Charles Barkley Running For Governor; As A Democrat

Seems that Sir Charles political juices are flowing hard enough to make him consider running for governor of Alabama in 2010.

Former N.B.A. star Charles Barkley is thinking about running for governor of Alabama. He says he's switched from being a Republican to a Democrat and might enter the 2010 race in his home state. As for why he changed parties, Barkley says he thinks Republicans, "lost their minds."

He had a storied career, won an Olympic gold medal as part of the 1992 "Dream Team" and will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in September. But Barkley, who is now a T.V. commentator, says he believes he was put on Earth to do more. And he says he wants to help people improve their lives.

Besides his play on the basketball court Barkley's always been known for his candor so I'm not surprised that he would want to enter the world of politics,. However, considering that some of his opinions on race, self-responsibility and poverty tend to lean towards a more conservative mode of thinking I am a bit surprised that Mr. "I am not your role model" would switch parties to run as a Democrat.