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Although he's never held or run for political office before, Matthew Woodson claims he "is the only 5th district candidate with a plan to win the war on terror," according to the candidate's Oct. 27 press release.

Given the current state of affairs in Iraq's part of the world, a person with "a plan to win the war on terror" would more than likely be in huge demand.

Perhaps not.

In a pre-election poll released Oct. 11 by SurveyUSA, current Lt. Governor Mary Fallin would win Oklahoma's 5th Congressional District seat easily, besting democrat David Hunter by 29 percent.

Woodson, who received votes from only three percent of those surveyed, would have lost to Fallin by 59 percentage points.  one of this seems to deter the 36-year-old Woodson, who in his "private" life works as a freelance grip in the TV and film industry.

In fact, he was recently working for Mary Fallin (now his opponent) when he decided to run for Congress.  During an interview with The Vista, Woodson provided answers regarding his platform, why he's running for office and just how it is America should go about winning the war on terror.

At the root of Woodson's political platform, what seems to have driven him to run for office with almost zero campaign funds or experience, is his belief that the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks are being used to steer the Bush administration's policies.

"Sept. 11 was the catalyst that dramatically changed our foreign and domestic policy," Woodson said. "It is clear to any objective observer that the explanation put forth by our government isn't completely accurate. I support a congressional investigation into the crimes of Sept. 11 before we continue to base our policies on the events of that day."

But is having a conspiracy theory about Sept. 11 enough to make a man with no real political background run for a seat in Congress? According to Woodson, the answer to that question is no.

"I decided to become a candidate for several reasons, including meeting two veterans who shared similar stories," Woodson said.

"They killed children in the course of battle and they both have psychological struggles with that. One of the veterans was from Vietnam and one from Iraq." After listening to the two veterans, Woodson said he grew concerned about the direction in which the country was moving. This made me realize that unless something changes, our country will continue making the same mistakes," Woodson said. "I believe when we ask people to kill and die in our name, we must be honest with them and ourselves about why we are making that request."

And finally, just how does Woodson plan to win the war on terror?

"To win the war on terror, we need to be honest about why we are at war," Woodson said. Like many other critics of Bush's administration, Woodson cites oil as a major factor in matters.

"I believe the economy, military, agriculture and transportation of our country is vulnerable due to its dependency on oil," Woodson said. "During World War II we were energy independent country. Our government should institute policies that will attain this status once again."

Woodson was not allowed to participate in the Oct. 19 debate between Fallin and Hunter because he didn't have enough support from voters. KFOR, who produced and televised the event, threatened to arrest Woodson if he caused a disturbance at the debate, according to the news release.

And while millions of "armchair presidents" across the nation may claim to have a plan to win the war on terror, Woodson really does.

His open letter to President Bush, which includes "the plan," is slated to appear in the Oklahoma Gazette, due out today (Nov. 2).

The (free) Gazette is available at six locations on UCO's campus and hundreds of other spots around the Oklahoma City area.

To find out more about Matthew Woodson and his politics, visit www.sendmeabuck.com.