to this office. He cited service to our country as a Marine, experience in adoption law and legal services for a low-income healthcare provider, and a wealth of experience in the private sector as his primary qualifications. "I know how to craft legislation that helps people," he mused.

I want to offer my sincere thanks to the campaign for allowing me this opportunity, and I look forward to watching this race develop over the next two months.

Even more, I hope that these reports help Chattanooga and Tennessee voters to inform themselves about the candidates and what each would endeavor to accomplish in the Senate.

What another socialist liberal running as a democrat. Not here in TN, no thanks.