But Evans says he has a special appreciation for the slower pace of the legislature.

"Our forefathers came from dictatorial, totalitarian rules. These people who fled Europe and came to the North American continent had a great suspicion of too much power," Evans says, adding that the founding fathers were aware of the corruptive nature of power. "The whole idea of the legislature was to slow down the political process...You just have to have a lot of persistence."

Evans' experience in Senate and statehouse give him insight into the great debate of whether a governor or a legislator is more qualified for the presidency.

"I would say that if you only have one experience, being governor is closer to the job of the chief executive," Evans says. "The only problem is that today, governors don't have the foreign policy experience and knowledge."

Evans says that after the Second World War, more presidents started to come from Congress, with the exception of Carter and Reagan.

"At governors' conferences, we used to frequently talk and say `Isn't it terrible that all these presidents are coming from the Senate."

It would seem his experiences as a governor and senator would make Evans himself a contender for the presidency, but the IOP fellow says he has no interest in running for the office--or any other--in the near future.

"People ask if I will run for governor again. I don't want to do that, even though I loved the job," says Evans. He says he would prefer to wait and see what fate drops in his lap.

"Timing is everything--that's the old saw in politics," Evans says. "That more than anything else opens up opportunities."