MINNEAPOLIS -- It wasn’t a very good year for Republicans, but John “Jock” McKernan from Maine and John McCain of Arizona both got elected to Congress in 1982. They served on the Foreign Affairs Committee together.

Neither was looking too far into the future, however McKernan, who later served as Maine’s Governor from 1987 to 1995, said he saw great potential in McCain, who was officially nominated as the Republican presidential candidate this week at the Republican National Convention.

“He stood out immediately because of his background,” McKernan said. “Most of us came from fairly traditional backgrounds. He had been a prisoner of war six years ago.”

U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe said she also knows the Senator from Arizona well. She characterized him as one who takes an aggressive stance on the issues. Snowe is married to McKernan, and both attended the RNC this week.

Snowe worked with McCain on the Patient Bill of Rights, his legislation that defined the rights of medical patients. She worked on the small business aspect of the bill

She has also worked with him on issues of climate change and the initiative to keep kids from using tobacco. He was also involved in the “Gang of 14”, seven Republicans and seven Democrats who worked to preserve the ability to filibuster judicial nominees, but only in extreme circumstances.

She said McCain sought out her support in 2006 and asked her to support his candidacy.

“He was no different than he is today, a very hard working, serious senator,” Snowe said.

Both McKernan and Snowe said the “third Bush term” concept the opposition is pushing isn’t true in the least.

“People who say ‘third Bush term’ don’t know John McCain,” McKernan said. “He’s a reformer, a maverick. If there were two curtains, ‘business as usual’ and ‘something new’, 99 times out of 100 John McCain would pick something new.”

There are areas where Bush and McCain agree, and where they disagree, Snowe said. She said he does what he thinks is right.

“He won’t be a facsimile of Bush, knowing what I know about him,” Snowe said.