I've heard a glass of wine helps a lot of people with their nerves :) As long as you don't finish the whole bottle that is. When I didn't have a decent control of my public self I used to do that and perhaps the whole thing was a placebo effect but hey, it helped me greatly!
I firmly believe honesty is quite overrated, not in a white-collar-everthing-goes-for-money-or-whatever kind of way, but mostly because I have issues with the term :P But anyhow, being too straight forward can also be a pain in the ass ;)
I, of course, have no idea what your religious,social or political beliefs are nor are they important to me, but let's say you're a very open minded steering towards left kind of person. Don't you think such thing could come backfire if you are interviewed by a Tea Party member? Or the other way around, just to make a point :P
But yeah *pats softly in the back* You can do it!!! ^_^