One of the great stories I always love hearing comes from Chapter Seven of John F. Kennedy’s Profiles in Courage. )

Kennedy wrote about a freshman U.S. Senator from Mississippi named Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar and how, despite resistance from his constituents, he appealed to the North to end the ugliness that had consumed much of our country after the Civil War.

The fact that Kennedy wrote about one of my relatives – he’s about five branches up and one limb over on the family tree -- made it a must-read in my house. But this story means far more to me than just a distant uncle making history.

L.Q.C. Lamar was branded a traitor in his home state because he appealed to the North for help in rebuilding Mississippi. Kennedy wrote that newspapers in Columbus, Meridian and Canton “vigorously criticized” the senator. The editorials said Lamar had surrendered his Southern principle and honor. Now, that is harsh.

Making matters worse, the senator was “ordered” by the Mississippi state legislature to vote in favor of the Bland Silver Bill, a move that Mississippians thought would boost their struggling economy. The senator didn’t want to be strong-armed into a vote he disagreed with, even though he knew the citizens of his state were strongly in favor of it.

Stung by the legislation, the senator found himself in a pickle. Should he bow down to his state’s wishes and repair his broken image? Or keep fighting for what he believed in, even if it meant being labeled a traitor?

L.Q.C. answered that question in a series of speeches that Kennedy quotes in his book. As L.Q.C. Lamar toured his home state and spoke to “thousands of people in town halls and open fields,” he shared a story from the Civil War “which he swore had occurred.”

Seems some Confederate officers were on a blockade-runner outside of Savannah harbor and wanted to continue their journey. Though the officers had reliable intelligence that no Union ships were in the area, the captain of the boat sent a young sailor to the highest mast with a lookout glass to search for enemy gunboats in the harbor.

The sailor came back down and reported enemies in the waters ahead. The Confederate officers urged the captain to move forward, mocking the young sailor’s report. After all, they had their intelligence reports and they were officers. Their opinion meant more than the young sailor’s observations.

Turns out, the young sailor was right – the Confederate ship would have been sunk by enemy fire if it had set sail and those officers had him to thank for their safety.

L.Q.C. Lamar used that story to tell the people of Mississippi why he could not do what they wanted him to do.

“Thus it is, my countrymen, you have sent me to the topmost mast, and I tell you what I see,” the senator said. “If you say I must come down, I will obey without a murmur, for you cannot make me lie to you.”

That’s where Bobby Bowden is right now, isn’t it?

He’s on the topmost mast of this Florida State football program and no one can argue that Bowden doesn’t have a pretty good view of what’s happening on his practice fields. You might not like to hear what he says he sees from that three-story tower. But you can’t argue that he’s up there watching.

Right now, Bobby Bowden sees Chris Rix as FSU’s best option at quarterback.

Even some of the most loyal FSU fans have questioned that decision since Rix turned in an egg of a performance against Miami on Sept. 10. I even wrote a column last week, before Bowden had made his decision, saying that benching Rix was the right thing to do.

But Bowden didn’t listen to us, did he? He didn’t make the popular move. Didn’t listen to the folks on Internet message boards or on the call-in shows on the sports radio stations.

He ignored the criticism he heard from the experts on televisions. He didn’t want to be bullied into making a move he did not believe in. Say what you want, but that takes guts.

No one would have blamed him for benching Rix. And, while there is still rumbling among the fans about Bowden’s decision, some of it quieted – if only a little – after both Rix and backup Wyatt Sexton played against UAB this past weekend.

Finally, people got a chance to see the two in a pretty similar work environment. Though Sexton did look fairly sharp, it’s safe to say he didn’t blow people away either.

And that’s probably what Bowden saw on those practice fields, from the topmost mast of the FSU program.

Last Monday night, when talking about his decision, Bowden made a statement that might have slipped by most of you. In talking about Sexton, he reminded all of us that he has a little better view of the quarterback competition than most.

“See I watch them every day in practice,” Bowden said. “I can get a pretty good feel for when they’re really ready to go.”

Disagree with his decision if you want, but at least acknowledge one thing: Bobby Bowden has been entrusted with climbing the topmost mast of this program for 29 years and he’s always reported back to the masses exactly what he sees.

Even if it’s not the popular view.