A favorite pastime for those taking long trips or at parties is a trivia game called “Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon,” wherein the participants try to connect the actor with other Hollywood actors by six connections or less (Kevin Bacon to Mel Gibson is as simple as: Bacon starred in “Flatliners” with Julia Roberts, who starred in “Conspiracy Theory” with Gibson).

Since Bacon has ties to Auburn, his wife, actress Kyra Sedgwick (TBS's “The Closer”), is the niece of former The Citizen-Advertiser publisher Frederik Osborne and his late wife, May, let's play a modified version of “Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon” and call it, “Six Degrees to the President.”

No matter who is elected president of the United States on Tuesday, Auburn will have connections to the next Commander in Chief and should capitalize on it. In this case there isn't really a need to use “six degrees.” You actually can get from Auburn to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in four connections. There has been widespread local coverage about two Auburn families who have clear professional connections to both vice presidential candidates Joseph Biden and Sarah Palin.

Meghan Stapleton, who is handling press within Alaska for Palin, grew up in Auburn and is the daughter of T. David and Helene Stapleton. Should Alaska's freshman governor get to Washington and Stapleton wants to move from above 64 Degrees North latitude, she could get an offer for a job in a possible John McCain administration either with the White House or the office of the vice president.

Closer to the nation's capital is Brian McKeon, the deputy staff director and chief counsel for the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, which is now chaired by Biden. He has worked for or has been associated with Biden for nearly 21 years. There is a distinct possibility that McKeon, the younger brother of Auburn City Court Judge Michael McKeon, will serve in either a Barack Obama administration with a vice presidential appointment or, more likely, at the State Department.

With all this in mind, local government officials might want to utilize the connections they have to both the McKeon and Stapleton families to get some benefit to Auburn, ala Kevin Bacon, from the next occupant of the Naval Observatory, the home of vice presidents since 1974. For example, a victorious or defeated vice presidential candidate can also help Auburn. Win or lose, Palin should be invited to Auburn within the next year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Alaskan statehood, that started on that track with another Auburn favorite son, William H. Seward.

However next Tuesday works out, Auburn will have “4 degrees” to the White House and should use that connection.

Cosentino is a former mayor of Auburn and can be contacted at cozguytho@aol.com