GUBERNATORIAL HUG--Gov. Bob Taft receives a hug from his wife Hope, after taking the ceremonial Governor's Oath of Office, at the Ohio Theatre, in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday, Jan. 11, 1999. Taft is the state's 67th governor. (JACK KUSTRON/photoj.com)

SETTING PRIORTIES--Gov. Bob Taft gestures as he responds to a reporter's question, during a new conference concerning legislative goals, at the Ohio Statehouse, in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 1999. Also seen are House Speaker Jo Ann Davidson, R-Reynoldsburg, and Senate Pres. Richard Finan, R-Cincinnati. (JACK KUSTRON/photoj.com)

READ ACROSS AMERICA DAY--Gov. Bob Taft reads "The Cat in the Hat," in honor of Dr. Seusse's 95th birthday, to students at Avalon Elementary School, in Columbus, Ohio, during an Ohio Read Across America Day event, on Tuesday, March 2, 1999. (JACK KUSTRON/photoj.com)

MAKING HISTORY--Gov. Bob Taft receives a standing ovation from members of the Ohio AFL-CIO, as he becomes the first Republican governor of the state ever to address the labor organization, during its legislative conference, in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday, March 24, 1999. (JACK KUSTRON/photoj.com)

WARM WELCOME--Gov. Bob Taft smiles as Senate President Richard Finan, R-Cincinnati, and House Speaker Jo Ann Davidson, R-Reynoldsburg, applaud prior to the start of his first State of the State address, at the Ohio Statehouse, in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, March 9, 1999. (JACK KUSTRON/photoj.com)

POINTER FROM A PRO--Gov. Bob Taft, left, gets a pointer from former Gov. Jim Rhodes, who is considered the "Father of the Ohio State Fair," during the opening of the 146th edition of the fair, at the Ohio Expo Center, in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday, Aug. 6, 1999. The Ohio State Fair runs through Aug. 22. (JACK KUSTRON/photoj.com)

EVEN THE GOV. STANDS IN LINE--Gov. Bob Taft waits to use a portable men's room, at the Ohio State University Farm Science Review, in London, Ohio, on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 1999. (JACK KUSTRON/photoj.com)