Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge

Someone sent me this nice picture of the progress on the Hoover Dam bypass road that when completed sometime next year will afford motorists a quicker trip across the Colorado River between Nevada and Arizona. This photo must be a month or so old, because the two arches some 900 feet above the river are now touching. Sens. Harry Reid and John McCain were instrumental in naming the engineering feat the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge.

Since I think I was the first to publicly suggest the bridge be named after Gov. O'Callaghan, it's self-serving to say I can't think of a better name. But, I can't think of a better name.

O'Callaghan was, without doubt, one of the most beloved governors of Nevada, a football fanatic and a proud war veteran. I miss Mike. Hell, the state misses Mike and his practical political leadership. He would have been touched to share naming rights with Pat Tillman, an Arizona Cardinal football player who forfeited his career to serve in Afghanistan, where he gave his life in the defense of his country.