Ben Carson has kicked off things at CPAC, here in Washington, D.C. (or within shouting distance). He took a few questions from a designated questioner.
During this Q&A, the questioner said, “Your answers are so succinct and precise.” Carson answered, “I’m a surgeon.”
One of the questions put to him was, in essence, “How do conservatives reach out to black Americans?” Carson said, “The key is to tell them the truth.” Tell them what real freedom is, as opposed to dependency dressed up as freedom or kindness. Tell them who is truly on their side — and who may be holding them back or locking up their vote.
In my (brief) experience, Carson speaks in mild tones while making hard-hitting points.
I guess he’s running for president. I so wish he’d run for mayor of Baltimore (where he lives, I believe). He could do much good in that office. He could set an example, seen across the nation. As my colleague Rick Brookhiser says, “The presidency is not an entry-level political job, unless you have won World War II.”
But you can’t mark out careers for other people. They do what they want, or can. And Carson obviously has a sense of mission.
P.S. No large event is complete without blaring rock music, right? Is that a constitutional requirement? If so, can we ignore it, as “living document” folk?