Rich, your note on career politicians amused me. You know when we stress someone’s gubernatorial experience? When the candidate we favor for president is a governor, or former governor. You know when we say someone is a career politician? When we don’t like him. Otherwise, he’s a statesman or a “canny veteran” or something.

I appreciate some good populist rhetoric as much as the next red-blooded American. But when I think “career politician,” I sometimes think Winston Churchill: who first ran for office in 1899 and didn’t get out of the game until 1955, and that with great reluctance. (Of course, he did a little writing in this period, too, in addition to running for office.)

Reagan was late to run for office. But when he did, he was loath to stop. He ran for president in ’68 (sort of), ’76, ’80, and ’84. He didn’t challenge the Republican incumbent in ’72, but he did in ’76. He told a major Republican politician (who told me) that he would have run for a third term as president, if not for the 22nd Amendment (which he always opposed).

One more thing: It’s possible to be a free-market, limited-government Republican and a career politician, though it’s a little unusual. I remember being amazed that John Engler first ran for office when he was still in college (and he won). Funny world, sometimes.