Walker, Texas Ranger Shoots for Palin, Ron Paul

I talked to Chuck Norris today about his new book, Black Belt Patriotism, out next week, and he had some advice for the political and press critics of McCain running mate Sarah Palin: Back off. "Everybody needs to get off that," the star of Walker, Texas Ranger urged. "I just feel so sad for her family." Norris, who you might recall campaigned with Mike Huckabee, called Palin the real McCoy and was especially concerned about how her kids have been handled by critics and some in the media. But, he says, "that will pass" and he urged the press to turn its attention on some of the larger issues facing the nation like the national debt. "This is going to get worse." In his book, which Whispers will have more on in Monday's magazine, he looks at eight key issues and suggests solutions, many based on how he thinks the founding fathers would have addressed them. And while he's campaigned for Republicans, even former President H.W. Bush, he doesn't take a Republican or Democratic approach. In fact, he sounds more like a populist and even writes admiringly of Ron Paul, the GOP candidate who tried to take on Washington and out of control spending in his uphill bid. "Ron Paul had some great ideas," Norris tells me. As for which candidate he's backing in the race, he didn't have much good to say about either, though he clearly likes the reform focus of the McCain-Palin ticket. His biggest complaint: Neither of the candidates appears to speak from the heart. "Right now, I don't see that" in Sen. John McCain or Sen. Barack Obama. He does in Palin, however. "I'm impressed with Sarah Palin," he says. "She speaks from the heart."