He was married to a politician, and so heard about the goings on at the dinner table. But as a fighter pilot and an astronaut, the Senate floor was about as far from his thoughts as the Asteroid Belt. Only when Gabby was shot, did his perspective change. Gabby knew she couldn't continue on in the House. But she didn't want to fade into the woodwork, either. Mark's Senate run would never have come about in the first place without Gabby's urging.
When I met up with him in March in Paris, his assistant got to the café first, and we got a table. I kept an eye out for him, and he showed up in a green T shirt and a baseball cap. I recognized him right away, but no one else did, and there were several Americans there. He is not one to toot his horn and show off. He listens, he does not pontificate. To run for president in the first place, you have to be fairly convinced of yourself. To win and be a good president, you have to listen when you think you'll hear something worthwhile. I found Obama in particular to be like that. I think Clinton now wished he had been more like that. Five years after he left office, a small group of us were talking about aid groups in third world countries and the percentage of available funds that went toward expenses. He said that his current initiative (CGI) was able to keep expenses down to about 5% whereas while he was in office, expenses for US Government initiatives took up over 20% of available funds. Someone (it wasn't me in this case) asked how come that was? He said, almost in exasperation, "because we were stupid, that's why!"
It's still a long time before the primary season begins, but Mark gives me the impression he will be on the lookout for "not stupid." The assistant I met up with in Paris was already very "not stupid," and I'll bet she was very typical of the type of person Mark wants on his team.
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