Who Do You Respect?

I'd like to do an exercise here, for no other reason than curiosity. It's pretty simple. Here is how it goes.

If you are a Democrat or you vote that way more often than not, name a Republican (or two) that you respect. Likewise, if you are Republican or vote that way more often that not, name a Democrat that you respect. Please tell us why. They can be active or retired, dead or alive.

Since this is my bright idea, I'll go first. Since I am neither Democrat nor Republican, I will name one from each party. Coincidentally, both are senators from my current state.

Democrat

Evan Bayh - I think he is, overall, a pretty moderate politician and a pretty decent senator. As governor, he left Indiana in pretty good shape, financially. Based on that fact alone, I think he'd make a decent President. He does not toe party lines in all things. I worked for the state when he was governor, he wasn't bad to work for either. Things got done and he even vetoed a budget that he said cost too much. The GOP Assembly overrode it.

Republican

Richard Lugar - For a politician, he's pretty squeaky clean. I cannot think of one scandal his name has even popped up in. He is moderate and does not toe party lines. I didn't live in Indy, when he was mayor. But from what I have been told, he began a serious clean-up of the city and vastly improved its image. When he began serving as mayor, Indianapolis was called "Naptown". It was a sleepy railroad town that had an old, decaying infrastructure. But, by the time he left office and turned the reins over to his successor, this town was in full revival mode, and "Naptown" was replaced by "Indy".

I thought of this because, I have noticed many Dems that once said they respected John McCain are now turning against him. The same holds true of Republicans. I am quite sure that if Bayh had run and won the nomination for the Dems, Republicans that used to say they respected him would have turned against him too. Elections are a funny thing, you know.

Okay, now it's your turn.