Asking Martin O'Malley To Explain Baltimore

[Raine1967]

4. Kicking with the interview:

right now it is the interviewers notes but the video is posted: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/05/talking-with-martin-omalley-reform-or-pitchforks/392633/

the last three paragraphs are what I will post here:

• Governors have an edge in the race for the presidency, because they've spent their careers doing things, and learning the complications of the real world. I have no idea whether Martin O'Malley has a prayer in the upcoming presidential race. But from talking with him on stage, and before and after, and reading a lot by and about him in preparation for the event, I take him seriously as a person who has done things and knows the realities of execution. He also has attracted respectful attention from the press covering his still-unannounced campaign. For instance: a piece by Matt Bai in Yahoo; by Jill Lawrence and by Ron Brownstein back in 2013 in National Journal; ongoing coverage by John Wagner in the WaPo; and by Jim Rutenberg in the NYT. Again, who knows where this will lead, but he's shown that he is a serious figure.

• I didn't ask him about foreign policy in this session. One reason was that we ran out of time; another is that his judgment about the Iraq War told me that he had good instincts. After the event I told him that if there had been time I would have asked him about the proposed Iran-nuclear deal. He said it seemed like a positive step, which in context is another important sign of sanity.

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A contested race is a good thing for the party and the country, even if it's grinding for the actual candidates. Whatever becomes of him, Martin O'Malley is making what sounds to me like an important and valuable case.