We have discussed before the notion of politics - along with careers in things like sports and show business - allowing people of talent to race ahead through the system.
One of the people who has raced ahead is Mary Matalin - Mary Carville - who announced this week she would be leaving Vice President Dick Cheney's staff.
I do not actually remember not knowing Mary. On the phone with her yesterday it was difficult to remember when we had first met.
But here's what I do know: Politics would not have been as interesting, or as much fun, or as meaningful if Mary Matalin had not been involved.
In late 1987 I was in my office at the Fund for America's Future which was then-Vice President George Bush's Political Action Committee whose chairman was Lee Atwater. The 1988 campaign was about to get underway and the PAC's staff was beginning to grow.
Mary was one of the first of the new staff to show up. She came into my office and asked me to visit with the "old" staff to make certain they understood that the newcomers were coming in to help move the organization to the next level - not because they hadn't been doing a good job.
In the Bush/Quayle campaign Mary was in her office 24 hours a day. I traveled with Marilyn Quayle for the final months of the election, and it was not unusual to get a call in my California hotel room at eleven pm Pacific time from Mary just checking in to see how things were going.
After the campaign, Mary became chief of staff for Atwater at the Republican National Committee. Lee developed a brain tumor and never returned to the office. For the better part of a year, Mary was the de facto chairman of the RNC in his absence.
In the early days of Lee's illness, Mary went from office to office touching every employee from the senior staff to the people in the print shop to re-assure them, and to share her strength in a very difficult time.
After the 1992 campaign, Mary went into the media. She was the first co-host of the MSNBC program Equal Time; she had a syndicated radio program; then went to CNN to co-host Cross Fire; the job her husband now holds.
Through all the media appearances Mary was always available for a phone call to help sort out a thorny political problem or - more difficult - a prickly personnel issue.
While that was going on, Mary and James had two children - two girls - upon whom they both dote. You cannot see Mary with her children and misunderstand the level of her devotion.
When President-elect Bush and Vice President-elect Cheney were looking around for the best people to be nearest to them, it surprised no one when Mary Matalin was announced as the counselor to the Vice President.
I suspect that Mary did not have it in mind to stay in the White House for two full years. But the attacks of September 11 and the departure of Karen Hughes delayed her departure. Mary chose to stay until after the mid-term elections to make certain there was no disruption in the rhythm of the Bush White House.
Mary said yesterday that the two things she will take away from this experience are that President George W. Bush restored her faith in the institutions of government and he "restored my faith in ... faith."
I asked her how she got her start in politics. She told me that, as a student at Western Illinois University, she was invited to participate in a local political campaign by a professor.
What was that first job? "I was the back end of an elephant in a political parade in Macomb, Illinois."
Mary has gone from the back of an elephant to the top of her profession. And, along the way, became one of the most popular and respected people in politics. She is my neighbor and, more importantly, my friend.
Godspeed, Mary Matalin.
On the Secret Decoder Ring today: A photo of Mary and The James, a link to the THIRD installment of the GENEVA TRAVELOGUE and, and the Mullfoto of the day.
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