McCain wants to pardon Bakersfield fighter

It seems to have escaped attention in recent stories about John McCain's efforts to clear the name of Jack Johnson, but the first black heavyweight boxing champ was a Bakersfield resident. Johnson, who was sent to prison because of his friendship with a white woman named Lucille Cameron, who would later become his wife, lived in the southern San Joaquin Valley from 1901 to perhaps 1911, off and on.

Johnson was convicted in 1913 of violating the Mann Act, which made it illegal to transport a woman across state lines for immoral purposes. McCain wants Barack Obama to grant Johnson a pardon almost 100 years after the fact.

The story of Johnson's connection to Bakersfield is here. The tale plays out like a great screenplay (in need of a screenwriter).