Republican Party presidential candidate John McCain today received an endorsement he is unlikely to trumpet: that of convicted Canadian felon and newspaper publishing baron Conrad Black. Black, who authored a lengthy opinion editorial in support of McCain's character and candidacy that appeared in electronic and written editions of Canada's National Post newspaper (a publication Mr. Black founded in 1995), is a controversial figure who spent much of the previous year becoming familiar with a branch of the American government that is NOT considered Executive or Legislative.

In July 2007 a criminal jury in Chicago convicted Conrad Black of three counts of mail fraud and one count of obstruction of justice related to his media publishing empire. Additionally, Mr. Black is facing scrutiny from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and their counterpart in Black's native Canada; class-action suits seeking damages of hundreds of millions of dollars are expected to be filed by retail and institutional investors embittered by stock market losses racked up by his former companies after shareholder complaints of accounting irregularities.

Furthermore, Conrad Black is facing a separate fraud lawsuit in which the plaintiffs are claiming damages of more than US$700 million.

Despite Conrad Black's legal priorities, the disgraced publishing magnate from the Great White North still managed to find time to author an opus extolling the virtues of John McCain's White House bid.

Here is John McCain's character reference from convicted felon Conrad Black, in which Black also puts in a plug for fellow media mogul Mike Bloomberg's aspiring national ambitions:

"McCain, an authentic hero, though irascible and burdened with a bogus campaign-finance bill and unacceptable views on immigration, is in the best of the military-political tradition of integrity. He doesn't speak in clichés or adjust his views for the fluctuating polls, and he does have a sense of humour. If he is the presidential nominee, the genius move would be to invite Bloomberg to be his running mate. At this early point, if the office, in a phrase from Washington's time, is seeking anyone, (i.e. being successfully sought by anyone), it is John McCain."

Read Conrad Black's article in its entirety here.

An endorsement and character reference from a convicted Canadian felon, eh? Looks like another Straight Talk detour.